“Our order books are full, but we can hardly keep up with the growth,” says Karsten Bier, head and owner of Recom from Gschwandt. The company has made a name for itself beyond the Salzkammergut with power supply solutions such as inverters, switching regulators and battery chargers. More than 100,000 companies use the products, including the electric car manufacturer Tesla, the aviation group Airbus and the automation group ABB.
Demand is increasing, mainly because of the energy transition, says Bier. However, like many other companies, the company is currently struggling with pressure on the supply chains. Recom has manufacturing plants in China, Taiwan, Thailand and Italy. Research and development takes place in the Salzkammergut and in Asia. “We are able to deliver despite the turbulence, but of course it’s painful,” admits Bier. The buyers are in permanent crisis mode.
“Long-term planning is impossible,” says the entrepreneur, who advocates thinking and doing business “more glocally.” Bier understands this as building up competitive structures in Europe and in Austria in order to make oneself more independent from other countries, but still act globally. Austria has some catching up to do here, and Recom itself is trying to bring more production to Europe and also to Austria.
Regarding the figures: Last year, Recom generated sales of EUR 75.4 million, exceeding the pre-crisis level of EUR 69 million. Because incoming orders have doubled, Bier is aiming to break the 100 million euro mark in sales this year. The number of employees increased from 380 in 2019 to 540.
Above all, mobility is a growth driver for Recom, such as wall charging stations for electric cars. The fields of application also include industry, medical technology, measurement and testing technology as well as automation.
“A Herculean Task”
In order to handle the growth, the company not only needs the right delivery parts, but also staff. Bier sees the shortage of skilled workers in Upper Austria as a “Herculean task”, especially in technical professions. “The pool of applicants is very small and there are very few fish in it. You have to cast the best bait.”
It is important to get children excited about technology in playful laboratories in schools so that they are not solely dependent on foreign workers, says Bier. “Upper Austria is an attractive location and lives from the economy. And technology plays an important role there.” The entrepreneur is also pushing for companies in the region to be better networked in order to grow more quickly. What Ams-Osram in Premstätten near Graz or Infineon in Villach showed with the technology park could also serve as a model for Upper Austria and the new digital university in Linz.
Source: Nachrichten
