EMS@C-LEVEL

Hosted by Philip Spagnoli Stoten

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Episodes

328

Latest episode

Jul 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

As Forbes, Entrepreneur, Fast Company and SCOOP writer, Philip Stoten, continues to talk to EMS (Electronic Manufacturing Services) executives he learns more about their individual and collective experiences and their expectations for their own businesses and for the entire electronic manufacturing industry.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

July 30, 202618 min

Trade, Tariffs and Trust: The Case for a Global Electronics Policy Council, with Chris Mitchell

Policy is moving faster than most electronics companies can adapt, and the stakes are no longer limited to margins and lead times. When tariffs, incentives, and industrial strategy change overnight, the entire electronics supply chain feels it, from electronics manufacturing services (EMS) and PCB production to IC substrates, components, and OEM sourcing decisions. I’m joined by Chris Mitchell Vice President for Global Government Relations at the Global Electronics Association to explore why the new Global Electronics Policy Council was created and what makes it different. We talk through the gap it’s trying to fill: a global mechanism where electronics-centric companies can compare notes, align where it makes sense, and engage governments with real operational insight. The point is not just to push a wish list. It’s to build a credible two-way channel so policymakers understand the downstream impact of trade rules, resilience programs, and geopolitical decisions, and so industry understands what governments are trying to achieve. We also get into the detail of what success should look like, particularly in the first 12 months: expanding representation across the value chain, becoming a recognizable and trusted voice with administrations and agencies, improving communications that raise the profile of the entire electronics supply chain, and shaping research that delivers actionable industry intelligence. Trade volatility comes up repeatedly, including the uncertainty created by shifting tariffs and the importance of preserving USMCA for North American manufacturing stability. Chris shares why the council is intentionally growing at the right pace to protect integrity and long-term credibility across regions, while elaborating on the ideal profile of members and the need for a degree of altruism. If you care about electronics policy, supply chain resilience, and how government decisions shape manufacturing investment, this conversation will give you a clearer map of what’s happening and what’s next. Subscribe, share this episode with a colleague, and leave a review with the policy question you want us to tackle next. EMS@C-Level is hosted by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Global Electronics Association (https://www.electronics.org) You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist .

July 13, 202627 min

The PCB Supply Chain Squeeze - A C-Level Special with Confidee's Raymond Goh and TLT's Vytautas Ilgunas

PCB lead times are climbing, but the real story isn’t just “more demand.” It’s where the supply chain actually breaks first: copper clad laminate, glass cloth, and resin. I’m joined by Vytautas Ilgunas from TLT PCB and Raymond Goh from Confidee to map the bottlenecks that are turning everyday procurement into a long-range planning exercise, and to explain why availability is beating price across the board. We dig into Europe’s manufacturing reality, from the long decline in PCB factories to the even more fragile laminate situation, and why rebuilding capacity takes years of commitment, not months of urgency. Then we zoom out to the global picture: how AI servers and data center buildouts absorb advanced material capacity, why that squeeze cascades down into standard FR4, and how single points of failure upstream can ripple through every EMS schedule. Finally, we get practical about what helps in the short term: better forecasting, earlier ordering, capacity reservations, and approving alternate laminate materials so a program isn’t locked to one source. If you buy, build, or design electronics, this conversation will change how you think about PCB supply chain risk, traceability, and the policies needed to rebuild a complete manufacturing ecosystem. Subscribe, share this with your procurement or hardware team, and leave a review with your biggest PCB supply chain question. EMS@C-Level is hosted by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Global Electronics Association (https://www.electronics.org) You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist .

July 13, 202616 min

How A Cornwall EMS Company Scales With Defense And Aerospace Demand, with Jon Hurrell, Sellectronics

