ASML has been nominated for the Tech Hero Award in recognition of its successful efforts in digital maturity, strengthened data governance, and centralized business services, laying the foundation for innovations in automation and AI. ASML is also growing significantly, and that places new demands on the way its employees work. “It comes down to setting up your systems and processes in such a way that you can scale up efficiently,” says Aloys Kregting, Head of ASML Business Services.
What is the biggest challenge for ASML right now?
“To meet the global demand for advanced lithography machines and the increase in demand for chips produced with them, we are growing at a rapid pace. One of our biggest challenges is to make this growth happen as smoothly as possible. Although in some areas we still have a ‘young’ scale-up mentality, in which fast adaptation and a pragmatic approach are central, at the same time we are working on a scalable organization. That means building methods and processes that support rapid growth and scaling up, both today and in the long term.
ASML Business Services was specifically created to enable that scale-up for support services and processes, such as IT, HR, Finance, Procurement, Facility Management, and Sales Operations.
As a technology company, we have the advantage of not only developing technology, but we can also use technology to optimize our operating practices. The goal is for systems and processes to work seamlessly together, leading to increased efficiency and reduced risk. For example, we have invested heavily in robotics and are experimenting extensively with AI, of which we are now seeing the first results.
“Thanks to our holistic approach, it sometimes proves easy to solve complex issues because a good foundation has been laid.”
It remains important that we maintain our innovative and entrepreneurial character while keeping basic issues like quality, compliance, and safety in order. Keeping that balance is a challenge we enjoy.
How do you translate leadership?
“At ASML, we want to give everyone room to challenge each other and find the best solutions together. Our values of ‘challenge, collaborate, and care’ form the foundation for this, with ‘challenge’ as an essential component. We therefore encourage colleagues with different perspectives to come to well-considered decisions and to keep innovating.
ASML always approaches technology leadership holistically, including when it comes to improving systems and processes. Solutions should not only work in the short term but also contribute to long-term goals. For example, you want to avoid IT projects getting off to a fast start only to get bogged down later. Therefore, our emphasis is on clear objectives and clear conditions for success.
Essential elements here are well-designed governance, where it is clear who makes decisions, the use of the right data as a basis, and an IT landscape built from a strong architecture. In addition, we continually invest in training our people to keep their knowledge and skills up-to-date.
What are you proud of?
“What I am personally particularly happy about is that within ASML we have now established a business unit that focuses entirely on operational, supporting services. By continually streamlining these services and reducing manual work as much as possible, we can provide a more streamlined and user-friendly experience for our internal and external customers.
There are now many issues that are resolved at once. Thanks to a holistic approach, it sometimes proves easy to solve complex issues because a good foundation has been laid. This in turn makes the next step easier, and I notice that people get excited about that.”