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Focus: De wereld van ASML
Marc Hijink schrijft een bijzonder inside portret van het Nederlandse miljardenbedrijf ASML en het verhaal van industriële innovatie en de internationale techstrijd om economische en militaire macht.
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 12, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
July 11, 2024
Fast-paced telling of the stories behind the hottest company in the lithography industry.
I work at ASML and read everything I can about its history and culture.
This is the second and best book I read about ASML (the other being "The Architects of ASML"). It's a fast-paced telling of the key moments of its rise as a lithography industry behemoth. Highly recommended for ASML colleagues and all those who enjoy thrilling company founding stories. It concentrates on the period from the early nineties until 2024.
It has little content about events before the 1990s. If that's your interest, go with "The Architects of ASML" by Rene Raaijmakers.
I work at ASML and read everything I can about its history and culture.
This is the second and best book I read about ASML (the other being "The Architects of ASML"). It's a fast-paced telling of the key moments of its rise as a lithography industry behemoth. Highly recommended for ASML colleagues and all those who enjoy thrilling company founding stories. It concentrates on the period from the early nineties until 2024.
It has little content about events before the 1990s. If that's your interest, go with "The Architects of ASML" by Rene Raaijmakers.
December 31, 2023
Ongekend goed. Zowel het bedrijf als het boek.
January 13, 2025
It delivers a detailed account of ASML’s transformation from a modest Philips spin-off to a global leader in semiconductor technology. Author vividly captures the groundbreaking development of Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, shedding light on the technical challenges, personal sacrifices, and pivotal contributions of figures like engineer Martin van den Brink and CEO Peter Wennink.
The book also explores ASML's distinct corporate culture, marked by candor, collaboration, and relentless perfectionism, while situating the company within the broader context of US-China tech tensions. By addressing export restrictions and ASML’s critical role in the global chip industry, author provides valuable insights into its strategic importance.
That being said, the book primarily focuses on ASML’s history, and readers should note that the company’s current management, the Dutch/EU government, and the geopolitical landscape have evolved significantly. While this historical perspective is valuable, it may not fully reflect today’s realities.
The narrative is well-researched and engaging but occasionally too verbose, which might deter less dedicated readers. Compared to recent books capitalizing on the semiconductor industry's spotlight, this work offers a balanced and substantive contribution. It’s a compelling read for those invested in technology, corporate culture and global strategy, though a more concise approach could have made it sharper.
The book also explores ASML's distinct corporate culture, marked by candor, collaboration, and relentless perfectionism, while situating the company within the broader context of US-China tech tensions. By addressing export restrictions and ASML’s critical role in the global chip industry, author provides valuable insights into its strategic importance.
That being said, the book primarily focuses on ASML’s history, and readers should note that the company’s current management, the Dutch/EU government, and the geopolitical landscape have evolved significantly. While this historical perspective is valuable, it may not fully reflect today’s realities.
The narrative is well-researched and engaging but occasionally too verbose, which might deter less dedicated readers. Compared to recent books capitalizing on the semiconductor industry's spotlight, this work offers a balanced and substantive contribution. It’s a compelling read for those invested in technology, corporate culture and global strategy, though a more concise approach could have made it sharper.
August 23, 2025
Two things that stood out to me
* ASML beating out Japanese Nikon and Canon because they were willing to deliver imperfect machines and iterate together with the customer. Very lean, preventing overproduction and continuous improvement. N & C didn't learn the lessons from Toyota that they should have.
* How ASML's reliance on suppliers is not just a risk but also a strength. Capping a supplier's dependence on ASML at 40% of revenue makes the company more robust to business cycles and distributes the huge CapEx required for lithography. I've wondered before whether lithography could have its "SpaceX" moment, where a new player produces everything in-house and undercuts the incumbents in price and development speed. Still not convinced that this is impossible (many arguments against it also apply to rocketry) but less convinced that it isn’t.
* ASML beating out Japanese Nikon and Canon because they were willing to deliver imperfect machines and iterate together with the customer. Very lean, preventing overproduction and continuous improvement. N & C didn't learn the lessons from Toyota that they should have.