The UK is shifting from “can it compete?” to “how fast can it scale?” and the change is showing up in real purchase orders. I sat down with Jon Hurrell, Managing Director at Sellectronics to unpack what’s powering growth in UK electronics manufacturing services, especially the pull from aerospace and rising defense spending across Europe. From a garage origin in Cornwall to running complex SMT assembly at scale, John shares what it takes to grow without breaking quality, delivery, or customer trust. We also get specific about electronics supply chain disruption. PCB lead times are stretching, and AI data centers are a major force behind it, pulling laminate, capacity, and priority toward high margin builds. John explains how that pressure can spill into component availability, especially for higher end parts and the neighboring ecosystem around BGAs and FPGAs, and why “there’s never a quiet time” if you’re managing procurement and delivery commitments. As the business grows, customer strategy becomes survival. We talk about the reality of breaking into established prime supply chains, why tier one and tier two system builders can be a better fit, and how startups and neo primes, including fast moving defense and drone programs, lean heavily on manufacturing partners to manage supply chain risk and scaling. We close on the skills gap across UK manufacturing, what it means to home grow talent in a region like Cornwall, and why training and retention are now competitive advantages. If you found this useful, subscribe, share it with someone in EMS or hardware, and leave a review. What’s the biggest constraint you’re seeing right now: PCBs, components, or people? EMS@C-Level is hosted by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Global Electronics Association (https://www.electronics.org) You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist .

July 7, 202616 min

How PTG Electronics Wins in Low Volume, High Mix, Mid-Complexity Manufacturing, with CEO Nick Wasserman

A rebrand can be cosmetic, or it can be a line in the sand about what you build and how you want to grow. I’m joined by Nick Wasserman, President and CEO of PTG Electronics (formerly Pinnacle Technology Group), to unpack why a 40-year, family-owned EMS company in Southeast Michigan changed its name and what that clarity unlocks with customers who need serious electronics manufacturing services, not commodity volume. Nick shares how the business has transitioned leadership, stayed resilient through diversification, and kept its identity rooted in disciplined quality systems. We spend a big part of the conversation on PTG’s newly earned AS9100 aerospace certification and what it signals to aerospace and mil-aero buyers looking for traceability, repeatability, and a partner who can handle mid-volume, higher-complexity electronics assembly. That naturally connects to the surge of activity in the drone space, where startups and newer entrants are moving fast and need an EMS partner who can help with design for manufacturability, documentation readiness, and ramp planning, not just build-to-print execution. If you’ve ever watched a promising prototype stumble in production, you’ll recognize why “manufacturable at the right scale” is the real standard. Nick also explains how digital transformation and AI are changing the unsexy but crucial parts of contract manufacturing: speed to quote, speed to onboard, and speed to launch purchasing. We talk about the balance between turning quotes quickly and still delivering pricing that reflects real sourcing, plus the supply chain turbulence hitting the industry, from memory constraints to emerging FR4 laminate concerns for printed circuit boards. We close with how tariffs, second-sourcing strategies, and regional manufacturing “arms” are pushing more work toward US EMS providers, including opportunities where PTG supports turnkey fulfillment and even ships directly to end customers. If you care about aerospace manufacturing, drone hardware, EMS partnership models, AI in manufacturing operations, or the reality of today’s electronics supply chain, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with the biggest constraint you’re seeing right now. EMS@C-Level is hosted by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Global Electronics Association (https://www.electronics.org) You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist .

July 2, 202625 min

From CEO to Owner, Carsten Ellermeier of Deltec on How Ownership Changes Everything

Buying a company out of insolvency is one of those decisions that sounds bold from the outside and feels very different at 2 a.m. when you are the owner. I sit down with Carsten Ellermeier to unpack his first fourteen months leading Deltec Group as both CEO and owner, including what the automotive downturn revealed about concentration risk and why trust with customers and suppliers becomes your real operating system. We get specific about the turnaround playbook in electronics manufacturing services (EMS): diversifying revenue away from automotive without throwing away the quality culture that automotive PCB assembly builds. Carsten explains why many legacy automotive electronics still fit the EV transition, then lays out the non-automotive growth lanes he sees as real, not hype: medical manufacturing with rigorous traceability, robotics and automation with strong German mid-market demand, and energy storage and charging infrastructure that rewards disciplined industrialization. A big chunk of our conversation goes deep on vertical integration and digital transformation. Deltec is moving from high-tech PCBA into complete modules and products, backed by test strategy and end-to-end data. We also dig into the Panasonic partnership and the new guided manual assembly approach that ties together pick-to-light, camera support, traceability, and KPI measurement, setting up an AI-ready foundation built on inspection data like SPI, AOI, and X-ray. That vertical integration story gets a concrete second chapter with the acquisition of a former Circor facility in Tunisia, adding wire harness assembly, cable assembly, plastic injection, and over-moulding capability alongside an existing SMT and THT operation. Carsten explains why the site's free trade zone status, German industrial heritage, and experienced local workforce made it the right answer when customers started asking about plan B. We close by zooming out to supply chain pressure around PCB laminate and how transparent forecasting and hard-but-fair relationships keep production stable. If you found this useful, subscribe, share the episode with a manufacturing leader, and leave us a review. What part of an EMS turnaround would you tackle first? EMS@C-Level is hosted by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Global Electronics Association (https://www.electronics.org) You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist .

