EMS & BEYOND 2025

hosted by the Estonian Electronics Industries Association

5 December 2025

Hilton Tallinn Park

(Fr. R. Kreutzwaldi 23, Tallinn)

Photo Gallery

On December 5th, the international seminar EMS & BEYOND 2025 took place at Hilton Tallinn Park. The eighth annual seminar brought together Europe’s top experts, analysts, and business leaders from the electronics industry.

Throughout the day, speakers and participants explored the competitiveness of the European electronics industry, cross-border collaboration, and new strategic directions — with a strong focus on manufacturing in Europe, innovation, and resilience in a globally competitive market.

The seminar brought together more than 230 experts from 19 different countries.

Programme

09:00-09:30 Registration & Coffee

09:30-09:50 Welcome and introduction

Lauri Hussar, Speaker of the Parliament, Republic of Estonia

Otto Pukk, Chairman, the Estonian Electronics Industries Association

9:50-10:50 Why Central Eastern Europe is in Focus in the Electronics Industry

Dr. Mareike Haass, in4ma

Fighting for a vital PCB Industry in Europe

Dieter Weiss, In4ma

11:00-11:30 Coffee & Expo

11:30-12:00 The difficult developments in the EMS Industry in Europe

Christoph Solka, Global Electronics Association

The EMS industry in the Baltic states

Anastasia Ederer, Global Electronics Association

12:00-12:30 Design, Deliver, Repeat: accelerating innovation through EMS collaboration

Kristjan Tozen, CEO, Krakul

12:30-13:00 Tariffs, sanctions and the implications

Kenneth Kopamees, Director General, Department for External Economic Policy and International Economic Organizations, Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

13:00-14:00 Lunch & Expo

14:00-14:30 Electronics Industry in Estonia

Arno Kolk, Managing Director, Estonian Electronics Industries Association

14:30-15:00 CALL TO ACTION for a European Silicon to Systems Manufacturing Strategy

Alison James, Senior Director, Government Relations, Global Electronics Association

15:00-15:30 Survive & thrive: How modern EMS can increase resilience

Sebastian Schaal, CEO and Founder, Luminovo

15:30-16:00 Coffee & Expo

16:00-16:30 Made in Europe: The Next Chapter of PCB Manufacturing

Vytautas Ilgunas, Chief Commercial Officer, TLT PCB

16:30-17:30 Panel discussion: Can we produce PCBs in Europe?

Moderator: Hanno Septer

Vytautas Ilgunas, TLT PCB

Jan De Maeyer, Group ACB
Teemu Suuronen, NCAB
Tarja Rapala, Brandner Electronics

17:30-19:30 Networking reception with wine and snacks, sponsored by Avnet

Speakers

Lauri Hussar

Lauri Hussar is an Estonian politician and journalist who has served as the Speaker of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) since 10 April 2023.

Before his parliamentary career, he held significant roles in Estonian media, including editor-in-chief of Postimees and news director at TV3.

Lauri Hussar has received several international honours for his contributions to diplomacy and public service.

Otto Richard Pukk is the President and CEO of Incap Corporation – a trusted partner and full service provider in Electronics Manufacturing Services that offers state-of-the-art technology backed up by an entrepreneurial culture and highly qualified personnel. Incap has operations in Finland, Estonia, India, Slovakia, the UK, USA and Hong Kong and employs approximately 2,700 people. Incap’s share has been listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd stock exchange since 1997.

He is also the Chairman of the Council of the Estonian Electronics Industries and has been re-elected to this position several times since 2019..

Dieter G. Weiss is the head behind in4ma, the most reliable data source for the European EMS Industry. He has 42 years of experience in the electronics industry and has been studying the European EMS industry for many years – developing a database of more than 2150 EMS companies in Europe. The database provides a lot of detailed information which is regularly updated and fed with actual data in order to study actual market developments.

Anastasia Ederer is a Junior Market Analyst & Communications professional at the Global Electronics Association Europe, where she examines industry trends within the European EMS and PCB sector. Her work involves collecting and interpreting company data to produce insights that support industry benchmarking. She also contributes to communications and event management activities. In addition to her analytical role, Anastasia has developed an interest in journalism and public speaking, particularly in conducting interviews. She aims to communicate complex industry topics in a clear and engaging way.