* How ASML's reliance on suppliers is not just a risk but also a strength. Capping a supplier's dependence on ASML at 40% of revenue makes the company more robust to business cycles and distributes the huge CapEx required for lithography. I've wondered before whether lithography could have its "SpaceX" moment, where a new player produces everything in-house and undercuts the incumbents in price and development speed. Still not convinced that this is impossible (many arguments against it also apply to rocketry) but less convinced that it isn’t.
June 21, 2025
Focus : The ASML way – Inside the power struggle over the most complex machine on earth (2024) by Marc Hijink is a very good book about a fascinating company. ASML (Advanced Semi Conductor Materials – Lithography ) makes the lithography machines that are the centre of chip fabrication plants.
The company started as a joint venture between Phillips and ASMI (Advance Semi Conductor Materials International ) in 1984. ASMI is a company that makes equipment for semi-conductor fabrication. The head of ASMI, Arthur Del Prado, fought with others and left. The firm was founded in Veldhoven, which is a town that is effectively a suburb of Eindhoven where Phillips is headquartered.
By 1991 ASML had built the PAS 5500 which was a modular photo-lithography machine. At the time the business was dominated by Nikon and Canon. There were also US competitors.
ASML continued to work on their machines to improve them. Martin van den Brink, a physicist who had trained on district heating became a technical leader. He was very smart and very tough. He was a personification of Dutch directness. Peter Wennink was an accountant who was able to build bridges and work with van den Brink.
ASML worked intensively with their suppliers, critically including Zeiss optics in Germany. Trumpf lasers were also used. ASML made DUV (Deep Ultra Violet) lithography machines and by working hard with chip fabricators such as TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), Samsung and others ASML continued to build market share and respect.
ASML then worked on developing EUV (Extended Ultra Violet) technology. This is in order make chips using 13.5 nm light. This enables chips to be made at with features as small as 5 nm. EUV photolithography is incredible. The light is generated by firing a laser pulse at a droplet of tin. Then a second and sometimes a third pulse is fired at the tin droplet which then generates the high powered light. This technology took decades to build. The optics for EUV required mirrors that were unbelievably flat. All this has to be combined in a machine moving silicon at huge speeds and with staggering precision. Modern Lithography is one of the greatest achievements of mankind. It is absolutely a modern wonder that people take for granted.
ASML’s EUV photolithography machines are used to make the CPUs and GPUs that enable modern phones, laptops and modern data centres. The recent AI boom depends on the machines that ASML makes. It is interesting, ASML, along with ARM Holdings and TSMC design and make the components on which the modern high tech world depend. None are American. The South Korean firms Samsung and SK Hynix make much of the RAM the world uses. Companies in the layers above these tend to be American. Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Apple, AWS and Google now all design chips. Most of these are fabricated by others.
The book also has a lot on how US export regulations have impacted ASML. ASML needs America and the American market so it has to obey US law. Interestingly the book suggests that the alleged defence reason for forbidding China from using the most high tech equipment is exaggerated. People in the Netherlands believe that military chips are usually made using less advanced photolithography equipment that makes more robust chips. The role of batteries and advanced electric motors, which China totally dominates, is very likely more important for defence applications.
There is much in the book about how ASML operates and how Wennink and van den Brink have guided the company. The two were joint CEOs who worked very well together but who have both now retired from that post. There is also a lot about how global ASML is. As well as Germany the company has offices in the US and across Asia. A number of these are from companies that ASML has taken over and incorporated.
Focus as a book is a great addition to books on technology companies. ASML has been an overlooked company that is absolutely crucial to the modern world. Hijink does a very good job of providing an insight into the amazing company that is ASML.
The company started as a joint venture between Phillips and ASMI (Advance Semi Conductor Materials International ) in 1984. ASMI is a company that makes equipment for semi-conductor fabrication. The head of ASMI, Arthur Del Prado, fought with others and left. The firm was founded in Veldhoven, which is a town that is effectively a suburb of Eindhoven where Phillips is headquartered.
By 1991 ASML had built the PAS 5500 which was a modular photo-lithography machine. At the time the business was dominated by Nikon and Canon. There were also US competitors.
ASML continued to work on their machines to improve them. Martin van den Brink, a physicist who had trained on district heating became a technical leader. He was very smart and very tough. He was a personification of Dutch directness. Peter Wennink was an accountant who was able to build bridges and work with van den Brink.
