EMS@C-LEVEL

Philip Spagnoli Stoten
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As Forbes, Entrepreneur, Fast Company and SCOOP writer, Philip Stoten, continues to talk to EMS (Electronic Manufacturing Services) executives he learns more about their individual and collective experiences and their expectations for their own businesses and for the entire electronic manufacturing industry.

  1. 5d ago

    Costa Rica Manufacturing Momentum: with Stephan Weiss, CEO at Zollner Electronics Inc.

    A customer hears “Costa Rica” and thinks rainforests and beaches. Then they walk into a spotless factory, meet a sharp engineering team, and suddenly nearshoring feels like the smartest move on the roadmap. From the inauguration of Zollner’s expansion in Costa Rica, I’m joined by Stephan Weiss, CEO for the Americas, to unpack how manufacturing credibility is built and why this region keeps surprising people who have not visited the floor.  We talk through the growth story from the early Milpitas days in Silicon Valley, the steady expansion, and how added facilities and acquisitions create a stronger Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) network. Stephan explains what it takes to move a product from an early build environment to higher-volume contract manufacturing, and why customers become “sold” once they see the 5S discipline, lean manufacturing mindset, and the clean, organized execution that supports high quality and reliability.  The conversation goes deeper on the real driver: engineering. Costa Rica has developed a critical mass of talent through stronger university pipelines and hands-on EMS experience, enabling more complex mechatronics assemblies and faster problem-solving. We also explore what it means for Costa Rica to become a center of excellence for the Americas, including cross-site work on Kaizen, automation, robotics, and practical AI applications, all while preserving a rare “family culture” that keeps people around for the long haul.  If you care about nearshoring strategy, manufacturing engineering, and what actually convinces customers to move production, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this with a teammate, and leave a review with the biggest factor you look for in an EMS partner. 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.

  2. Sep 23

    Standardized Systems Make Global Manufacturing Agility Possible: with Zollner's Martin Eisenhart

    Tariffs, regulations, and supply shocks are forcing a hard question: can your electronics manufacturing network move fast without breaking quality? We’re at Zollner in Costa Rica with Martin Eisenhart, who leads global operations in Electronics, to dig into what actually makes an EMS footprint resilient and scalable when customer expectations keep rising. We get specific about the operational backbone that enables control across multiple factories: one ERP across the group, one MES, and one traceability system. That standardization creates real transparency in the global supply chain, helps benchmark performance site to site, and keeps processes aligned as products get more complex in markets like medical devices, industrial electronics, and aerospace manufacturing. We also talk about the less obvious challenge of the next few years: keeping global guidelines while segmenting data and access as geopolitical realities evolve. From there, we shift to agility. If customers need manufacturing moved because of tariffs or regional sourcing requirements, standardized systems make transfers faster and safer while protecting consistent quality. You’ll also hear how Zollner is piloting AI agents in supply chain and admin work, and why Costa Rica is becoming more than a factory through shared services, engineering support, and test fixture capabilities. We close with a candid look at regionalization and why Zollner is reorganizing around the Americas, Europe, and Asia to stay responsive in a deglobalizing world. If you care about EMS strategy, Costa Rica manufacturing, supply chain resilience, and practical digital standardization, hit subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with the biggest challenge you’re seeing in your manufacturing network. 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.

  3. Sep 22

    How Zollner Scaled From Startup To 400 Jobs In Cartago with General Manager Octavio Matus

    You can feel it the moment you walk into a great factory: the pace is confident, the details are tight, and the people carry real pride in what they build. That’s what I hear again and again as I sit down in Costa Rica with Octavio Matus, General Manager of Zollner Costa Rica, for a candid look at how a site grows from early uncertainty into a high-performing electronics manufacturing operation.  We talk about the real startup work behind an EMS launch: developing local suppliers, training teams, and building a culture that lasts. Octavio shares why retention and loyalty are not “soft” topics at all, but a hard advantage for quality, speed, and problem-solving. When your leaders and engineers stay for years, customers don’t just buy capacity, they buy stability and hard-earned know-how.  Then we zoom in on advanced manufacturing and engineering capability. The Costa Rica team is solving customer problems with automation, inspection methodologies, testing support, and DFX thinking like design for manufacturability and design for test, backed by Lean Six Sigma discipline. We also get into the ecosystem that makes scaling possible: relationships with government, academia, and technical schools, plus what customers say when they visit for the first time.  If you care about nearshoring, Costa Rica electronics manufacturing, high-reliability supply chains, or how to build a world-class culture in production, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with the biggest takeaway you’re applying next. 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.

