© igor-stevanovic-dreamstime.com
Electronics Production | August 07, 2013
'In repair you need to be fast'
Imagine not having to deal with customer returns, nor complaints or even the repair. Sounds kind of nice now, doesn't it? Well here we have Teledesign and Repair (TDR), a company who offers just that kind of service.
This is all a bit strange to me; complaints and costumer returns paint a picture of a company offering to take the heat for another company. Well, that's not really the case. We're not talking retail here, what TDR offers is the service to extend the life of your equipment.
I got the opportunity to talk to TDR's CEO, Tuomo Rekila. And I wanted to ask him about how the industry looks for a company that is on the other side of the spectrum – repairing rather than manufacturing.
The industry has been through some ups and downs for the last couple of years. How do you feel the industry is doing right now?
"Actually, I think it still seems to be having some real difficulties to recover. For the most part the industry is – from my point of view – pretty much down. There are some good signs too, but most of it has some difficulties."
Last year we saw a dip in almost every sector. How is 2013 treating TDR?
"For us, this year has actually been pretty good. We have been able to strengthen our position in existing markets, but we have also been able to tap into new markets. We also managed to secure new customer relationships. So from our point of view, it have been excellent and pretty much what we had planned and targeted so far. So I would say it has been a pretty good year for us."
Which are the new markets for you?
"Our strength has been – and where we have our roots – the telecom market, but we have been able to broaden our customer base in the Industrial market. And then we have also been able to get into the medical market, which I believe is very important for us."
Is medical and industrial something that you will push; as in telecom you already have a legacy?
"There is a big difference in needs in those markets. But if we are stepping into industrial and medical – of course in industrial the repair is very important – reverse engineering is getting more and more important."
"And also there is test and development and that is something we have been able to step into. Because, let's say that last year, everybody has been trying to get into a 'fully-automated everything' that's been so good and great, but somehow the good old semi-automated and manual has been forgotten. And there we have also a good solution, which helps the people who do not have such big volumes that you normally see in telecom and that has been a good market for us."
Looking at TDR's footprint. You are planning to venture out to Asia, but which region would you say is the most interesting?
"Of course we are very well established in Europe. But the region we are most interested in is of course the Far East. But it is not only Asia and China – we all know that in China you already already a lot of competition – but also India and Africa are very interesting regions for us."
Why do you consider a move to Asia now? Why not earlier? Why not later? As the Asian economy is really fluctuating and has been going down now for a while.
"Well, we have not made any final decisions. It is up to our customers and what they want. If they want to see us there, then we consider that option. It is pretty much based on that."
Ok, lets leave Asia for a bit. How do you see the competition? Especially in Europe?
"I suppose the competition is pretty tough. There are a lot of big companies, global companies that we cannot even compete against. We don't really need to either. But then there are a lot of smaller companies, so I would say the competition is tough."
So, in such a crowded segment, how do you separate yourselves from that competition?
"Well, we have several items that we use to separate our selves. We have reverse engineering and our quality standard is very high. Also, our turn-around times are a lot shorter than that of our competition. We have highly qualified engineers in our workforce, and the latter is the basis for all the previous points mentioned."
"Our repair process is such that no competition can give that at the moment. Of course we are still a small company, but we are flexible and we are really close to our customers. A good relationship with our customers is very important in our view."
Is it the customer relationships or the special knowhow that you have that helped you to stay atop?
"I think it is both. We are very close to our customers and we have very good relationships with all of them. And then we also have a proven track record when it comes to quality and turn-around times. I think it is a combination of all of that. And also that we can move really fast. Making decisions does not take long for us. If we have to change something we can move very quickly."
Has that always been a goal of yours? The quick turn around?
"Yeah. It has been, because somehow we have to separate ourselves from the big companies. They have the huge mass volume and we have the competence in knowledge and technology. So we have the better and faster turn-around times. I can even say that no one can compete with us on that score. Times as well as quality."
Will you be able to keep those fast turn-around times if you grow to be one of the bigger companies?
"[Pause] Yes. I am confident about that. [laugh] What else can i say."
I got the opportunity to talk to TDR's CEO, Tuomo Rekila. And I wanted to ask him about how the industry looks for a company that is on the other side of the spectrum – repairing rather than manufacturing.
The industry has been through some ups and downs for the last couple of years. How do you feel the industry is doing right now?
"Actually, I think it still seems to be having some real difficulties to recover. For the most part the industry is – from my point of view – pretty much down. There are some good signs too, but most of it has some difficulties."
Last year we saw a dip in almost every sector. How is 2013 treating TDR?
"For us, this year has actually been pretty good. We have been able to strengthen our position in existing markets, but we have also been able to tap into new markets. We also managed to secure new customer relationships. So from our point of view, it have been excellent and pretty much what we had planned and targeted so far. So I would say it has been a pretty good year for us."
Which are the new markets for you?
"Our strength has been – and where we have our roots – the telecom market, but we have been able to broaden our customer base in the Industrial market. And then we have also been able to get into the medical market, which I believe is very important for us."
Is medical and industrial something that you will push; as in telecom you already have a legacy?
"There is a big difference in needs in those markets. But if we are stepping into industrial and medical – of course in industrial the repair is very important – reverse engineering is getting more and more important."