ASML worked intensively with their suppliers, critically including Zeiss optics in Germany. Trumpf lasers were also used. ASML made DUV (Deep Ultra Violet) lithography machines and by working hard with chip fabricators such as TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), Samsung and others ASML continued to build market share and respect.
ASML then worked on developing EUV (Extended Ultra Violet) technology. This is in order make chips using 13.5 nm light. This enables chips to be made at with features as small as 5 nm. EUV photolithography is incredible. The light is generated by firing a laser pulse at a droplet of tin. Then a second and sometimes a third pulse is fired at the tin droplet which then generates the high powered light. This technology took decades to build. The optics for EUV required mirrors that were unbelievably flat. All this has to be combined in a machine moving silicon at huge speeds and with staggering precision. Modern Lithography is one of the greatest achievements of mankind. It is absolutely a modern wonder that people take for granted.
ASML’s EUV photolithography machines are used to make the CPUs and GPUs that enable modern phones, laptops and modern data centres. The recent AI boom depends on the machines that ASML makes. It is interesting, ASML, along with ARM Holdings and TSMC design and make the components on which the modern high tech world depend. None are American. The South Korean firms Samsung and SK Hynix make much of the RAM the world uses. Companies in the layers above these tend to be American. Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Apple, AWS and Google now all design chips. Most of these are fabricated by others.
The book also has a lot on how US export regulations have impacted ASML. ASML needs America and the American market so it has to obey US law. Interestingly the book suggests that the alleged defence reason for forbidding China from using the most high tech equipment is exaggerated. People in the Netherlands believe that military chips are usually made using less advanced photolithography equipment that makes more robust chips. The role of batteries and advanced electric motors, which China totally dominates, is very likely more important for defence applications.
There is much in the book about how ASML operates and how Wennink and van den Brink have guided the company. The two were joint CEOs who worked very well together but who have both now retired from that post. There is also a lot about how global ASML is. As well as Germany the company has offices in the US and across Asia. A number of these are from companies that ASML has taken over and incorporated.
Focus as a book is a great addition to books on technology companies. ASML has been an overlooked company that is absolutely crucial to the modern world. Hijink does a very good job of providing an insight into the amazing company that is ASML.
May 14, 2024
Fascinerend verhaal, zowel qua technische geschiedenis en ontwikkeling, geopolitieke uitdagingen en actuele groeipijnen.
Hijink schrijft op een vlotte manier, met net genoeg (maar niet teveel) herhaling om de belangrijkste personen en momenten effectief in het perspectief te plaatsen van het complexere geheel.
Hijink schrijft op een vlotte manier, met net genoeg (maar niet teveel) herhaling om de belangrijkste personen en momenten effectief in het perspectief te plaatsen van het complexere geheel.
November 25, 2024
A real behind the scenes insight into ASML that shows the complexity of lithography machines and the incredible, risky and almost unbelievable journey they took to become leaders. More interesting though is the culture of the company which helped get them there.
December 27, 2024
This is well written book on interesting company and people inside it. Before jumping into it, I have to say that the construction of a book is well done and it is very "readable".
ASML is a company behind the semiconductors industry? But how it exactly is "behind it".
I knew about ASML, I knew at high level what they deliver but... I'm still at high level, but this book brought so much more information about it.
This book explores company, people and industry.
Company - it shows how this company came to be, how it was brought to life and why. There is a lot of fragments that shows how the culture of company was shaped and how it operates. Reading it, I felt that it is a company I could join. A lot of emphasis on "do it" attitude and delivery of what was promised.
It also covers what makes company and its way of operation different from other companies in this industry, how people in it approached building its value propositions, how bet were made and what is the role of meritocracy in it.
People - the book guides reader through the history of ASML through history of people. There are two main characters present through the book (for a reason) but it also covers different people who were there, contributed to the point the company is now. That's very good construction of a book, that makes it more readable as you can relate to those characters in their special moment in life.
Industry - the book shows high level inner workings of the industry. What are the players? How they interact between each other, how they fight each other. How ASML builds coalitions and jumps ahead of competition. IT also discuss the strategic importance of the industry, some of the politicial and military events behind it and shaping it.
And there's a machine - what ASML delivers. Not spoiling, but I had so many "gosh" and "wtf" moments reading it, when I read about the level of tech and effort that goes into building "a machine".
