Anniversary interview with the President of Wilk Elektronik SA, Wiesław Wilk

On the Goodram brand's 20th anniversary, we present an interview with Wiesław Wilk, CEO of Wilk Elektronik, which owns the Goodram and IRDM brands.

– Mr Wilk, Goodram is celebrating its 20th anniversary – a very special one. What emotions do you feel when you reflect on two decades of activity of this Polish brand in the computer memory industry?
– I  admit it is an exciting feeling – twenty years of Goodram on the market! These have been years full of challenges, achievements and innovations that have helped to strengthen our brand on the national and global stage. I feel proud of Goodram’s contribution to the Polish electronics market. The brand has grown over the years and shown that as a Polish manufacturer, we can compete globally with high-quality products. Customers all over the world appreciate them. Celebrating Goodram’s anniversary is a chance to celebrate our achievements and reflect on the company’s journey since the beginning.

– How do you recall the early years of Goodram? What challenges did it face at the start of this remarkable journey?
– The start of Goodram was a difficult period, but our team was determined. Remembering those days evokes a sense of accomplishment and respect for the challenges we overcame. The transition from memory distribution to production was a huge challenge, especially in the face of competition from large international companies. Many doubted our success, but our ambition was to create high-quality products that not only competed technically, but were also affordable for Polish and European customers. To cope with the dynamic market and unpredictable trends, our team had to show a high degree of flexibility and innovation. Fundamental to our strategy was the incorporation of innovative technologies, investment in R&D and the implementation of strict quality management. I recall the effort we put into earning our customers‘ faith in our Polish products. This motivated us to demonstrate our ability to compete with the global electronics market and establish Polish-made merchandise as a hallmark of quality. In the end, our hard work paid off when our customers recognised the reliability and excellence of our memory modules, made in Laziska, Silesia.

– Can you tell us the moments in the company’s history that make you smile?
– After such a long time, there really are a lot of them! I can certainly mention the first market successes – the start of sales outside our own country – from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary or Romania to Ukraine or the Baltic countries. It was Central and Eastern Europe that became a key market for us, and the successes we had in Ukraine, for example, allowed us to think about conquering other, even more competitive markets. A very important moment for us was when we started to feel that our customers trusted us and our brand was gaining recognition and appreciation for the quality of our products. This was a well-deserved success for the whole team, who worked hard to achieve this goal. Every new market, project and product success is a source of satisfaction. I am particularly proud of our dominant position in the SSD and DRAM market in Poland. The Goodram brand is now recognised in many European markets and beyond. We are expanding our presence in Turkey and plan to continue doing so in the coming years. Regarding technology, it is certainly gratifying to see the technology and distribution cooperation established with Kioxia (then Toshiba Electronics Europe) in 2008. The establishment of this strategic partnership has significantly expanded our offering and enabled us to meet our technological challenges. In 2013, we invested in the fastest SMT manufacturing line in Europe, which significantly improved the quality and speed of our memory production. However, it was less than three years ago that the breakthrough came. It was then that we decided to comprehensively expand the company. As a result, we have increased our production space by 100% and increased our warehouse space by as much as three times; the number of pallet spaces has been increased by as much as six times! The expansion will allow us to increase the efficiency of our production and logistics. A bigger company also means employing specialists in the areas of production, sales, quality control or, last but not least, research and development, which, in the case of a technology company such as ours, is of key importance.

– Let’s move on to the present. Goodram has been the national sales leader in memory modules and SSDs for many quarters. What is the brand’s strength?
– We have maintained our dominant position in DRAM and SSD sales in Poland for several years now, where we hold 35% and 25% market share respectively. Our dominant position as the country’s leader in the memory industry is due to several key elements. First and foremost, we focus on quality and reliability. Our production is equipped with 500 test platforms, which allows us to thoroughly test each module before it is delivered to our customers. As a European memory manufacturer, we are very familiar with the conditions and profile of the customer who is looking for a product that combines quality with affordability, and this is what Goodram memory is. Another key element is our availability, not only in terms of product portfolio, but understood as established relationships, openness to communication and flexibility in responding to customer needs. These are strengths stemming not only from the character and personality of our team, but also from the geographical location of our company, which allows for fast logistics and communication. As a team, we are aware of the importance of going green and being involved in social issues. Last month we obtained ISO 14001 certification for environmental management. Goodram and our entire company are actively involved in social and environmental initiatives, and as a memory leader we support the development and education of young technology students, for whom we have launched, among other things, an apprenticeship programme. All of these elements together make Goodram enjoy a strong market position as a brand and a company.

