26 Oct Interview with Wolfgang Schmitz, President of the Americas, Oerlikon
Can you tell us about Oerlikon’s growth as a leader in engineering and manufacturing in the USA?
Oerlikon has been proudly operating in the USA since 1984. Today, we serve our customers in the automotive, aerospace, oil and gas, defense and semiconductor industries out of 25 manufacturing sites and service centers with more than 1,300 employees. Our customers include major brands in automotive and aerospace. We deliver US-made metal coating solutions that improve the durability and performance of our customers’ end products; we support the competitiveness of our US customers. Our global research and development and US production activities for materials coating are centered in Westbury, New York. Here we develop solutions to meet the needs of the American oil and gas and aerospace industries. In addition, we have established a global center for artificial intelligence-driven material science to rapidly develop next-generation coatings and materials for the US and global markets.
What competitive qualities allow Oerlikon to remain a market leader in the provision of metal coating services?
Our offerings are based on customer-led innovation. We provide technology that customers use for new products, unique performance and increased sustainability. Our biggest advantage is bringing coating technologies from Europe to the US market to create value for our customers. In South Carolina, we will implement new coating equipment with technology from Finland. Our unique BALINIT MILUBIA solution involves the coating of rubber and plastic components. It allows for low-temperature applications and can be used in various industries, including aerospace. Our technology leadership combined with our global reach distinguishes us from competitors. Our materials technology has contributed to setting world records in oil and gas drilling.
What is Oerlikon doing to advance education and training in its key operational segments?
This is a challenge for us, like many other industrial players. To address this, we have increased sourcing talent from veteran programs and training them on the job with resources from the USA and our headquarters in Switzerland. On the research and development front, we collaborate with leading universities. We recently donated additive printers to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Charlotte to collaborate with students and attract talent. As we continue to grow with our customers, we plan to create more jobs in the USA, specifically in the South and West while strengthening our existing base with engineering talent in the Midwest and East Coast.
What is the company doing to grow its operations in the USA?
We are proud that the Americas is among the strongest growing markets for the company. Customer-led innovation requires intimacy and very close partnerships to support the development of something new for our customers. We have several strategic partnerships, particularly in additive manufacturing. One example is our 3D printing expertise, which will now focus exclusively on serving US customers in areas such as semiconductors and defense. These sophisticated applications require a multi-year development cycle to find the best solution, with required investments in equipment, technology and talent on both sides. We provide global knowledge as the strongest player in our industry to develop customer-specific solutions with sometimes common intellectual property. Since I arrived in mid-2023 with my family, I have experienced a business and personal life filled with opportunities combined with a can-do attitude of our Oerlikon colleagues. Working in the USA excites me and reminds me of my father’s advice: “Choose a hobby and call it work.”