Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1443477
28 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2022 Europe vs. the U.S. is that in Europe you have a lot of smaller countries and local languages. To be able to sell and give great customer sup- port, you typically need to speak the local lan- guage. Even if everyone speaks English more or less, it's an advantage to speak French with the French guys, in German with German guys, and so on. Customers are asking for faster support because things are happening rather quickly and you develop new products, new ideas at a faster speed than before and then they need response time, which might be quicker. Johnson: So, it's about business methods more than technology or R&D that they can bring to the market. It comes down to just doing good business. Any other advice you might have or insight you want to share about where the end market is? Forsen: If you look at the PCB trading mar- ket, it's still very fragmented. ere are many smaller companies, and we believe we will see a consolidation going forward. We have made several acquisitions in NCAB over the past couple of years. We think that trend will con- tinue. Twenty years ago, when all the factories closed, it was the management teams remain- ing. ey could rather easily start some kind of trading business. ere might be some, maybe 50-60 compa- nies, doing PCB trading, everything from $5 million to $20 million in revenue. ey have managed to grow to a certain stage, but now they are facing increasing customer demands on, for example, quality and sustainability which are difficult for a smaller company to manage. Now, many of them are managers and owners, but they're in their 60s now, so we think there will be a consolidation phase. at will change the market, and we intend to play a leading role in that consolidation. Johnson: In the news recently we've seen that NCAB has made some acquisitions that bring more engineering expertise to your team. Forsen: We have added on a lot of engineer- ing knowledge to support our customers. It's always the customers who do the design. But then we do the design for manufacturing and support them to see how we can help effect changes for more efficient and sustainable production, for a higher yield, or use some different material, and so on. at's tricky because there are not so many factories le, and not so many people in the business who know how to produce a PCB. So, that's a good way through acquisitions to recruit these kinds of resources and the more we can provide customers with technical and engineering skills, the better service and com- petence we can provide them with. Johnson: at's an interesting point about the declining knowledge base in the industry. Without the factories in a region, you don't have the expertise on how to manufacture in the first place. ank you so much. Forsen: e same to you. anks a lot. PCB007 If you look at the PCB trading market, it's still very fragmented. There are many smaller companies, and we believe we will see a consolidation going forward.