IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1533344
IPC COMMUNITY 29 SPRING 2025 acknowledgment and invoicing. There is a lot of potential." Because every site has been grown as greenfield, it allows Zoll- ner to have the same standards, equipment, and MES and ERP sys- tems. They can combine and work with their data pools because they have created their own systems and don't have to deal with outside software. All recent acquisitions will be connected and adapted to the data pools to achieve maximum productivity and efficiency with the Zollner data ecosystem. "This is a very important thing to make the most out of all the infor- mation and data because it helps us improve our processes," Xaver says. "You need to be able to create and analyze the data in real time. First, you must create the right data lakes and infrastructure so you can transform data from its origin to any middleware to the output of the data. That's where AI comes in because then we can use those algorithms." AI is just one of many changes Xaver has seen in his 16 years with the company. He's learned to man- age the ebb and flow of supply chain issues and demand. "When I started, there were these typical cycles in the market, where one is going like hell, and then there is a downturn year. It goes up and down. With COVID and then digitization, we are moving away from all these trends. Everybody is talking about more volatility and uncertainties, but that's just part of the day-to-day business." When semiconductors had a 50-week lead time, a freight ship got stuck in the Suez Canal, or even an earthquake in Japan, the next day, Xaver's phone would constantly ring with questions about how it would impact business. "The industry is much more sen- sitive to influences from outside, independent forces, whether its political, environmental impacts, or disruptions in the supply chain," he says. "This is what really changed in the industry. From a technological perspective, it's definitely driven by the semiconductor industry with smaller and more complex chips. We've had to adapt in our manufac- turing as well. We are going much more into cleanroom manufactur- ing, and much more into very small sizes of components." It's also more than electronics. Zollner has its own mechatronics manufacturing—about 1,400 people just doing mechanical assembly, sheet metal manufacturing or induc- tive. "Everything that we started is still here and this is what we still do," Xaver says. "We've moved away from assembled boards into com- plete modules and systems; The trend of doing outsourcing and giv- ing more responsibility to the EMS industry is still ongoing, and I think it will stay that way." But based on legislation, includ- ing Made in China 2025, the U.S. CHIPS Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act, there is much more movement of production from one location to another based on politi- cal circumstances. "This drives us to invest heavily so that we can have the right setup, capabilities, and capacities in every region," Xaver says. For small EMS companies, Xaver's advice is to stay on the path of inno- vation. "You always have to be state of the art for the next generation of products," he says. "Nevertheless, you are not only looking at specific projects and topics, but you always need to keep the strategic view and look for a partner, whether it's cus- tomers or suppliers. How can we develop in the next few years, and not just a long-term view?" For Zollner long-term engage- ment has been a secret to success. "I can't repeat it enough," Xaver says. "Trust and innovation will always be the success factors for EMS providers." "It's working with people and forming those long-term relationships, especially at events like IPC APEX EXPO in the U.S., and productronica and electronica in Europe," he says. "You meet the same people that you met the year before. You can talk about all the same topics, so you don't have a lot of fluctuation. If some- body started in the industry 40 years ago, even if he's retired, he'll still come to an expo. This makes us unique and a sign of how trustful and reliable the industry is. We used to joke that being 16 years in the company is nothing special. We have celebrations every quarter for people who have been here for 40 or 45 years. To be very loyal and dedicated to a company is standard for us." What does Xaver enjoy most about his job?