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Elementary, Mr. Watson: Waking Up Europe's PCB Giants

When I wrote "The Rise and Fall of Europe’s PCB Design Community,” for the September issue of I-Connect007 Magazine, I wasn't suggesting Europe had suddenly solved its PCB problems; far from it. The region still faces high costs, dependence on imported electronics, shrinking capacity, and a supply chain that has lost too much ground. I used the word awakening because the technical ability never disappeared. The engineers, researchers, equipment builders, and manufacturers are still here. The question is whether Europe can connect them before more capability slips away.

The numbers remain uncomfortable. A 2025 industry study put Europe's share of defense-related PCB production at roughly 6%, with similarly small positions in advanced packaging and IC substrates. That is a poor fit for a region with major aerospace, defense, automotive, medical, and communications industries.

Since writing that column, I have kept asking one question: If Europe's PCB giant is truly waking up, where can we see it? The answer is not in speeches or promises about 2035. You'll find it in companies solving real technical problems today. I’ve selected three to talk about, but choosing only three was like being asked to pick a favorite grandchild out of 10; too much positive work is happening across Europe. These companies are not the only leaders, but they are strong examples of where the industry is heading.

Flexiramics
Based in Enschede, the Netherlands, Flexiramics has made impressive progress since Gerard Cadafalch invented the technology in 2015. The company advanced from a laboratory process to its first high-productivity manufacturing line in 2021. Today, CEO Andy Wynn leads the business, supported by Marcel ten Hove, a founding team member and director of technology.

The company's innovation turns our traditional view of ceramics on its head. Instead of being hard and brittle, the Flexiramics ceramic nonwoven is thin, flexible, and able to conform to different shapes. It can also be combined with resin and polymer systems to create a new generation of reinforced dielectric materials.

Glass will remain an important part of PCB manufacturing, but Flexiramics gives designers another option as electronics become faster, thinner, more flexible, and more thermally demanding. By changing the reinforcement inside the laminate, the technology can reduce signal loss, improve heat transfer, increase dimensional stability, and enable thinner constructions. I view this as revolutionary and forward-thinking.

To me, Flexiramics represents a major leader in Europe's PCB industry awakening. It is turning a European materials breakthrough into a practical manufacturing technology. Rather than following established approaches, the company is rethinking one of the most fundamental materials inside a PCB. That is exactly the kind of specialized innovation that can strengthen Europe's position and help lead the PCB industry forward.

AT&S (Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik)
AT&S was formed in Austria in 1987, privatized in 1994, and expanded internationally through manufacturing investments in India and China. It entered the IC substrate market in 2013 and began volume production in 2016. Headquartered in Leoben, AT&S is now a leading producer of high-end PCBs, IC substrates, and advanced packaging technologies.

AT&S matters because its manufacturing sits between the PCB and the semiconductor package. AI processors, high-bandwidth memory, and chiplet designs require more power and data to move through increasingly smaller spaces. The interconnect must keep pace with the silicon.

AT&S is addressing this challenge through UHDI, fine-line structures, low loss materials, glass-core substrates, and optical connections. These technologies make the substrate an active part of the electrical, thermal, and mechanical system.

They also bring something Europe urgently needs: the ability to move advanced technology from research into qualified, repeatable production. Its manufacturing scale and process knowledge make it an important part of Europe's PCB awakening.

AT&S deserves to be on my list because it is helping erase the boundary between the PCB and semiconductor package. Its work in UHDI, IC substrates, glass cores, and advanced packaging directly supports AI, high-performance computing, and next-generation electronics. Most importantly, AT&S has the manufacturing experience and scale to move these technologies beyond research and into repeatable production, exactly what Europe needs to strengthen its PCB industry.

LPKF Laser & Electronics
LPKF began in Germany in 1976, when engineer Jürgen Seebach developed a mechanical process to produce PCB prototypes in-house. The company moved into laser-based PCB structuring in 1989 and is now headquartered in Garbsen, near Hanover.

Many PCB designers know LPKF through its ProtoMat and ProtoLaser systems, which allow engineers, instructors, and researchers to turn CAD data into physical circuits without waiting for an outside fabrication cycle. This faster build-test-correct process has helped shorten product development for decades.

Today, LPKF's work extends into PCB depaneling, stencil production, micro-material processing, and advanced semiconductor packaging. Its Laser Induced Deep Etching process (LIDE) creates precise features and through-glass vias without the chipping, microcracks, and subsurface damage associated with conventional glass processing.

LPKF is impacting the electronics industry by enabling complex designs to be manufactured faster and more easily. Its prototyping systems allow engineers to build and test PCBs in-house, dramatically reducing development time. Its precision laser equipment supports PCB depaneling, stencil production, microelectronics, and advanced packaging. Most importantly, LIDE technology enables high-precision glass processing for future semiconductor packages, helping move glass cores and through-glass vias from research into volume production.

Three Different Companies, One European Story
It would be easy to point to any one of these and declare that Europe is back. We aren’t there yet. Three companies cannot rebuild an electronics supply chain, but they represent where Europe keeps an advantage: specialized materials, advanced interconnects, precision equipment, and the knowledge to connect them.

These companies also show why the industry must work as a local ecosystem. Flexiramics needs resin partners, laminate producers, PCB fabricators, test laboratories, and OEMs willing to evaluate the material. AT&S needs designers and semiconductor customers working with manufacturing teams early enough to make the package buildable. LPKF needs material suppliers, process partners, and manufacturers prepared to move new glass technology from samples into production. None of these technologies reaches the market alone.

Europe still needs faster pilot programs, clearer qualification paths, long-term investment, and people who understand both design and manufacturing. It also needs customers willing to do more than praise European technology. They must provide test vehicles, measurable acceptance criteria, realistic production opportunities, and honest feedback when something fails.

My two cents: Let’s not judge the future of the European PCB industry only by how many standard boards it produces today. Watch the materials being developed, the substrates becoming more capable, and the machines learning to manufacture structures that were not practical a few years ago. That is where the giant is beginning to move, and that is where Europe has an opportunity to lead.

John Watson is a professor at Palomar College, San Marcos, California.