FROM THE INDUSTRY
complex processes, allowing installation technicians to focus their expertise on higher-value activities rather than “twiddling knobs and putting in plug-ins.” The company’s balancing act between organic, customer driven development and strategic long-term planning is a tricky one, requiring pragmatism and falling back on years of experience. “We’re looking at the laws of physics and then looking at what we can do.” For example, when we were considering whether to develop a 6GHz multi-tap for trunk cable coax systems, customers’ response was typically, “We’re not really sure whether we’ll ever go there, but if we’re going to invest in swapping out a piece of equipment, sure, why not, if it can be done at a reasonable cost to make the upgraded system as future proof as possible.” The company has a history of spotting the opportunity of this development process, one that is very much hand-in-glove with the customer to build out future product lines and offer them out more broadly to the industry once established. People all over Europe are now saying they will continue to service and invest in their existing cable networks rather than invest in fibre, quite a shift from the mood a few years ago. Obviously, that’s good news for Technetix, but as you have a foothold in both North America and Europe, what is your perspective? “When it comes to northern Europe, where labour costs are quite high and in a lot of countries the cabling is direct buried with no ducting, the cost to change becomes significant. If you’re one of my customers and you’re quite happy with 100Mb or 500Mb, and I’m going to change you to fibre but you’re not going to pay me any more money, why would I spend loads of money upgrading the network outside your house to provide the same service?” The economic argument for fibre has always centred on reduced operational costs, but Paul thinks that “after the investment, it doesn’t really pay back unless we can entice customers into taking much higher speed services with
Walking through Technetix’s impressive facility in Veenendaal, Netherlands, it’s immediately apparent that this isn’t just another technology company. The high ceilings, abundant natural light, and open collaborative spaces reflect a deliberate philosophy about creating an environment where innovation can thrive. At the helm of this operation is Paul Broadhurst, whose passion for both technology and talent development has helped establish Technetix as a significant player in the broadband infrastructure market. Over two days I talked to the team there and enjoyed a number of presentations on R&D, production, sustainability, quality control and the Technetix product line itself. I was struck by the international, multi- lingual nature of the friendly team that Paul has assembled from all over the world, the pride displayed by everyone who works there, the enthusiasm in communicating the work they were doing and the common goal the team were all striving to attain. It was quite something. Your setup in Veenendaal is very impressive and you have cultivated a lovely culture there. What are you most proud of? “What I’m most proud of really is that success of a business isn’t about investment—it’s about building a team of very talented people. My job is to create an environment where talented people can flourish. The thing that gives me the most job satisfaction is when people within the company grow in loads of different areas.”
component called a coupler. All published work in the technology field said that there was a limit to what could be done, but the requirement of the job meant it needed to be more. We had lots of great minds thinking of a way to do it, and in the end, a young engineer in the company, Matthias Laro, came up with a really clever, game- changing idea.” Providing an environment where new ideas can bubble up from anywhere, where young entrants to the industry can feel confident they will be listened to requires vision, patience and skill. How do you as a company come up with your best ideas? “There’s always a danger in a development environment that you can keep reinventing the wheel. In the end, we must deliver products in volume mass production which have to be highly qualified and certified. So, a major part of what we do has to be doing things that are proven and will work.” The key to Technetix’ success lies in incorporating “optionality for the future”— building products that can adapt and evolve rather than becoming obsolete. “Our differentiation isn’t just being compared on price, we’re compared on quality and the capability of the product. That generates what I call a bit of a halo effect in terms of people having confidence that we’ve really got a picture of the roadmap of where we’re going—not just now, but two years, five years, ten years from now.” “The thing that our customers are absolutely crazy about is what they call “regret spend”. They don’t invest in a product that will then be ripped out and replaced by something else a few years later with the associated cost write-off.” It was clear during my tour and meeting the team that the company’s innovation process is deeply collaborative with customers; a customer will approach Technetix and explain their problem, and ask Technetix for a solution. That’s just the start of a complex, often long- term process to find one, involving the customer in the process throughout. “One customer’s problem is often the same as another’s. Some perhaps want to be more conservative about the way things are done, and others really want to incorporate as much next-generation technology as possible.” This customer-centric approach has led to developments like auto-setup features and smart alignment systems that completely “de-skill” or “automate”
Paul likens his role to “operating a greenhouse,” cultivating a learning organisation where employees can
develop and thrive. “To retain, motivate and develop people - what motivates people for me is three things, and I’ll say money last, because everyone has to feed their family. But the most important two things are for people to have fulfilment, be part of projects doing something important, useful, interesting and challenging, and to be in a really good team pushing the frontiers of technology.” With 160 patents to their name, Technetix demonstrates the power of combining talented individuals with the right environment, so this philosophy is obviously working. Paul offered me an example: “We were doing this unified DOCSIS amplifier and had a particular RF
SEPTEMBER 2025 Volume 47 No.3
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