Jörg Mayer | Managing Director of the German Industrial association SPECTARIS

How important is the repatriation of high-tech products to Europe with regard to supply security?

Mayer: Supply and energy bottlenecks make us painfully aware of the risks of Europe‘s dependency and can put the brakes on important key industries. The repatriation of production to Europe is only a partial solution to this problem. We must also minimise risks through a regional diversification of procurement structures and by securing alternative suppliers.

Some experts believe that development must follow to the site of production. Do you share this opinion?

Definitely. Especially in medical technology, a close collaboration between suppliers and customers and also between developers and production managers results in product innovations. Moreover, an often underestimated effect of strong high-tech supply chains is the gravitational pull they have on the research landscape, that is, on universities and institutions. This is where many of the skilled specialists who will later work on innovations in the industry are trained.

What are the hidden stumbling blocks awaiting companies that want to repatriate?

It‘s important not just to overcome the obstacles of repatriating production but also to preserve industrial activity in Europe. The general conditions must be right for both objectives and that is currently not yet the case. Therefore, at SPECTARIS we want to see greater commitment from politicians toward facilitating the immigration of international skilled specialists.