European electronics manufacturers are navigating rough waters with determination and strategic foresight. At APEX 2025, Xaver Feiner, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Zollner Electronic AG offers a clear-eyed assessment of current market conditions.
The European EMS landscape remains weak yet stable, with significant variations across sectors. While automotive continues to struggle and industrial performance varies by segment, medical electronics maintains relative stability. Defense electronics emerges as a bright spot, showing consistent growth despite broader economic challenges. After experiencing a 13-15% decline last year, most European manufacturers are planning conservatively for flat performance in 2024.
What sets successful companies apart in these challenging times? For family-owned Zollner, their global perspective has proven invaluable. Despite market uncertainties, they’re pushing forward with expansion plans in Thailand, Costa Rica, Germany, and the United States. This strategic positioning allows them to respond nimbly to geopolitical shifts that redirect market opportunities from one region to another.
Perhaps most striking is the contrast in regional sentiment. Xaver notes that American industry leaders maintain significantly higher optimism than their European counterparts, despite facing similar fundamental challenges: digitization demands, skilled workforce shortages, and growth pressures. Yet underneath these immediate concerns lies what the IPC calls the “electronic super cycle” – a megatrend of electrification that promises substantial mid-to-long-term growth across industries.
For Zollner, six decades of success come down to unwavering customer focus, quality obsession, and engineering excellence – cultural foundations that will carry them forward regardless of market fluctuations.
EMS@C-Level Live at APEX is sponsored by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Creative Electron (https://creativeelectron.com)
