Electronic 24: Compliance, Manufacturing Challenges, and Future of the PCB Industry with Vidar Olsen

EMS@C-LEVEL · 28 Nov 2024 · 11m

What this episode covers

Vidar Olsen, CEO of Confidee, explains how his company has grown from one employee to 23 in two and a half years by focusing on compliance-focused PCB brokering and supply chain transparency. Confidee utilizes a proprietary IT platform to manage, document, and verify compliance data, holding ISO 9001, AS9120, and ISO 27001 certifications to ensure regulatory adherence. Olsen highlights the urgent need for modernization and automation in European PCB manufacturing to compete with Asia, noting that while demand for local production is growing, capacity remains insufficient. He discusses the geopolitical shift toward protectionist trade, the disparity in production costs, and the potential for government incentives like the US Chips Act to drive investment in European PCB factories.

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