Economic Forum: Mr. Dr. Krist, since you took over the management of TECTRON WORBIS in 2020, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, together with Volker Schneider, a lot has happened in the company. Tell us about it.

Dr. Marco Krist: The pandemic and currently also the war in Ukraine have naturally influenced our business: Stalled goods flows, the explosion of costs for materials and energy, and not least the planning uncertainty among customers have presented the entire industry with challenges. In retrospect, however, these new requirements have advanced us quite a bit: on the one hand, at the digital level, because in communicating with our customers, the use of TEAMS and the like has put us in a sort of hybrid position, thereby bringing us even closer together.

On the other hand, many clients have been very cautious at the start of the Ukraine war and placed long-term orders, which is why we have received a very large number of orders in the last twelve months. Furthermore, we have been able to win some new customers and exciting projects in the field of renewable energies. This is a market that is currently booming. We are happy that we can serve many industries: from automotive and security technology, renewable energies, and industrial electronics to medical technology. Thus, we were able to grow in the last three years despite the difficult market situation: from 220 to 250 employees and from 65 million to 73 million EUR in revenue.

Economic Forum: Where do you now see TECTRON WORBIS in the market?

Dr. Marco Krist: In our size range, there are about 20 companies nationwide in the EMS sector that are roughly on par in the market. Besides some much larger competitors, however, there are also hundreds of much smaller companies. I see us in the good midfield of medium-sized EMS service providers, as a solid medium-sized business. Our goal is constant and moderate growth.

Economic Forum: Since its inception, the company has evolved from just assembling circuit boards to a complete EMS service provider. What are the main focuses in your portfolio today?

Dr. Marco Krist: Our core competence is still the assembly of circuit boards in the SMT and THT areas. Many of the products we manufacture go through these processes. In addition, TECTRON WORBIS GmbH has made a significant technological advance: we now apply all assembly technologies, from manual soldering to fully automated soldering processes. In addition to soldering technology, we also offer other manufacturing processes, such as automatic coating or encapsulation for explosion protection, i.e., the hermetic sealing of circuit boards so that no sparking can occur. The so-called box build, i.e., the assembly of circuit boards and other component parts to the complete product, has also gained tremendous momentum. Logistically, we have positioned ourselves for the future, for example, with automatic high-bay warehouses, whose goods receipt is connected to our inventory management system (SAP). This ensures secure quality control of incoming goods as well as complete traceability of all installed parts. In short, all processes around the actual manufacturing have grown significantly at TECTRON WORBIS. Customers come to us with very different requirements. The goal is to represent as many requirements as possible. That's why we also develop products together with the customers.

Economic Forum: Why, do you think, do customers choose TECTRON WORBIS?

Dr. Marco Krist: Reliability is in our DNA. We keep our promises and are equipped with a state-of-the-art machine park so that we can react to changes at short notice. We don't let customers wait; instead, we take immediate and direct care of their concerns, always in personal contact. Our employees are passionately involved. This is what our customers appreciate about us.

Economic Forum: What future topics are on the agenda for TECTRON WORBIS?

Dr. Marco Krist: We have a lot planned for this year: The opening of another production hall with 1,000 m² will expand the capacities by adding a new soldering and testing center. In parallel, an additional logistics storage hall is being built. We are currently planning further structural changes for the coming year. Investments have also been made in equipment. In the next few weeks, a new, complete SMD line and another wave soldering system will be released for production, additional 3-D capable AOI systems have already been successfully integrated into the production this year. The long-term goal is also to become completely 'green' - not just as a marketing slogan, but really lived and implemented. For this purpose, our energy management system, which has been in place for many years and already generates a large part of our needed energy on-site, will be further expanded. As a company, we want to do no harm to the environment and conserve valuable resources - and take our employees with us on this journey.