Focusing on Lithuanian solid-state and fiber laser manufacturer EKSPLA

In this interview, Dr. Antonio Castelo, EPIC Biomedical and Laser Technology Manager, had a conversation with Aldas Juronis, CEO of EKSPLA, a Lithuanian innovative solid-state and fiber laser manufacturer.

What is the background of your appointment as the CEO of EKSPLA?
In 1994, I graduated from Kaonas University of Technology in Lithuania with a Bachelor's degree in Radio Electronic Engineering. At that time, we had just gained independence and Lithuanian industry was in a very poor condition because the companies that survived the collapse of the Soviet Union were using outdated technology. Due to opportunities in the engineering field or the opportunity to find a job abroad, I started working for a publisher and recorded music wholesaler in Lithuania. Then, I became the sales director of UAB Tele-3, the largest media company in Lithuania, responsible for generating television and internet revenue.

Then in 2013, I became the sales director of Avia Solutions Group, a global ACMI provider. One year later, I became the head of the component and material sales department at FL Technologies, an aircraft maintenance and repair organization responsible for developing strategies and new markets, as well as process optimization and lean implementation.

Although working in the aviation industry was an interesting experience, especially because it gave me a broad understanding of running global businesses, in 2016, I decided to achieve a long-term ambition and founded my own high-tech company Ovao Technologies. This idea is focused on the development of wearable technologies for sports and fitness, which led to the launch of Ovao Virtual Training Assistant - a virtual coach and motion tracker for swimmers and triathlons.

In 2018, EKSPLA approached me and they are looking for someone with general and product management experience to develop their industrial laser business. I initially served as the project leader for OEM lasers, then as the Chief Production Officer, and became the CEO of EKSPLA in January 2023.

How did the company develop?
EKSPLA is the oldest laser company in Lithuania, established in 1983 as a commercial developer of the experimental workshop of the Institute of Physics at the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. In 1992, it was registered as a private company under its current company name. Until recently, the main focus was on the production of picosecond and nanosecond lasers, as well as OPO and SFG laser systems for scientific purposes. But in the 2010s, the company also decided to enter the industrial laser market, and for this reason, I was hired in 2018 to develop EKSPLA's industrial laser business. Since then, we have developed femtosecond, picosecond, and nanosecond lasers for various industrial applications, such as microfabrication of different materials, whether glass, ceramics, metals, polymers, or composite materials. Other customers have integrated our laser as an OEM imaging source into their integrated research tools for photoacoustic imaging, MALDI spectroscopy, LIBS spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy.

Our extensive knowledge in high-energy laser physics, nonlinear materials, and over 30 years of laser design experience enable us to provide unique solutions for high-intensity laser systems. We have established many laser systems that generate high pulse energy, peak power in the TW range at high repetition rates, and peak power in the PW range at low repetition rates.

Our employees have grown to 160, with the majority working in our main office and production/research and development facilities in Vilnius.

All of our lasers can be customized to meet specific requirements, and our industrial business now accounts for about 40% of our revenue. Last year's revenue was 18 million euros, and this year we expect sales to increase to 24 million euros.

What are the main challenges you face?
In the first six months, my main problem was that without a background in photonics, I had to learn a lot about products, regulations, and their limitations. Fortunately, I have always been interested in high-tech, and after about six months, I was able to discuss most technical issues with the company's engineers. Of course, I cannot design a laser, but at least I can talk to engineers, understand what they are talking about, and even suggest possible solutions - at least from the user's perspective.

What are your main achievements?
Without any knowledge of photonics, I was treated as an experiment. But I can always see that through a new commercial method, industrial ultra short pulse lasers have enormous potential for EKSPLA. Perhaps not everyone initially thought this way, but in the past 5 years, working closely with excellent engineers from the R&D and production teams, coupled with strong participation and support from sales and marketing, we have successfully made Industrial Lasers the fastest-growing business unit of EKSPLA.

What are the main challenges facing the future?
Change the mindset of the industry. Until recently, ultra short pulse lasers have been considered as lasers for scientific applications, which are too expensive and unreliable for industrial applications. Due to these reasons, many companies have been unwilling to shift from nanosecond technology to picosecond or even femtosecond lasers. However, ultra short pulse technology is becoming cheaper and more reliable, and one of our goals is to convince companies that EKSPLA's high-quality short pulse lasers can add significant value to a range of processes and applications.

How do you view the future?
We will continue to develop and plan to expand our facilities, expand the main building and brand new facilities, including a new clean room, to enhance our production capacity. The most exciting part of the laser business is the continuous emergence of new emerging markets, as certain industries have discovered the potential of ultra short pulse lasers to improve and increase the value of their products. Our goal is to identify these niche markets and participate in various projects with potential customers from the beginning, so that we can become the main supplier of these niche industrial applications in the future.

But this is not just about improving the product. Equally important is the need to improve the user experience so that they can continue to choose our products. In addition to parameters, we also need to ensure that they are satisfied with performance and have a positive user experience with our lasers and other products.

With a successful focus on products and user experience, I believe it is only a matter of time before EKSPLA becomes one of the largest players in the field of industrial ultra short pulse lasers.

What suggestions do you have for the next generation of entrepreneurs?
Talent recruitment is a major challenge for the entire photonic industry. However, simply finding people with suitable qualifications is not enough. It is equally important to recruit people who truly want to understand what you are doing and are eager to contribute to it. This is not just about simply promoting your company and products; This is about explaining to them the goals your company is striving to achieve through these products, why you manufacture them, and how they differ from other products in the market.

Secondly, when I started my own company, someone suggested that I pause product development and conduct validation: go out and "take to the streets" and talk to potential customers to accurately understand their needs. Once you have determined the customer's needs, you can adjust your product or make it simpler to avoid over engineering. This is not about creating perfect products; This is about manufacturing products with customer ready payment capabilities.

In our case, whenever we design a new product, we find several pilot customers who are passionate about traveling with us, and we adjust the product's features and specifications to fit these customers. Based on our experience, this method can provide the best results because when we enter the market, we do not provide perfect lasers, but rather lasers with very good parameters designed specifically for specific applications. Through this method, the market reaction is completely different from when you tried to create a universal laser for everyone, but at the same time, it is not suitable for anyone.

Source: Laser Network