It is one of the best books in this category I read this year. Well worth the time.
Good book, praising the value of engineering, showing the value behind the right culture and people who drives it.
Picture from this book shows company that is doing great engineering work, but that isn't for everyone. You need to fit in.
Recommended if it is something that interest you
ASML is a company behind the semiconductors industry? But how it exactly is "behind it".
I knew about ASML, I knew at high level what they deliver but... I'm still at high level, but this book brought so much more information about it.
This book explores company, people and industry.
Company - it shows how this company came to be, how it was brought to life and why. There is a lot of fragments that shows how the culture of company was shaped and how it operates. Reading it, I felt that it is a company I could join. A lot of emphasis on "do it" attitude and delivery of what was promised.
It also covers what makes company and its way of operation different from other companies in this industry, how people in it approached building its value propositions, how bet were made and what is the role of meritocracy in it.
People - the book guides reader through the history of ASML through history of people. There are two main characters present through the book (for a reason) but it also covers different people who were there, contributed to the point the company is now. That's very good construction of a book, that makes it more readable as you can relate to those characters in their special moment in life.
Industry - the book shows high level inner workings of the industry. What are the players? How they interact between each other, how they fight each other. How ASML builds coalitions and jumps ahead of competition. IT also discuss the strategic importance of the industry, some of the politicial and military events behind it and shaping it.
And there's a machine - what ASML delivers. Not spoiling, but I had so many "gosh" and "wtf" moments reading it, when I read about the level of tech and effort that goes into building "a machine".
It is one of the best books in this category I read this year. Well worth the time.
Good book, praising the value of engineering, showing the value behind the right culture and people who drives it.
Picture from this book shows company that is doing great engineering work, but that isn't for everyone. You need to fit in.
Recommended if it is something that interest you
April 23, 2025
Exciting to be able to read a book about your employer. In some sense, a company "makes it", when books start to be written about it, isnt it.
Must say, book has been very well written. Reads like a fiction with cliff-hangers and constant reference to the geo-political tensions (my favorite part of the book) that it struggles and balances against.
So many lessons of risk taking, betting on yourself and general good sense that can be taken from the short history of ASML's last 40 years. Long may ASML live ahead
Must say, book has been very well written. Reads like a fiction with cliff-hangers and constant reference to the geo-political tensions (my favorite part of the book) that it struggles and balances against.
So many lessons of risk taking, betting on yourself and general good sense that can be taken from the short history of ASML's last 40 years. Long may ASML live ahead
January 30, 2025
This book explores the fascinating story of ASML, a Dutch company that holds a unique position in the tech world. They manufacture photolithography machines, and incredibly, EVERY advanced semiconductor chip—including those powering your iPhone—relies on their EUV technology. ASML is the SOLE producer of these incredibly complex machines, making them a critical player in the current geopolitical landscape, caught in the crossfire between the West and China!!
The book traces ASML's origins as a spin-off from Philips, highlighting the close collaboration with Zeiss, the Swiss optics manufacturer that creates the specialized lenses essential to ASML's machines. It also examines the rise and fall of Japanese competitors like Nikon and Canon, detailing how they lost their dominance in the 1990s and ASML's successful navigation of a patent infringement lawsuit from Nikon.
Furthermore, the book delves into the crucial relationships ASML has with its major clients: TSMC (Taiwan) and Samsung (South Korea). It illustrates how these partnerships have shaped the semiconductor industry, contrasting Intel's declining fortunes as it clung to vertically integrated design and fabrication, with the rise of fabless companies like Apple and Nvidia, who leveraged TSMC and ASML's capabilities. The book also explores China's ambitions in the semiconductor sector, focusing on the roles of SMIC and Huawei.
Beyond the business dynamics, the book illuminates the immense technical hurdles ASML faces. Working at the nanometer scale, manipulating structures just a few hundred atoms wide, they're pushing the very boundaries of physics.
While the book provides a comprehensive overview of the global semiconductor industry, it presents a largely uncritical perspective on ASML's story.
I found the writing to be slightly dragging at certain points, but overall a decent read to get a feel for the semiconductor industry.