– Recent years have brought many challenges, such as the COVID pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine, economic difficulties in the country and abroad. Nevertheless, Goodram remains in very good shape and the memory factory in Laziska has grown significantly. How do you ensure the company’s success in the face of such difficult circumstances?
– Sustaining the company’s success in difficult periods requires a strategy-driven approach, flexibility and the ability to respond quickly to changing market conditions. Our broad product portfolio and ability to provide solutions to different audiences has played a key role in this context. Goodram is not limited to consumer products. We also offer advanced industrial memory, server memory and specialised products for the advertising industry. Customers in each of these groups are looking for memory with specific features or differentiators. We, as a manufacturer, are able to adapt to meet even the very strict requirements of the business partner. This flexibility and the ability to produce memory with very different parameters is our undoubted advantage. Operational efficiency is also a key factor. It includes the optimisation of production processes, efficient supply chain management and cost control. Our business is also affected by currency exchange rates and fluctuations in component prices. In response to these factors, we have adjusted our production and sales strategy, including by shortening the logistics chain and optimising processes that may have affected production efficiency. On the sales side, we stopped selling our products to Russia with the outbreak of war and are now aiming to build an even stronger market position in Ukraine. We are placing particular emphasis on developing our presence in Western Europe and the Turkish market, which is an important area of activity for us. Our efforts are focused on increasing our presence and reach in these markets.

– Goodram is not just about consumer memory. You mentioned that the company has been developing a portfolio of specialised solutions for industry for many years. What are the key differences in terms of the two product groups? Memory is just memory?
– Definitely not! When it comes to memory types, we could spend much more hours to talk about that. For the past 10 years, we have been focusing on the production of industrial memory under the Goodram Industrial brand, and we have been doing so successfully. What sets these highly specialised products apart from standard consumer memory is their extraordinary durability and reliability, essential for industrial applications. Industrial memories are often subjected to extreme conditions such as drastic temperature changes and varying humidity, so we subject them to rigorous testing in thermal chambers and test platforms designed by our R&D team. In the industrial sector, our flexibility and implemented standards at the product development stage are crucial in serving customers. In almost all cases, we are able to customise the memory, guarantee a fixed list of components over the long life of the product and substantively support the customer in choosing the right solution. In order to better understand the application of Goodram Industrial memory, it is worth mentioning that it is used in various fields such as video recording systems, public transport, automotive industry, POS terminals, smart home solutions and industrial automation in a broad sense. We expect demand to continue to grow as technology develops and industrial applications increase. I believe that these memories will continue to evolve in terms of performance, endurance and reliability to meet increasingly demanding industrial needs. In addition, with the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and automation, industrial memories will become a key component of the infrastructure to support the technological development of Industry 4.0.

– In one of our conversations, you emphasised that Poland has huge opportunities for high-tech development because of its large domestic market. How is Goodram adapting to this market?
– Our strategy is based on responding flexibly to local and global trends and customer needs, which allows us to find the right place in this market. Thanks to our long-standing experience and our adaptation of the business to modern realities, we have maintained our position as the market leader in the domestic market for sales of DRAM modules and SSDs for many quarters. Poland is a developed country with a large domestic market, where the demand for high-end electronics, including memory, is growing year on year. The development of 5G technology, growing industry, increasing automation, smart home solutions and the Internet of Things are just some of the areas of electronics that require a lot of memory. As a European, local manufacturer of consumer and industrial solutions, we are able to customise our solutions, which is our significant advantage.

– Can we let our imagination run wild? How do you see Goodram in the next 20 years?
– I see Goodram in twenty years‘ time achieving the kind of stable leadership position it currently has in Poland in memory modules and SSD groups, in the major markets of Europe and Western Asia. This vision of the future generates extraordinary excitement. Our strategic direction also includes the development of the Goodram Industrial memory brand, which will become an even bigger part of our success. We will continue to invest in research and development, bringing to market breakthrough products that exceed current standards. I expect our memories to feature even higher capacities and speeds, and to be based on innovative technologies, as yet unknown or unavailable to us today. Goodram will continue to develop integrated solutions for industry, providing comprehensive memory for manufacturing companies and corporations, making us a reliable partner in the next industrial revolution. At the same time, we hope that our company will actively engage in education by working with universities and technical colleges. Our aim is to foster future talent and actively contribute to the development of new technologies, which will become our lever towards future success.

– Managing such a huge company is a huge responsibility. Where do you get the strength and inspiration to work from?
– Managing my own business for over thirty years has taught me the importance of having the right balance between work and rest. It’s a key aspect for making wise business decisions. For me personally, not a day goes by without physical activity, be it gymnastics, a run or a long walk. Exercise is my way of relaxing mentally and keeping fit. I also find inspiration and knowledge in books. Reading is not only a pleasure for me, but also a source of invaluable information and ideas. Lately, I often return to one particular item related to our industry, namely the book ‚The Great Chip War‘ by Chris Miller. I would recommend that book to anyone interested in technology, especially those who understand that memory chips are a kind of ’21st century oil‘.

– Mr Wilk, what birthday wishes could we wish the Goodram brand for the coming years?
– Let us wish the brand a continued strong passion for creation, the courage to take on new challenges and an open mind. May the company continue to develop its international presence, winning the trust of more and more customers. May Goodram become not only a symbol of the highest quality products, but also a role model of social commitment, inspiring others to make positive changes and act for a better tomorrow.