Inside The Push For Smarter, Faster PCB Manufacturing In Europe with Adeon Technologies' André Bodegom

Europe’s PCB story is changing from survival mode to smart growth, and the signs are finally visible on the factory floor. I sit down with Adeon Technologies' André Bodegom, the leading PCB technology supplier in Europe, to unpack a rare mix of optimism and pragmatism: a spotless new plant opening in Lithuania, major players eyeing expansions up to 50 percent, and defense programs quietly balancing a sluggish automotive sector. The throughline is technology with purpose—intelligent automation, MES-driven control, and AI that turns AOI data into tangible improvements in yield, speed, and consistency.

We pull back the curtain on what “smart factory” really means for high‑mix, low‑volume producers. Instead of one-size-fits-all automation, we’re talking adaptive workflows, software-defined changeovers, and MES as the command center that aligns jobs, machines, and quality gates. Machine data, once ignored, becomes the decisive asset: collected at the edge, normalized, and fed upstream to scheduling and process engineering. The result is a tighter loop where the plant doesn’t just measure defects—it prevents them in real time.

AI plays a breakout role, especially in inspection. You’ll hear how multi-level AI approaches reduce false calls, spotlight recurring defects, and progress from human-in-the-loop suggestions to safe, closed-loop parameter tweaks. We also explore the human side: an older workforce bolstered by a wave of digital-native engineers who expect clean data, clear interfaces, and fast iteration. Pair that talent shift with modern MES and connected equipment, and you get a credible path to European resilience without chasing commodity scale.

If you’re weighing investments in MES, AOI analytics, or data infrastructure—or you’re simply trying to future-proof high‑mix operations—this conversation offers practical steps to climb the trust curve with AI and automation. Subscribe, share with a colleague who cares about yield and cycle time, and leave a review with your biggest challenge on the road to closed-loop control.

EMS@C-Level is hosted by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Global Electronics Association (https://www.electronics.org)

You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist.

Transcript

Setting The Stage: Europe’s PCB Outlook

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Hello, I'm Felix Stone. I'm a product tracker 2025 and I'm on the Adion booth and I'm joined by Andre. Andre, always a pleasure to chat. Great to see you, my friend. Likewise, um every time we talk about the PCB industry in Europe, it's a little bit depressing, and we talk about critical mass and you know, kind of maintaining that. But it feels like this year we've had a couple of rays of hope. We've had companies investing, and specifically, we've had a new plant open in Lithuania with the TLT part. That kind of helps create a little bit more of a positive vibe, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 0:41

Yes, I guess so. And especially because it's very new and it hasn't been done in the last 25 years. That's right. Uh obviously they have a lot to learn, but their plans are very ambitious. Uh the factory looks immaculate, it's really a beautiful, uh, beautiful place, well laid out. We were very proud to be one of the main suppliers, I guess. And uh yes, they are creating a buzz. I also think that they are marketing technically very active.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

Um and that indeed creates a sort of a buzz in the market, yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

What about other rays? I hope. Are you seeing investment elsewhere? Are you seeing people adding on capacity, adding on maybe capability in more of the semiconductor areas?

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Yes, yes. No, well we uh funny you should say that now because really the last couple of weeks and also today, we have some meetings planned with people who are really planning expansion uh up to like 50%. And these are one of the larger factories already. Uh, I would say that you know, some parts of the market are still a little bit slow. Automotive obviously will remain slow, but what we discussed many years ago already that we saw the automation coming in, that is definitely uh a fact, it's there. Yeah, uh a lot of uh a lot more intelligence is being added to it in MES systems driven. Yeah, um if you look at our own company, we are extremely busy, um, actually beyond uh what we expected. Uh but also I I do believe that you know we we we seem to have hit some sort of a business model that fits in this market quite nicely.

Defense Demand Versus Slower Automotive

SPEAKER_00 2:19

Well, that's right, isn't it? It's a the the market's changed and you you were fast to adapt and and prepare for that, and you you now are a very significant, if not the only significant supporting leave.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

Yeah, it's it's something we still actually sometimes have to get used to ourselves because you come from very little, and uh people then say, well, size matters. Uh you could say that, but at the end of the day, we just try to keep doing our job as we do. And um but also there, the fact that we're very busy with that is that that the market is pretty overseeable for us. Uh let us not uh uh have any doubts that the market is still in a critical mass, definitely as you mentioned earlier, uh in Europe. Yeah, and there are a lot of movements, a lot of plans, a lot of discussions going on to improve and to to to to expand that. Uh whether it'll come to fruition, let us hope and see over the next year or two.

SPEAKER_00 3:16

Yeah, yeah. You talked about automation. I want to come back to that, but before that, I just wanted to touch on some of the markets. You mentioned automotive. We're not expecting a big return there at any speed. That seems to have a lot of the EV market seems to have moved to China incredibly quickly, which um is one of those things. Yep. But the defence market is providing a bit of a dividend here, it's certainly providing a dividend in the UK, where a lot of those major defence manufacturers are. Have you noticed that? And have you noticed those companies wanting to invest?