The book traces ASML's origins as a spin-off from Philips, highlighting the close collaboration with Zeiss, the Swiss optics manufacturer that creates the specialized lenses essential to ASML's machines. It also examines the rise and fall of Japanese competitors like Nikon and Canon, detailing how they lost their dominance in the 1990s and ASML's successful navigation of a patent infringement lawsuit from Nikon.
Furthermore, the book delves into the crucial relationships ASML has with its major clients: TSMC (Taiwan) and Samsung (South Korea). It illustrates how these partnerships have shaped the semiconductor industry, contrasting Intel's declining fortunes as it clung to vertically integrated design and fabrication, with the rise of fabless companies like Apple and Nvidia, who leveraged TSMC and ASML's capabilities. The book also explores China's ambitions in the semiconductor sector, focusing on the roles of SMIC and Huawei.
Beyond the business dynamics, the book illuminates the immense technical hurdles ASML faces. Working at the nanometer scale, manipulating structures just a few hundred atoms wide, they're pushing the very boundaries of physics.
While the book provides a comprehensive overview of the global semiconductor industry, it presents a largely uncritical perspective on ASML's story.
I found the writing to be slightly dragging at certain points, but overall a decent read to get a feel for the semiconductor industry.
March 14, 2025
The book is information-rich and fast-paced. It does an excellent job of illustrating the inner workings of a relatively obscure (for many years) but profoundly influential firm and its exorbitantly priced product.
ASML appears to have flown under the radar for so long, but with the rapid advancement of technology, it has found itself at the forefront of not just technological innovation, but also business and political developments. This book carefully curates this information such that you can't stop flipping the pages.
An absolute must-read.
ASML appears to have flown under the radar for so long, but with the rapid advancement of technology, it has found itself at the forefront of not just technological innovation, but also business and political developments. This book carefully curates this information such that you can't stop flipping the pages.
An absolute must-read.
January 12, 2025
De technologie is pittig in dit boek maar stapje voor stapje begreep ik een beetje hoe een chipmachine werkt en hoe ingewikkeld de fabricage is.
Hoe ASML langzamerhand politiek gewicht kreeg, eigenlijk tegen de wens van de oprichters in. Niet te voorkomen.
Veel van geleerd, interressant.
Hoe ASML langzamerhand politiek gewicht kreeg, eigenlijk tegen de wens van de oprichters in. Niet te voorkomen.
Veel van geleerd, interressant.
December 27, 2023
Geweldige inkijk in een geweldig bedrijf.
January 11, 2024
Aanrader! Korte & krachtige hoofdstukken met elk eigen thema. Gelukkig geen ellenglange geschiedenislessen, maar een evenwichtig chronologisch overzicht van de wereld van ASML.
October 17, 2024
zeer interessonte boek zeg
October 22, 2025
That was a good book
November 28, 2025
Just wasn’t great
November 9, 2023
Een geweldig boek over ASML. Als je dit hebt gelezen, begrijp je niet alleen (op hoofdlijnen) hoe geweldig indrukwekkend en ingewikkeld de technologie is, maar kom je er ook achter hoe belangrijk de technologie is op het wereldtoneel en op het allerhoogste politieke niveau. Hijink geeft een ongekend inkijkje in dit fascinerende bedrijf.
October 2, 2024
Hijink, Marc, Focus. De wereld van ASML. Het machtsspel om de meest complexe machine op aarde (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Balans, 2023, vijfde druk 2024). Uitstekend boek! “ASML transformeerde in veertig jaar tijd van startup naar scale-up, werd marktleider en daarna monopolist,” zo vat Hijink samen (op blz 248). Hij vertelt het bijzondere verhaal van ASML in korte, goed leesbare en goed geïnformeerde hoofdstukken, met gevoel voor humor.
Wat verklaart het succes van de Veldhovense technologiereus?
1. Technologisch vernuft en ambitie, begonnen bij Philips NatLab en verpersoonlijkt door Martin van den Brink. ASML is ongeëvenaard in het verindustrialiseren van zeer complexe technologie.
2. Leiderschap. Er was visie en doorzettingsvermogen voor nodig om ASML tot een succes te maken. In de beginperiode waren de tegendraadse Gjalt Smit en Wim Troost van groot belang. CEO Peter Wennink, van huis uit registeraccountant, is ook heel belangrijk geweest, als maatje van Martin van den Brink. Zij bepaalden de bedrijfscultuur, gekenmerkt door technologisch zelfvertrouwen, branie, directheid en gedrevenheid.
