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104 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2026 defense and aerospace. Today, Europe imports most of its printed circuit boards, which creates real risks, both for our customers and for Europe's techno- logical independence. Our customers also want a reliable European PCB source with faster lead times and strong quality. ESG requirements do make it more challenging to build a factory in Europe, but with modern automation, we can meet those standards and reporting requirements. How big is this facility, and how long did it take to build it to completion? Our facility is 33,000 square meters of cutting-edge capacity, capable of producing around 1,000 m² of PCBs every day once fully ramped. The journey from concept to completion took roughly three years. Today, the building and equip- ment are in place, and we're in the final testing and process validation stages. We're already producing customer prototypes. Full mass production will begin in Q1 2026, once we complete the final qualifications. What types of technology will be built there? TLT PCB is built for advanced, high-reliability PCB production. Our focus is industrial electronics, with defense and aerospace as our top priority seg- ments, where supply chain resilience and quality are critical. We produce multilayer PCBs, HDI, and sequen- tial build-up (SBU) boards. These are the technol- ogies most needed in Europe. Looking ahead, our roadmap includes flex and rigid-flex PCB capabil- ities, which will further expand what we can offer customers working in demanding, mission-critical applications. What are the main lines of equipment you have in this greenfield site? What about these technolo- gies are particularly green? All our equipment is brand new and cutting-edge: vertical continuous plating (VCP), inkjet solder mask, Schmoll drilling, and other automated sys- tems. Environmentally, we reuse about 70% of our water, we recover copper from waste, and the entire factory runs on 100% renewable energy. About 80% of our equipment is made in Europe and meets the highest European standards for safety, quality, and environmental performance. How many jobs will this provide the local Lithu- anian communities? Will you be importing some labor? This facility will create around 250 high-skilled jobs, with most roles filled locally. Lithuania has strong engineering and technical talent, which is exactly what we need. We work with local universi- ties to develop talent. For very specific expertise, we bring in specialists from other European countries. Since almost all our equipment comes from European suppliers, we also