  4. Sep 15

    How Geopolitics Is Reshaping Electronics Manufacturing: Zollner's Markus Aschenbrenner in Costa Rica

    The map for global manufacturing is changing fast, and it’s not just about who can build it cheapest anymore. From Costa Rica, I’m joined by Markus Aschenbrenner, Member of the Managing Board of Zollner, to unpack what’s actually driving electronics manufacturing strategy right now: the voice of the customer, the squeeze of geopolitics, and the practical impact of tariffs and IP protection that don’t look like they’re going away. We talk about why regionalization is accelerating and what customers are asking for as they try to protect supply, shorten lead times, and keep access to key markets. Markus shares how a high-tech EMS partner has to think differently, because qualifying a new supplier can take years and reliability becomes the real competitive edge. We also get specific about how a global footprint comes together, from added sites in the US to expanded capability across Southeast Asia, the evolving role of China for local demand, and why India keeps coming up as the next market to watch. Then we rewind to a decision that raised eyebrows: choosing Costa Rica early, when many expected Mexico. We dig into what made the bet work, including stability, an educated workforce, close ties with universities, and the way an industrial park and supplier ecosystem grew up around the site over the last decade. We close with what expansion looks like now, why adding space and SMT matters to customers, and how the team built the confidence to run demanding work like medical and aviation products. If you care about supply chain strategy, nearshoring, and high-reliability manufacturing, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. 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.

  5. Aug 30

    EMS India Pod with InCap: India Is Not A Low-Cost Manufacturing Bet, It's So Much More

    India's electronics manufacturing story is changing fast, and the old “low-cost” label no longer fully explains what’s happening on the ground. In this episode of The EMS India Pod, recorded in late June 2026, I talk with Murthy Munipalli from InCap India and Otto Pukk, Global President and CEO, about what makes India a serious destination for advanced electronics manufacturing services and why capability, speed, and trust now matter more than labor rates. We get specific about how InCap India scales: from a TVS Electronics acquisition into a three-factory campus near Bangalore, thousands of employees, and state-of-the-art SMT lines including new AI-driven equipment built for dense, complex boards. Murthy shares why low attrition becomes a competitive weapon, how institutional memory improves quality, and what it takes to support global customers with real engineering depth. Otto adds a global lens on why India’s democracy, rule of law, and improving business environment reduce risk for long-term manufacturing programs. Then we zoom out to the India EMS industry itself: rapid market growth, the push toward EVs, AI infrastructure and data centers, and the practical impact of Make in India and PLI incentives on supply chain localization. We also compare India and China honestly, including what India can learn about ecosystems and execution while staying aligned with strict IP protection. If you care about electronics manufacturing in India, EMS strategy, supply chain resilience, or where global production is headed next, this conversation will sharpen your view. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. 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.

  6. Aug 30

    The EMS India Pod: How India Is Building A World Class Electronics Supply Chain, Gaurab Majumdar, VP, Global Electronics Association

    India’s electronics manufacturing boom has been “coming” for years, but the signals now look a lot more like execution than hype. We sit down with Gaurab Majumda, Vice President at the Global Electronics Association for India and Southeast Asia, to get a grounded view of what’s changing across EMS, semiconductors, PCB manufacturing, and the broader electronics supply chain. From COVID-era disruption to today’s push for risk mitigation and supplier diversification, Gaurab explains why the momentum feels tangible and why global companies should pay attention. We walk through the policy landscape driving investment, including the impact of the PLI scheme and the shift toward more holistic programs that support components, materials, and long-term ecosystem depth. Then we map the real geography of electronics manufacturing hubs, from Bangalore’s defense and aerospace roots to Chennai and Pune’s automotive gravity, to North India’s consumer electronics base, and Gujarat’s growing semiconductor pull, with new activity reaching as far as Assam. We also touch on the rising opportunity in data centers and servers as AI demand accelerates. Quality and scale only matter if they travel together, so we dig into standards adoption, the gap among SMEs, and what India’s rapid rise in certifications says about maturity and reliability. We also explore workforce training that bridges academia and the shop floor, plus grassroots efforts that build pride in hands-on manufacturing work. If you’re sourcing, investing, or building partnerships in India, this conversation gives you practical context and a clearer lens on both the upside and the risks. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest question about India’s electronics future. 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.