Christoph Solka is Global Electronics Associations Director for Industry Intelligence Europe. He is overseeing the association’s research and data programs that support electronics manufacturers and policymakers with the market insights and data needed to navigate the evolving electronics landscape. With nearly a decade of experience in market and industry analysis, Christoph has specialized in transforming complex market dynamics into strategic insights.

Before joining the association, Christoph held research and strategy roles with Moog, a leading motion control technology company, and Zollner Elektronik.

Christoph holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in strategic management.

Arno Kolk

Arno Kolk is the Managing Director of the Estonian Electronics Industries Association. He has extensive experience in the electronics sector – he started his career as an R&D engineer in Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) and worked in different engineering and management positions in EMS and engineering companies in several countries.

In his presentation, Arno Kolk will give you an overview of how Estonia’s world-class electronics industry is embracing modern practices and why this small and agile country is uniquely positioned to be the perfect test site for new products and processes.

Kristjan Tozen

Kristjan Tozen is the CEO of Krakul, Estonia’s leading development partner for IoT, electronics and autonomous systems. With a background in electronics and telecommunications from TalTech and over a decade in the field, Kristjan brings hands-on experience from every phase of product development — from schematic to scale.

Having started as an electronics engineer, Kristjan quickly rose to become CTO and later CEO of Krakul, leading many successful product development projects across sectors. His career spans embedded hardware design, firmware development, project leadership, and business strategy, equipping him with the practical experience needed to navigate the link between engineering and manufacturing.

Today, Kristjan and his team at Krakul help companies turn complex ideas into
manufacturable, scalable products — working closely with both clients and EMS
partners to bridge the gap between design and delivery.

Teemu Suuronen, Sales Director & Global Account Manager, has been with NCAB for nearly 15 years and has closely followed the evolution of PCB manufacturing across Europe. His extensive experience provides him with a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing European production today.

Kenneth Kopamees, Director General, Department for External Economic Policy and International Economic Organisations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia

Alison James is Senior Director for European Government Relations at the Global Electronics Association. She is responsible for European advocacy and public policy, representing the Global Electronics Association and the electronics industry towards the EU Institutions and policymakers in Europe.

Alison has over 25 years experience in European Public Affairs across technology, manufacturing and media sectors. She began her career with the European Commission and subsequently led the European public affairs functions for a variety of multinationals and Trade Associations including Kodak and the Hollywood studios.

Dr. Mareike Haaβ holds a PhD in communication science and has 17 years of experience in B2B marketing, including nine years in the EMS industry.

From2009 to 2013, she held the position of Head of Marketing at the photovoltaic manufacturer Centrosolar. From 2014 to 2021, she worked as Director of Marketing at the EMS service provider duotec GmbH. She has been part of the in4ma team since May 2023.

Her expertise in the analysis of market and media figures is rounded off by 1 1/2 years of media auditing in addition to market and competition monitoring of the EMS industry.

Sebastian Schaal

Sebastian is guided by the fundamental belief that innovative technology is the most powerful tool for solving today’s global challenges. This conviction is the driving force behind Luminovo, the B2B SaaS company he co-founded in 2017 to accelerate the pace of technological progress. After studying at Stanford University, Sebastian made the strategic decision to build his company in Munich, proving that passion and dedication can foster a world-class technology hub outside of Silicon Valley. An electrical engineer by training, Sebastian is driven by a mission to have a lasting, positive impact and create a meaningful place to work. This principle is the driving force behind Luminovo, which he co-founded to solve the complex challenges facing the electronics industry. As a leader, he holds the principles of psychological safety as high as Bavarian traditions and is a strong advocate for team health. At Luminovo, he leads a mission to empower the electronics industry which is the pacemaker of digitalization. The company’s software streamlines the path from idea to market-ready product by integrating the value chain and automating complex processes, ultimately making technological innovation faster and more accessible.

Vytautas Ilgūnas is the Chief Commercial Officer at TLT PCB, part of the TLT Manufacturing Group. He leads the commercialization of Europe’s most modern and sustainable PCB factory in Vilnius, driving reshoring, supply-chain resilience, and IP protection for the European electronics industry. Vytautas is a vocal advocate for European electronics manufacturing.

ACCOMMODATION

A special room rate

at the Hilton Tallinn Park Hotel is available for the seminar attendees

To book a room, please email Tallinn.events@hilton.com

Use the opportunity, stay for the weekend and explore the snowy Tallinn and the #1 Christmas market in Europe!

Partners

Seminar is supported by

electronics

Exhibitors