3. Partnerschappen, overnames en customer intimacy. ASML is bovenal ‘system architect’ en ‘system integrator’, met honderden toeleveranciers. “Het bedrijf kon groeien dankzij een opeenvolging van gedurfde overnames, diepgaande samenwerkingsverbanden en investeringen die tien, vijftien jaar vooruit keken,” aldus Hijink. (312) In de regio Eindhoven is onder meer Van der Leegte, dat waferhandlers maakt, een belangrijke partner. Het Duitse Zeiss levert geavanceerde spiegels en optica. TSMC uit Taiwan, leverancier van onder meer Apple, is een grote klant. Silicon Valley Group wordt, met dank aan Intel, overgenomen, waardoor ASML een monopolie krijgt op EUV-technologie. ASML is een veeleisende beheerder en regisseur van een ecosysteem. Het is bovendien nauw verbonden met zijn klanten (zie bijvoorbeeld blz 99).
4. Steun van de Nederlandse overheid. Op belangrijke momenten, begin jaren negentig, kon ASML rekenen op subsidies van EZK.
5. Context. ASML kon groot worden in een periode van mondialisering en liberalisering; Hijink: “…achteraf bezien verwierf ASML het marktleiderschap […] onder ideale geopolitieke omstandigheden.” (314) Verder hebben de introductie van de IPhone en de Corona-epidemie een grote rol gespeeld.
Wat zijn ASML’s grootste uitdagingen?
1. Hard groeien. ASML is onstuimig gegroeid en zal het komende decennium waarschijnlijk verdubbelen (van 40.000 werknemers naar 80.000 werknemers). Hoe doe je dat zonder jezelf te verliezen? De bedrijfscultuur zal onvermijdelijk veranderen. Van Brabants cq Nederlands bedrijf wordt ASML een mondiaal bedrijf (zowel het merendeel van het personeelsbestand als van de top is inmiddels uit het buitenland afkomstig). Ook wordt het bedrijf volwassener. Maar hoe voorkom je daarbij onnodige bureaucratie? Verder: hoe groeien de toeleveranciers mee?
2. Generatiewisseling. Martin van den Brink en Peter Wennink gaan in april 2024 met pensioen. Ook veel techneuten van het eerste uur gaan met pensioen. Zij zijn de cultuur- en kennisdragers, die ASML tot een succes hebben gemaakt.
3. Behoud van technologisch leiderschap. ASML is overtuigd van zijn technologische voorsprong. Niettemin doen zich, in ieder geval op lange termijn, bedreigingen voor. In China timmert Huawei aan de weg, gesteund door Beijing. In de VS wil president Biden de Amerikaanse greep op alle fases van de chipproductie verstevigen.
4. Geopolitiek krachtenveld. ASML dreigt speelbal te worden van de geopolitiek en kan daarvan het slachtoffer worden. Geopolitieke overwegingen hebben hoe dan ook impact op de mogelijkheden van ASML om zaken te doen met China. ASML is verbonden met Nederland in dit geopolitieke krachtenveld, maar de VS dwingt de regels af. ASML moet, volgens Hijink, “volwassener naar de wereld kijken.” (282)
Wat verklaart het succes van de Veldhovense technologiereus?
1. Technologisch vernuft en ambitie, begonnen bij Philips NatLab en verpersoonlijkt door Martin van den Brink. ASML is ongeëvenaard in het verindustrialiseren van zeer complexe technologie.
2. Leiderschap. Er was visie en doorzettingsvermogen voor nodig om ASML tot een succes te maken. In de beginperiode waren de tegendraadse Gjalt Smit en Wim Troost van groot belang. CEO Peter Wennink, van huis uit registeraccountant, is ook heel belangrijk geweest, als maatje van Martin van den Brink. Zij bepaalden de bedrijfscultuur, gekenmerkt door technologisch zelfvertrouwen, branie, directheid en gedrevenheid.
