Now CEO, he explains why Tekna is staying focused on plasma and powder, and why customers who make the shift don’t go back.
Tell us about your journey to become CEO of Tekna. What drew you to it, and what did you set out to build when you stepped in?
I joined Tekna about a year and a half ago, coming from a career in semiconductors as a physicist by training. What drew me in was the parallel. The maturity of the additive manufacturing industry today is closely where semiconductors sensors were 25 years ago: R&D-intensive, low-volume, seasonal, before scaling into volume production for products like game consoles and airbag systems.
I'm still learning the industry, but I believe my real value in this position of CEO is having made that conversion before.
Every company makes a defining strategic choice about what it will — and won't — be. What was that choice for Tekna?
If you look at the company today, we have two businesses. Plasma and Materials. We sell plasma systems for material development or testing. And we sell powder, using our own plasma systems to manufacture that powder.
The choice that we made is to keep full resources and focus on these two businesses.
What is the biggest shift happening in your industry right now, and how is the company positioned to turn it into an advantage?
The biggest shift would be moving from development and prototyping to more mature volume production. It’s been quite an experience transferring the knowledge and experiences I have within industrialisation into a new industry. We’re really seeing this transformation happen. As a producer, we are being asked by our customers to deliver more with shorter lead times and get quality certification. The demand is growing and it is satisfying to know that we are in a place to be able to meet current and future customer’s requirements.
What is the clearest sign so far that Tekna’s strategy is working?
The numbers. We are posting significant growth this year in our backlog, revenue, and margin. However, this doesn’t mean that we can take a break or allow ourselves to be misled. We need to keep improving. We want to continue our focus with the medical and aerospace and defence markets and maintain long-term consistency. It is also a clear sign our strategy is working as we see a consistent increase of new customers and customer engagement.
Beyond the financials, what tells you the company is building something durable?
Beyond the financials, it's in how our people talk about the work, and in how customers behave once they've made the shift. At Tekna, my colleagues are motivated because our titanium powder, among other deliveries, is enabling incredible engineering breakthroughs, like cutting aircraft component weight by 50%. That same capability is driving the reshoring trend. 3D printing is what's making it viable for companies to bring manufacturing closer to their market.
And once a company has redesigned a part around those weight and performance gains, they don't go back to traditional methods. Employee motivation and reshoring are providing the same signal. Proof that this technology creates lasting, irreversible value.
Arendals Fossekompani is a long-term, active owner. What does that backing make possible for you and where has it mattered most?
A patient, long-term owner has been crucial for Tekna. It took the market time to recognise our capabilities, but Arendals Fossekompani's backing kept us positioned and ready. That mattered most as the energy transition accelerated demand for lighter, more efficient components with shorter lead times and less material waste, exactly what's needed as the world races to deploy clean energy infrastructure. The road ahead won't be smooth, but the long-term trend is clear, and that's what we're building to.
