“We support other industries to keep up with the electronification of the world.” This is how Rainer Koppitz, CEO of Katek, sums up the goal of his company. Not an unimportant task, because the electronics industry is systemically relevant in a certain way.
Rainer Koppitz is not in the mood for trivial matters. “We don’t make the electronic inner workings of a toothbrush. That is boring. We make the electronics where electronics make the difference,” says the boss of Katek in the ntv podcast “So techt Germany”.
Where? In the auto industry, for example. In the robots there, the electronics are often from Katek, says the entrepreneur. Many medical devices also worked thanks to the technology of the medium-sized company. The company also completely developed the wallbox for charging the Taycan electric Porsche.
Katek seems to have reached the top of the electronics industry, although the company is only five years old. Since then, the company has grown through acquisitions and is now raising money on the financial market. Katek has been listed on the stock exchange since this year. The rapid growth is intentional, because “size matters”, says Koppitz.
“Size matters”
Around 2000 companies in Europe offer products similar to Katek. “80 percent of the companies are so small that they have an annual turnover of well under 10 million euros,” reveals the manager. In his opinion, these 80 percent are not viable in the long term. That is why Koppitz is convinced: less is more. The market has to consolidate until there are few electronics companies, but they are all the more powerful. “So that these players can really be long-term partners for European industry.”
In the electrical industry, Europe also has a chance against the USA and China. This is no longer the case in other areas. “I think you have to be careful that we and politicians don’t fight battles that are simply lost,” said Koppitz.
In the new episode of “So techt Germany”, Rainer Koppitz reveals which areas these are, what the electronics industry can do for more sustainability and why companies like Katek are increasingly displacing traditional suppliers in the automotive industry.