MADE IN ERUOPE: Otto Pukk on INCAP’s 2026 Playbook From Acquisition Integration To Organic Growth

AI is boosting demand and breaking planning models at the same time, and that tension shows up everywhere in electronics manufacturing services right now. From my home to yours, I sit down with Otto Pukk, President and CEO of INCAP, to take stock after Q1 and get specific about what a stronger 2026 actually depends on: execution, supply resilience, and a footprint that can serve customers where they need to build. We talk through INCAP’s recent acquisition of Lacon and what “integration” really looks like in a lean, decentralized EMS organization. Otto shares why cultural fit matters more than slide decks, how cross-selling becomes a practical organic growth engine, and why customer concentration risk looks very different today than it did years ago. We also dig into the structural shifts required to scale, including a new regional approach that adds just enough governance to protect leadership time without taking ownership away from factory teams. From there, we zoom out to geographic strategy and market forces. India plays a central role, not as a simple low-cost bet but as a capability and engineering hub, while the US market still feels like early innings. We also get into automation, early AI use in manufacturing, and the real-world headaches of component availability as AI data centers pull on semiconductor supply. Tariffs come up too, framed as a “new normal” that EMS partners have to navigate calmly. Finally, we tackle the defense boom with a balanced lens, including how startups and drones are reshaping defense electronics and manufacturing expectations. If you found this useful, subscribe for more EMS leadership conversations, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.MADE IN EUROPE is a Global Electronics Association podcast hosted by Philip Stoten and produced and published by SCOOP. For more information on Global Electronics Association visit https://www.electronics.org/