SPEAKER_01 3:48

Yes, yes, yes. And um now for us, it's not always extremely visible uh what the type of application is because obviously uh PCB factories in Europe do a bit of everything for everyone. Um but your your typical companies that you would expect to be uh involved in that area, yeah. We definitely do see uh increased activity there.

High‑Mix Production Needs Smarter Automation

SPEAKER_00 4:10

Yeah, and um you talked a bit earlier about automation. I look at some of the factories, and actually I was speaking to Dirk Sands from Eurosircuits yesterday. Incredibly high mix in their business, ultra high mix, ultra-low volume prototype business. They need not just automation, but they need intelligent automation because they're pushing through so many APIs. Is that something that you're seeing more demand for generally? And do you have solutions to help with that?

SPEAKER_01 4:38

Well, you mentioned the name Eurocircuits, it's one of the most renowned, respected companies who have already uh were very early adapters in doing a high mix.

SPEAKER_00 4:48

Yeah.

MES, Machine Data, And Closed Loops

SPEAKER_01 4:49

Um and they therefore have recognized very early on that the only way to do that successfully is to uh embrace that automation, but indeed intelligent automation. So I know that Eurosircuits has and still is investing a lot in in clever software solutions for that. Um what we are definitely seeing over the whole board is the introduction of MES systems so that there's more control uh from a central point.

SPEAKER_00 5:16

Yeah, uh part of the code.

SPEAKER_01 5:17

So we're not moving cards along the uh it's actually we're seeing it from the the other end as well, coming that we're uh playing our role, saying all the equipment generates data as well. Yeah, and the uh equipment generated data, never anything was done with it. Yeah, uh, but it is crucial, it it holds crucial information. And uh the interesting projects that we have going on now is to translate the data that's generated by the machines, feed it back to the beginning of the of the food chain where where all data is getting analyzed, and that's a very interesting uh aspect to be part of.

AI In AOI: From Pilots To Scale

SPEAKER_00 5:54

Yeah, it is, and you know, obviously the uh elephant in the room at the show has been AI. AI gives us an opportunity to maybe interrogate that huge pool of information and derive some value from it, whether that's performance of the machines, whether that's better quality, whether that's better first pass heel. Um, are you working with people that are putting together AI strategies? And is it something that PCV's companies come to you and say, hey, who's our trusted guide through this AI wilderness?

SPEAKER_01 6:24

Especially in the field of our AOI uh analytical test is where we are at typical data generation generating machines. Uh but especially on AOI, um we we have really uh have developed now, well, and I say we, of course, it is the company Sims who do most of the work with this just their distributor, um but to to use AI in different levels to analyze the data, but and using the different levels so that customers can have an easy entry and an overseeable amount of work and a task that is definable. Yeah, uh, and once that is going, then really a next step and a next step into full AI, whether full AI uh controlled, like analysis of images of any defects with the data that is related to it and the defects. Um it's it's an ongoing process and it's very interesting. Yeah, we are learning with this as well because it is still fairly new ground. Developments are going very fast. Um, but but we are definitely seeing that customers are willing to embrace that. Also, driven, I think, by the fact that the workforce in our industry is a little bit older than in probably in other industries. Having said that, we do also see an influx now of new young talent engineers, especially also with us in Adeon. We've been when we put uh an advert out for new uh people, new colleagues, the last couple of years you would have had one, two reactions. Yeah, now we're in the dozens again. So that is a sign. Uh and we hired some of those, and they they have really already made a difference coming in fresh, not knowing all the historic hurdles. Yeah, um, so yeah, it's it is very interesting. And and it will be.

Talent Shift And The Road Ahead

SPEAKER_00 8:09

They think differently, don't they? They think differently, they have they they have fresh eyes, they're digital natives, they're used to using all this technology, and and and they can they can help find their way through. I think what you said about it being a step-by-step process is really interesting because it's AI climbing up the trust curve. You you take the data, AI does some analysis and maybe make some recommendations. That's part one. Part two is you say, okay, in some cases, make that adjustment, you know, do that offset or do whatever you need to do. And AI can already make those adjustments in the and that's the kind of adjacent AI closed loop planning model. Yep. And then you go beyond that and you realize, well, actually, it's getting it right all the time, so let's just leave it to it. And uh, you know, it's uh it's it's an interesting process and it's moving fast. So I'm sure when we talk again this time next year, it'll be uh it'll be different then for sure.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 9:06

Well, Andre, pleasure to chat. Thanks so much for your time. Continue doing what you're doing, you're doing a great job here. Really appreciate it. Thank you very much as well. All the best.