June 15, 202624 min

Otto Pukk on INCAP’s 2026 Playbook From Acquisition Integration To Organic Growth

AI is boosting demand and breaking planning models at the same time, and that tension shows up everywhere in electronics manufacturing services right now. From my home to yours, I sit down with Otto Pukk, President and CEO of INCAP, to take stock after Q1 and get specific about what a stronger 2026 actually depends on: execution, supply resilience, and a footprint that can serve customers where they need to build. We talk through INCAP’s recent acquisition of Lacon and what “integration” really looks like in a lean, decentralized EMS organization. Otto shares why cultural fit matters more than slide decks, how cross-selling becomes a practical organic growth engine, and why customer concentration risk looks very different today than it did years ago. We also dig into the structural shifts required to scale, including a new regional approach that adds just enough governance to protect leadership time without taking ownership away from factory teams. From there, we zoom out to geographic strategy and market forces. India plays a central role, not as a simple low-cost bet but as a capability and engineering hub, while the US market still feels like early innings. We also get into automation, early AI use in manufacturing, and the real-world headaches of component availability as AI data centers pull on semiconductor supply. Tariffs come up too, framed as a “new normal” that EMS partners have to navigate calmly. Finally, we tackle the defense boom with a balanced lens, including how startups and drones are reshaping defense electronics and manufacturing expectations. If you found this useful, subscribe for more EMS leadership conversations, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. EMS@C-Level is hosted by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Global Electronics Association (https://www.electronics.org) You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist .

June 8, 202615 min

Building Unified Intelligence For The Electronics Supply Chain: Christoph Solka, Global Electronics Association

Global EMS demand is back in growth mode, yet parts of Europe are still shrinking and the gap is getting harder to ignore. I sat down with Christoph Solka, Director Industry Intelligence at the Global Electronics Association to talk through what the latest data is really signaling and why “Europe vs the world” is too simple to be useful when the market is splitting by region, sector, and exposure to AI infrastructure. We also get into the behind-the-scenes story of building a unified electronics industry intelligence platform. With European EMS data, European PCB reporting, global rankings, and ongoing market analysis coming together at the Global Electronics Association, the big question becomes: how do you scale the system without breaking the trust that took decades to earn? Christoph explains why the first priority is strengthening the IT foundation, reducing error risk, and creating a platform that can handle larger-scale data collection while keeping the methodology steady and familiar for subscribers. Then we turn back to the numbers: why automotive weakness and local economic conditions weigh on Western Europe, why certain Eastern European players benefit more from AI-linked demand, and how defense spending can reshape outcomes in places like the Nordics. We also discuss a striking indicator of resilience: many companies improve margins even as revenue falls, and what that mix of cost control, headcount pressure, and agility says about the EMS industry right now. If you care about EMS market intelligence, PCB industry trends, and practical signals you can use for planning and strategy, this is a must-listen. Subscribe, share, and leave a review, then tell us: what single metric best predicts a turnaround where you operate? EMS@C-Level is hosted by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Global Electronics Association (https://www.electronics.org) You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist .

May 27, 202610 min

On Location at ALL Circuits: President & CEO Bruno Racault on Disruption in European Automotive Manufacturing

