Insights from the 2026 Nordic & Northern European EMS Tour Report by EMSNOW, and what they mean for the future of electronics manufacturing.
Listen to this article
For years, European electronics manufacturers have been asked the same question:
How can Europe compete with lower-cost manufacturing regions?
The leaders shaping the future of European electronics manufacturing services (EMS) companies are asking a different question.
How do we create more value for our customers?
That shift in thinking stood out as we read the 2026 Nordic & Northern European EMS Tour Report, published by EMSNOW and in4ma. The report captures conversations with executives from nine leading EMS companies across Northern Europe, including Connect Group, GPV, InCap, Inission, Kitron, Neways, NOTE, Scanfil, and TLT Manufacturing. Rather than focusing on quarterly challenges, these leaders shared how they are preparing for the next decade of electronics manufacturing.
CalcuQuote is proud to have sponsored this tour and report. Over the past three EMSNOW tours, we've supported this initiative because it provides valuable insight into where our industry is heading. By sponsoring those reports, we're also helping make these insights freely available to the electronics manufacturing community.
While every company has its own strategy, one message comes through clearly.
The next generation of EMS leaders won't compete on price. They'll compete on connected capabilities.
Key takeaways
- The Top 100 companies alone generated US$834.9 billion in revenue in 2025, growing an impressive 23.7% overall (graph below).
- Manufacturing is becoming a higher-value service. Value is replacing volume.
- Supply chain capability itself has become a competitive offering.
- Digital ecosystems create competitive advantage
- Leaders see AI less as factory automation and more as a productivity accelerator.
Three Signals That Will Shape the Next Generation of EMS
Rather than seeing the report as a collection of trends, we see it as confirmation of three strategic shifts already reshaping the industry.
1. Manufacturing Is Becoming a Higher-Value Service
One of the report's strongest messages is that customers increasingly expect more than production capacity.
Engineering support. Supply chain expertise. Product lifecycle management. System integration. Compliance. These capabilities are becoming just as important as efficient manufacturing.
The companies interviewed consistently pointed toward higher-value, engineering-led manufacturing as Europe's competitive advantage. We believe that direction will continue as products become more complex and supply chains become more volatile.
2. Competitive Advantage Lives in the Supply Chain
One observation in the report particularly resonated with us.
Several executives described supply chain expertise as something they actively deliver to customers, not just something they manage internally.
That represents an important shift.
Today's EMS companies are expected to help customers navigate component shortages, supplier risk, compliance requirements, inventory strategies, and sourcing decisions long before production begins.
The companies that can make better supply chain decisions will increasingly become the partners customers rely on most.
3. Connected Information Creates Faster Decisions
Many of the challenges highlighted throughout the report have a common thread.
Engineering teams need better component data.
Procurement teams need better market intelligence.
Manufacturing teams need better visibility.
Management teams need better information to make faster decisions.
Those isolated challenges are symptoms of disconnected processes.
As products become more sophisticated and customer expectations continue to rise, the ability to connect information across engineering, sourcing, procurement, manufacturing, quality, and supplier collaboration will become a competitive advantage in its own right.
So What Does This Mean for EMS Companies?
When you step back from the individual findings, a larger picture begins to emerge.
Tomorrow's leading EMS companies will not differentiate through one capability alone.
They will connect engineering, sourcing, manufacturing, compliance, quality, supplier collaboration, and lifecycle management into one coordinated operating model.
In other words, success depends on building a connected manufacturing ecosystem.
That is exactly why digital transformation in electronics manufacturing is evolving beyond individual software tools.
A connected ecosystem enables manufacturers to move information seamlessly across the entire product lifecycle.
For example:
- Faster and more accurate quoting begins with connected supply chain intelligence.
- Better sourcing decisions depend on real-time market and supplier visibility.
- As manufacturing expands beyond PCBA into cable assemblies and higher-level integration, connected workflows become increasingly important.
- Compliance and traceability become easier when product, supplier, and manufacturing data remain connected throughout the process.
- Better engineering decisions are possible when PCB intelligence, component intelligence, and sourcing intelligence work together instead of in silos.
Each capability solves a specific problem. Together, they create something much more valuable: faster decisions, better collaboration, and greater resilience.
This is where we see the greatest opportunity for European EMS companies. Not simply adding more software, but connecting the right capabilities across the entire product lifecycle.
What Will Separate Tomorrow's EMS Leaders?
The EMSNOW report concludes that tomorrow's leaders will be engineering-led, supply-chain strong, AI-enabled, and focused on delivering higher-value services.
We agree.
We would add one more characteristic.
They will be connected.
Connected engineering.
Connected sourcing.
Connected manufacturing.
Connected suppliers.
Because the future won't be won by optimizing individual processes in isolation.
It will be won by connecting them.
Explore our ecosystem where we connect
Read the Full Report
This article shares our perspective on themes emerging from the 2026 Nordic & Northern European EMS Tour Report, prepared by EMSNOW and in4ma following interviews with leaders from nine European EMS companies.
We're proud to support this initiative and help make these insights available to the industry.
Download the full report below to explore the executive interviews, market observations, and strategic perspectives in greater detail.
From Insight to Action
The EMSNOW report highlights where the industry is heading. The next step is understanding how to get there.
At Accelerate, our annual conference, CalcuQuote and our ecosystem partners unveiled solutions designed to connect engineering, sourcing, manufacturing, compliance, and supplier collaboration into a more intelligent electronics manufacturing workflow.
Watch the Accelerate recordings to discover how connected technologies can help EMS companies build the capabilities that tomorrow's market demands.