"And also there is test and development and that is something we have been able to step into. Because, let's say that last year, everybody has been trying to get into a 'fully-automated everything' that's been so good and great, but somehow the good old semi-automated and manual has been forgotten. And there we have also a good solution, which helps the people who do not have such big volumes that you normally see in telecom and that has been a good market for us."
Looking at TDR's footprint. You are planning to venture out to Asia, but which region would you say is the most interesting?
"Of course we are very well established in Europe. But the region we are most interested in is of course the Far East. But it is not only Asia and China – we all know that in China you already already a lot of competition – but also India and Africa are very interesting regions for us."
Why do you consider a move to Asia now? Why not earlier? Why not later? As the Asian economy is really fluctuating and has been going down now for a while.
"Well, we have not made any final decisions. It is up to our customers and what they want. If they want to see us there, then we consider that option. It is pretty much based on that."
Ok, lets leave Asia for a bit. How do you see the competition? Especially in Europe?
"I suppose the competition is pretty tough. There are a lot of big companies, global companies that we cannot even compete against. We don't really need to either. But then there are a lot of smaller companies, so I would say the competition is tough."
So, in such a crowded segment, how do you separate yourselves from that competition?
"Well, we have several items that we use to separate our selves. We have reverse engineering and our quality standard is very high. Also, our turn-around times are a lot shorter than that of our competition. We have highly qualified engineers in our workforce, and the latter is the basis for all the previous points mentioned."
"Our repair process is such that no competition can give that at the moment. Of course we are still a small company, but we are flexible and we are really close to our customers. A good relationship with our customers is very important in our view."
Is it the customer relationships or the special knowhow that you have that helped you to stay atop?
"I think it is both. We are very close to our customers and we have very good relationships with all of them. And then we also have a proven track record when it comes to quality and turn-around times. I think it is a combination of all of that. And also that we can move really fast. Making decisions does not take long for us. If we have to change something we can move very quickly."
Has that always been a goal of yours? The quick turn around?
"Yeah. It has been, because somehow we have to separate ourselves from the big companies. They have the huge mass volume and we have the competence in knowledge and technology. So we have the better and faster turn-around times. I can even say that no one can compete with us on that score. Times as well as quality."
Will you be able to keep those fast turn-around times if you grow to be one of the bigger companies?
"[Pause] Yes. I am confident about that. [laugh] What else can i say."
Chinese memory companies arrange trial production to begin in 2H/18
China has entered the semiconductor sector and focused on the development of domestic memory industry. The three key players are YMTC, Innotron (Hefei Chang Xin) and JHICC, which work on NAND Flash, mobile DRAM and...
Schweizer increase turnover to EUR 120.9 million
The Schweizer Group closed the accounts in 2017 with a record turnover of EUR 120.9 million...
Are we ready for Air Taxi Services?
Volocopter certainly believes we are. The German company presented a vision that integrates air taxis into existing transportation systems to provide additional mobility for up to 10'000 passengers per day with a single point to...
Flir Systems completes strategic investment in DroneSense
Flir has completed a strategic investment in DroneSense, the makers of a software platform...
Emerson to acquire Tools & Test equipment business from Textron
Emerson has signed an agreement to purchase the Tools and Test Equipment (Tools...
TTM completes acquisition of Anaren
PCB manufacturer, TTM Technologies has completed its acquisition of Anaren, Inc. The...
Robots create jobs – new research
At 309 units per 10'000 employees, robot density in German manufacturing industry...
EDA industry revenue up 10.7% YoY in Q4/2017
The Electronic Design Automation (EDA) industry revenue for Q4/2017 increased...
Cobham wins KF-X multirole fighter oxygen system contract
Cobham has received a contract from Korean Aerospace Industries Ltd (KAI) to design and supply a pilot Oxygen System for the future KF-X, an advanced multirole fighter aircraft currently under development.
PCB growth takes a break in February 2018
PCB manufacturers in the European D/A/CH region reported on February sales figures that were ten percent lower than those registered for January 2018. However, compared YoY, figures were 6.2 percent higher.
Tempo builds new factory in San Francisco
EMS-provider Tempo has closed a USD 20 million Series B financing round to increase its...
Manz with order from e-mobility sector
Manz has received an order for a standard production line from a European customer in the...
STI awarded the new Aerospace accreditation
UK based contract electronics manufacturer, Surface Technology International Ltd...
Finland wants to take the lead on the European battery market
Evertiq has over the course of the last year reported on several major investments regarding...
ABB and a smooth ride on water
The company has demonstrated a new futuristic, zero-emission new design of water taxi, called...
IPTE expands location in Romania
IPTE Factory Automation says that the company has expanded its production location in...
Fineline VAR acquires Prestwick Circuits
Fineline VAR Ltd, the UK subsidiary of Fineline Global, have acquired fellow UK...
Semiconductor leaders’ market shares surge over the past 10 years
The top-5 semiconductor suppliers accounted for 43% of the world’s semiconductor sales...
Scanfil to help Coloreel to disrupt the textile industry
Contract manufacturer Scanfil will manufacture the Coloreel Embroline which aims to...
List: Europe's biggest EMS providers 2017
Manufacturing Market Insider recently released its top 50 list of the worlds biggest EMS...
Most Read
Load more news
Comments