Carmakers are quietly changing the rules of the automotive supply chain, and it shows up first on the printed circuit board. From my recent visit to ALL Circuits' flagship facility south of Paris, I’m joined by President & CEO Bruno Racault to talk about why some EMS companies are doing better than the doom-and-gloom narrative around European automotive, and what “winning” looks like when the engine is no longer the center of the car. We get specific about the EV pivot: why ALL Circuits bet early on the growing need for OEM-controlled electronics, how carmakers bring engineering and intellectual property back inside, and why that move can squeeze traditional tier one suppliers that built their business on full ECU design-and-build. Bruno explains the new relationship many automakers want: they define the product, they keep the know-how, and they rely on electronics manufacturing services partners for PCB assembly, process discipline, and consistent quality. We also dig into what actually creates advantage in automotive electronics manufacturing: support that helps OEM teams understand manufacturing limits, DFX feedback that speeds up design changes, and the real cost of waiting on long logistics cycles. Yes, China can be cheaper and often better at execution, so we talk about humility, learning, and where Europe can still differentiate through innovation, supplier access, and faster iteration close to the customer. If you care about EV supply chains, PCB manufacturing, and how automakers are reshaping control of the vehicle’s electronics, listen through to the end and tell us what you think the next competitive edge will be. Subscribe, share with a colleague in automotive or electronics, and leave a review so more builders can find the show. EMS@C-Level is hosted by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Global Electronics Association (https://www.electronics.org) You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist .

May 26, 202613 min

On Location at ALL Circuits: Deputy CEO Stephane Klajzyngier Explains How They Are Turning Global Scale Into Faster Wins

Twelve months after the DBG partnership, we get honest about what actually changes when an acquisition is more than a headline. From my recent visit to ALL Circuits' flagship facility south of Paris, Deputy CEO Stephane Klajzyngier and I break down the real milestones: shared purchasing of high-impact production equipment like SMT machines, AOI, and printers, plus the way joint line design can sharpen cost and competitiveness in the electronics manufacturing services market. The point isn’t “bigger is better” it’s how smarter CapEx decisions help you win the next RFQ. From there, we move into growth strategy. We talk about the first common customer now starting sample builds and why entering the AI server market matters for diversification beyond automotive electronics. AI infrastructure also rewrites the rules on time to market: instead of 12–18 month ramps, customers expect weeks. That forces new thinking around investment readiness, capacity planning, and how an EMS partner proves it can move fast without cutting corners. We also dig into what a truly global footprint unlocks: serving large OEMs that want manufacturing options across North America, Europe, and Asia, including Chinese customers exploring production outside China. Finally, we close with CES takeaways: humanoid robots as the next step toward decision-making AI, the potential role of robotics in elder care, and why smart glasses electronics could be a real manufacturing opportunity once the hype curve settles. If you enjoyed this, subscribe, share the show with a colleague, and leave a review with your take: which market will reshape EMS first, AI servers or robotics? EMS@C-Level is hosted by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Global Electronics Association (https://www.electronics.org) You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist .

May 26, 20264 min

Disrupting German Manufacturing Through One-Stop Scale: Florian Weiss, HANZA (BMK)

What if you could move a complex hardware product from dispersed vendors to one accountable partner—and do it in three months? I sit down with Florian Weiss, HANZA's Head of Business Development Region Central Europe to unpack how BMK scaled a Raspberry Pi-based platform beyond PCBA into a complete, end-to-end manufacturing solution that absorbs production and logistics so teams can focus on sales, R&D, and marketing. The story isn’t theory; it’s the playbook for turning hundreds of components and many suppliers into a single, flexible pipeline that ships thousands of units, yet still delivers in quantities as low as one. We dig into the mechanics of transfer—tooling and test migration, supplier onboarding, firmware alignment, and NPI gates—then connect the dots to real business outcomes: cleaner change control, shorter lead times, and late-stage customization that protects cash. From there, we zoom out to the strategic fit between BMK and HANZA. With HANZA's strengths in sheet metal, mechanics, and cable harnesses across Germany, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia, the combined team brings vertical integration without overlap, unlocking cross-selling across BMK’s 400-customer base and cutting total cost of ownership with a local footprint. Expect practical insights on how to stabilize supply chains for complex electronics, build resilience through regional capacity, and shift from siloed sourcing to a unified manufacturing model. Whether you manage a fast-scaling device or a mature product with variant complexity, the takeaways are clear: consolidate accountability, keep design velocity high, and use flexible fulfillment to match real demand. If this kind of integrated manufacturing strategy could change your roadmap, follow the show, share it with a teammate, and leave a quick review with the one question you want us to tackle next. This podcast is part of series filmed at HANZA's Capital Markets Day in Stockholm on March 10th 2026. EMS@C-Level is hosted by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Global Electronics Association (https://www.electronics.org) You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist .