Applied Materials: A new leadership for Europe’s market

Billions of tiny semiconductor chips hidden inside your mobile phone, electric vehicle, and an endless list of technologies and products, are busy powering Europe’s digital economy.

The modern world is ‘built’ on semiconductors, driven largely by advancements in computation, data storage, automotive and wireless technologies. In line with trillion-dollar projections for the global market, European demand for chips is expected to double between 2022 and 2030 putting much pressure on the global semiconductor ecosystem.

Quietly driving the market forward since 1967 is Applied Materials, a company involved in the production of virtually every new chip and advanced display in the world. Applied Materials leverages the expertise of the world’s brightest minds to innovate semiconductor manufacturing, with its European market now coming under new leadership.

The new Head of European Operations, Florent Ducrot, shares his vision for the European market, offering insight into how one of the largest semiconductor equipment companies is helping solve industry challenges and driving innovation in Europe’s tech sector.

About Applied Materials

A global leader in materials engineering solutions, Applied Materials produces the equipment used in microchip manufacturing, helping advance semiconductor development around the world.

The company’s worldwide workforce totals approximately 34,000 employees across 24 countries, with fiscal 2023 revenue of US$26.52 billion and more than 19,600 patents filed to date. A significant player within the European chips market, the company has over 2,000 employees across 10 European countries.

Applied Materials’ expertise in materials science and its ability to modify materials at both atomic level and industrial scale, enables key innovations in how semiconductor chips are made.

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Alongside innovation, Applied Materials is serious about corporate responsibility and civic engagement, as reflected in the company’s vision to ‘Make Possible a Better Future’. As well as earning its place among Forbes 2024 Net Zero Leaders and the FTSE4Good Index, the company offers strong support for education and the arts through development investments, community outreach and graduate mentorship.

Florent Ducrot: From Green Valley to Silicon Valley and back

From September 2024, Florent Ducrot serves as Applied Materials’ Head of European Operations, returning to the European market after a decade in management at company headquarters in California’s Silicon Valley.

From a small village in the Green Valley between Chamonix in France and Geneva in Switzerland, Florent has his roots in Europe. After training as an electrician, Florent made a lateral move into sales, selling computers door-to-door in Paris before moving to Metron Technology N.V., a semiconductor business later acquired by Applied Materials.

Over 21 years, he has worked his way up into executive leadership, bringing strong business growth to operations through the development of innovative services, helping customers accelerate the ramp-up of new technologies, improve manufacturing yield and lower costs.

“In this new role, I’m excited to continue driving innovation in the semiconductor industry and to foster the next generation of talent in Europe,” he said in a recent press release. “I’m committed to leveraging our collective expertise to tackle the challenges and maximise the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Florent’s return comes at a crucial time for Europe. The EU has set targets to increase its share in the global semiconductor industry from 9 per cent in 2022 up to 30 per cent by 2030, but to achieve this, leaders need to rethink their approach to chip manufacturing and better draw on Europe’s strengths in research and academia to power its homegrown market. 

“The semiconductor industry has changed, and now every European country is paying a lot of attention to the sector, so it was a good time for me to come back,” he explained. “I’m very happy to see that all governments are now thinking about having their own autonomous operations to produce and manufacture semiconductor components.” 

Challenges for Europe

According to Florent, what the industry needs first is more visibility. Citing increasing media coverage, Florent added that he would like to see this trend continue, bringing the importance of Europe’s manufacturing autonomy – at all points in the value chain – into popular awareness.

Another key point for Florent is attracting talent. “AI, IoT, electric vehicles and renewable energies, these are the industries we need to be in. If we want to be a part of the future and the development of these industries, we need to get more talent joining us.”

For Florent, the opportunity is an exciting one. “In this industry, the only constant is change. Every day you are working on a new project and meeting new people around the world,” he continued. “I’m very excited about the changes. People need to come to work for us and understand the importance of semiconductors and what role they could play in the future.”

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