IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
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IPC COMMUNITY 24 FALL 2024 Dieter, you were a chemical engineer and a PCB supplier for many years, so let's start with the obvious questions: Why market research? What made you switch careers? Dieter Weiss: As an engineer and owner, I learned to value the advantages of proper market data. The European laminate industry had organized a market statistic run by a notary, in which most laminate manufacturers in Europe reported their numbers, and the output was just the num- ber of the market size, which allowed us to better understand market developments and be proac- tive in management decisions rather than just react. During that time, I was active on the board of directors of Vdl e.V., the association of PCB man- ufacturers in Germany. After I sold my company, I decided to give back to the electronics indus- try what I had received. The PCB industry was deteriorating in Europe, so we merged with ZVEI in Germany and actively worked on the market statistics for PCBA manufacturers (OEM and EMS). But I was never happy with the setup. In 2015, there was finally a chance to form my own thought leadership on market research. I created in4ma (information for manufacturers), focused on the EMS industry, and for three full years, I worked day and night to create a databank of nearly all EMS companies in Europe with strict criteria and exact numbers: no paretos or esti- mations. Now, with IPC's help, more companies are relying on the in4ma market numbers every day. You are a world traveler. How has this exposure to other geographies informed your market research? I worked in the United States for IBM as a pro- cess engineer, then in the Republic of Ireland as a plant manager in the PCB industry. Later, I worked in Germany as a technical director in the lami- nate industry. In this role, I regularly visited our subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Scotland before I bought the company in an MBO and turned it around. I learned that there is never only one solution to a problem, and in different countries, people take different approaches. One must be open-minded and try to understand their coun- terparts and objectives. When you're working internationally in market research, you need this open mind. I commonly say, "Don't try to solve European problems with American solutions and vice versa." I'm intrigued about your time in Ireland. How did you get involved in the business community there? I worked in the southwest in Listowel, County Kerry, in 1985-86, for a subsidiary of a German PCB manufacturer. With about 90 employees, we were their second-biggest factory, and all the PCBs we manufactured were exported to Ger- many. As the plant manager, my job was to qua- druple the capacity of the factory, which required hiring about 60 staff members. It was a challenge