Dual approach: Key to success for western PCB-manufacturers

PCB supplier CML published a report in October titled: “PCBs from Asia traded by western PCB manufacturer”. They now underline that the report couldn’t be more present and up-to-date. Selling PCB’s manufactured in-house together with PCB’s purchased in Asia, provides manufacturers overall with a stronger bottom line result. The situation in Germany today, according to CML:

• Eight years back the number of active PCB producer in Germany was just a bit shy of the 100 mark. By 2012 this number went down to 76.
• This rocky road for German (and other European/Western) PCB producer does and will continue. Multek Germany will close its doors in autumn 2013 (380 staff), In March 2013 Schoeller reduced its workforce by 40 people. In the same month (March 2013) the PCB producer Rinde Regeltechnik announced insolvency.
• The CEO of Rinde Regeltechnik envision now to increase the trading part of their business beyond 20 %, if a potential investor to take over the company will be found. His argument: “Customers like this model”.

Looking beyond the borders of Germany into the neighbouring country Austria, AT&S Klagenfurt Leiterplatten just announced that this PCB production facility is set to close down by the end of 2013. This snapshot of current events within the European PCB manufacturing industry signalled a tough start into the first half of 2013. CML’s VP Sales Asia Theo Langer highly recommends to reconsider the scenarios described in the publication mentioned above.