  7. Jul 30

    Trade, Tariffs and Trust: The Case for a Global Electronics Policy Council, with Chris Mitchell

    Policy is moving faster than most electronics companies can adapt, and the stakes are no longer limited to margins and lead times. When tariffs, incentives, and industrial strategy change overnight, the entire electronics supply chain feels it, from electronics manufacturing services (EMS) and PCB production to IC substrates, components, and OEM sourcing decisions. I’m joined by Chris Mitchell Vice President for Global Government Relations at the Global Electronics Association to explore why the new Global Electronics Policy Council was created and what makes it different. We talk through the gap it’s trying to fill: a global mechanism where electronics-centric companies can compare notes, align where it makes sense, and engage governments with real operational insight. The point is not just to push a wish list. It’s to build a credible two-way channel so policymakers understand the downstream impact of trade rules, resilience programs, and geopolitical decisions, and so industry understands what governments are trying to achieve. We also get into the detail of what success should look like, particularly  in the first 12 months: expanding representation across the value chain, becoming a recognizable and trusted voice with administrations and agencies, improving communications that raise the profile of the entire electronics supply chain, and shaping research that delivers actionable industry intelligence. Trade volatility comes up repeatedly, including the uncertainty created by shifting tariffs and the importance of preserving USMCA for North American manufacturing stability. Chris shares why the council is intentionally growing at the right pace to protect integrity and long-term credibility across regions, while elaborating on the ideal profile of members and the need for a degree of altruism. If you care about electronics policy, supply chain resilience, and how government decisions shape manufacturing investment, this conversation will give you a clearer map of what’s happening and what’s next. Subscribe, share this episode with a colleague, and leave a review with the policy question you want us to tackle next. 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.

  8. Jul 13

    The PCB Supply Chain Squeeze - A C-Level Special with Confidee's Raymond Goh and TLT's Vytautas Ilgunas

    PCB lead times are climbing, but the real story isn’t just “more demand.” It’s where the supply chain actually breaks first: copper clad laminate, glass cloth, and resin. I’m joined by Vytautas Ilgunas from TLT PCB and Raymond Goh from Confidee to map the bottlenecks that are turning everyday procurement into a long-range planning exercise, and to explain why availability is beating price across the board. We dig into Europe’s manufacturing reality, from the long decline in PCB factories to the even more fragile laminate situation, and why rebuilding capacity takes years of commitment, not months of urgency. Then we zoom out to the global picture: how AI servers and data center buildouts absorb advanced material capacity, why that squeeze cascades down into standard FR4, and how single points of failure upstream can ripple through every EMS schedule. Finally, we get practical about what helps in the short term: better forecasting, earlier ordering, capacity reservations, and approving alternate laminate materials so a program isn’t locked to one source. If you buy, build, or design electronics, this conversation will change how you think about PCB supply chain risk, traceability, and the policies needed to rebuild a complete manufacturing ecosystem.  Subscribe, share this with your procurement or hardware team, and leave a review with your biggest PCB supply chain question. 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.

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About

As Forbes, Entrepreneur, Fast Company and SCOOP writer, Philip Stoten, continues to talk to EMS (Electronic Manufacturing Services) executives he learns more about their individual and collective experiences and their expectations for their own businesses and for the entire electronic manufacturing industry.

Information

  • Creator
    Philip Spagnoli Stoten
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    334
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 EMS@C-LEVEL
  • Show Website
    EMS@C-LEVEL