OSA Industry Member Profile - Altechna
Samantha Hornback, Research & Program Development Coordinator, OSA
Based in Lithuania, Altechna provides customized solutions for laser optics to customers worldwide. Its emphasis on customer service and commitment to excellence in technology has led to its continued success. OSA reached out to CEO Antanas Laurutis to learn more.
What’s the value proposition for Altechna? What markets does the company serve?
We work with many markets and applications related to photonics, the main ones being the Industrial, Semicon, Medical, Sensing and Security, and the Automotive sectors. You can find our products in most of the optical or laser systems anywhere in the world. The common feature of these markets is a strong demand for customized solutions. I believe that our value proposition lies in our deep interest in customers’ applications combined with our 25-plus years of experience and know-how in making custom-tailored laser optics.
We always look for the best solution to a specific task. In this context, “best” means a balance of the specifications, quality, delivery and price. Having a close relationship with our customers allows us to find those solutions.
Where do you expect Altechna to be in 10 years?
We want to be the go-to partner for custom laser optics for companies throughout the world. We are investing more and more into our capabilities, our capacity and our people. A strong focus on customer experience combined with our technological investments has set us on the right path, and we hope we can achieve our goal in five years.
In your view, what is the best decision that Altechna has made to date?
I think there have been many good decisions along the way. However, if I were to narrow it down to one, I would like to mention our strategy shift. Four or five years ago, we decided to shift to a strategy focused on our key accounts. I think this decision shaped our company into what it is today by changing our culture and giving us a new identity.
Can you talk about your business strategy and how that influences your business operations?
Our strategy is highly focused on our key accounts, to understand their strategies and requirements and to adapt our approach in a way to best support their needs. Internally, we wanted to focus on four things—sales, operations, coatings and people. Recently, we added another pillar which is R&D. This will ensure that we continue to develop products and technologies that will be necessary for our key accounts in the future.
Every pillar is equally important to ensure we are all working toward the same goals as a company. These pillars have been fine-tuned to focus on the two most important aspects: our customers and employees. We are committed to aiming for the top and working with the best, and we are happy to be able to serve some of the biggest names in the laser industry while employing outstanding people.
How about the company’s worst, or riskiest, decision?
One of our riskier moves was opening our office in China. However, it turned out to be one of our best moves! It was risky because this was our first office outside of Lithuania. Many people questioned this decision as we had no experience of operating an office in a foreign country asked why we started so far away. Now we have five people in that office, and we are seeing real growth. We had high expectations and they have already been exceeded.
Do you have any comments about your 25th anniversary?
25 years is quite a long time in our market, keeping in mind how fast it is changing all the time. We have accumulated a lot of knowledge during those years, and this is something that we will use in the next chapter of the Altechna story.
What do you think contributes the most to the success of the company?
A big part of our success is a continuous drive to get better and improve. This starts with our company’s culture. We are not afraid of making changes and entering new waters. I consider our employees ambitious, and our mission is to guide them onto the right path. Another crucial element to our success is our partners and customers. We share similar values, and this allows us all to grow together.
Tell me a bit about your personal career path. How did you get to this point?
I always wanted to combine technology, communication and sales in my professional career. That is why I studied in a program called “Modern Technology Physics and Management” at Vilnius University in Lithuania. During my studies, I started a career at Altechna as a sales engineer. After finishing university, it was clear to me that mastering laser technologies would be a good next move. Altechna encouraged me to pursue this while still working there (one of the benefits that we still strongly support!). After finishing my master’s degree, I stayed with Altechna and worked mostly in sales positions, until being appointed as CEO in 2019. I have been with Altechna for nine years now.
Altechna is an OIDA member. What do you see as the value of that membership?
I believe that being a part of OIDA and sharing common goals is very important for each member of the community. For us, the personalized benefits serve our needs and plans each year. The Market Intelligence component allows us to access essential OIDA publications and market reports, while the networking option lets us to connect and participate in various technical events.
