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AT&S is celebrating the 50th anniversary of PCB volume production at its Austrian site in Fehring and sending a strong signal for the future: With another multi-million euro investment, the company is strengthening its expertise in the PCB business and opening up new growth opportunities in strategically important future markets.
“Fifty years of volume production are much more than an anniversary. Over the past five decades, Fehring has developed from a regional plant into an important technology and competence site within the AT&S Group. For us, one thing matters above all: the outstanding quality of the people and the know-how at the site. You do not give up such capabilities, you build on them,” says AT&S CEO Michael Mertin, announcing the next innovation step for one of Europe’s highest-revenue PCB plants. “Together with innovative partners, we are developing the electronics of the future in Fehring. That is why we are investing specifically in the further development of the PCB business, in technologies such as embedding and power electronics, and in the expansion of our expertise in power and thermal management.”
With several new customers, AT&S will gradually develop Fehring into another innovation hub within the Group and create up to 50 new jobs. Additional growth opportunities are emerging primarily from rising demand for highly complex electronics solutions in semiconductor technology, medical technology, and security and defense applications.
A key driver of innovation and growth for Europe
This view is also underlined by Georg Knill, President of the Federation of Austrian Industries: “The security and defense industry has become a key driver of innovation and growth for Europe. Key technologies such as microelectronics, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity strengthen not only our defense capabilities, but also technological sovereignty, resilient supply chains, and the competitiveness of our industrial base. Austria has outstanding companies and capabilities in this field,” says Knill. “The task now is to anchor industrial cooperation in law, create legal certainty, accelerate procedures, and improve access to financing as well as European research and industry programs. This is the only way for Austria to use the opportunities created by Europe’s changing geopolitical environment to generate more value creation, innovation, and high-quality jobs.”
Experience Center makes advanced technology visible
Another highlight of the anniversary is the opening of the new AT&S Experience Center in Fehring. Based on the successful Experience Center at the company headquarters in Leoben, the new exhibition will offer visitors an exciting insight into the world of modern electronics and PCB technologies.
“The interactive exhibition shows how PCBs are made, what key role they play in smartphones, vehicles, medical devices, industrial applications, and communication systems, and how much know-how goes into the products from Fehring,” explains site manager Christopher Hermann. “The Experience Center makes visible how these innovations are created and how AT&S technologies contribute to our everyday lives.”
The Experience Center, which will be expanded further in 2027, will now be open not only to customers and partners, but also to school pupils, students, and all other interested visitors. It is designed to bring the fascination of modern technology closer to the public and inspire enthusiasm for technical professions.