3. Partnerschappen, overnames en customer intimacy. ASML is bovenal ‘system architect’ en ‘system integrator’, met honderden toeleveranciers. “Het bedrijf kon groeien dankzij een opeenvolging van gedurfde overnames, diepgaande samenwerkingsverbanden en investeringen die tien, vijftien jaar vooruit keken,” aldus Hijink. (312) In de regio Eindhoven is onder meer Van der Leegte, dat waferhandlers maakt, een belangrijke partner. Het Duitse Zeiss levert geavanceerde spiegels en optica. TSMC uit Taiwan, leverancier van onder meer Apple, is een grote klant. Silicon Valley Group wordt, met dank aan Intel, overgenomen, waardoor ASML een monopolie krijgt op EUV-technologie. ASML is een veeleisende beheerder en regisseur van een ecosysteem. Het is bovendien nauw verbonden met zijn klanten (zie bijvoorbeeld blz 99).
4. Steun van de Nederlandse overheid. Op belangrijke momenten, begin jaren negentig, kon ASML rekenen op subsidies van EZK.
5. Context. ASML kon groot worden in een periode van mondialisering en liberalisering; Hijink: “…achteraf bezien verwierf ASML het marktleiderschap […] onder ideale geopolitieke omstandigheden.” (314) Verder hebben de introductie van de IPhone en de Corona-epidemie een grote rol gespeeld.
Wat zijn ASML’s grootste uitdagingen?
1. Hard groeien. ASML is onstuimig gegroeid en zal het komende decennium waarschijnlijk verdubbelen (van 40.000 werknemers naar 80.000 werknemers). Hoe doe je dat zonder jezelf te verliezen? De bedrijfscultuur zal onvermijdelijk veranderen. Van Brabants cq Nederlands bedrijf wordt ASML een mondiaal bedrijf (zowel het merendeel van het personeelsbestand als van de top is inmiddels uit het buitenland afkomstig). Ook wordt het bedrijf volwassener. Maar hoe voorkom je daarbij onnodige bureaucratie? Verder: hoe groeien de toeleveranciers mee?
2. Generatiewisseling. Martin van den Brink en Peter Wennink gaan in april 2024 met pensioen. Ook veel techneuten van het eerste uur gaan met pensioen. Zij zijn de cultuur- en kennisdragers, die ASML tot een succes hebben gemaakt.
3. Behoud van technologisch leiderschap. ASML is overtuigd van zijn technologische voorsprong. Niettemin doen zich, in ieder geval op lange termijn, bedreigingen voor. In China timmert Huawei aan de weg, gesteund door Beijing. In de VS wil president Biden de Amerikaanse greep op alle fases van de chipproductie verstevigen.
4. Geopolitiek krachtenveld. ASML dreigt speelbal te worden van de geopolitiek en kan daarvan het slachtoffer worden. Geopolitieke overwegingen hebben hoe dan ook impact op de mogelijkheden van ASML om zaken te doen met China. ASML is verbonden met Nederland in dit geopolitieke krachtenveld, maar de VS dwingt de regels af. ASML moet, volgens Hijink, “volwassener naar de wereld kijken.” (282)
July 19, 2024
Written as an ASML PR piece, it’s an uncritical look at this massive and impressive company, now the world leader in chip making machinery. Maps out the near death of Intel and rise of TSMC, Taiwan’s chip mega company. Spawns countless hours of YouTube binging on how chips are made and the probable physical limits to transistor miniaturization. Learned a ton about tech, Dutch entrepreneurship and the gnarly world of major power dynamics. Well worth the time to read it.
March 25, 2024
A great narrative about a global tech player that until recently was an unseen major force in our tech economy. The book is filled with insights on asml, the history and growth of the company and how this company and its leadership paved their way to success with tenacity, guts, creativity, resilience, a whiff of well placed bluff and …. Focus. A page turner read!
August 6, 2024
Surprisingly interesting reading. Hijink not only describes the history and events but provides a compelling story about the steakholders and the semiconductor industry as a whole. The book is full of personal stories, struggles and successes. It also details the Dutch company’s culture which has largely contributed to its growth. It could possibly be slightly more critical, however.
December 30, 2024
Essentially an ASML puff piece that details the rise of the company and offers some insights into its current operations and the state of the global chip industry. The book is rather unfocused and becomes quite repetitive in the second half or so.
September 21, 2025
The sheer unlikelihood of ASML's story and impact (from frequent near-death moments to 2.2B per quarter profit, as deep tech as it gets, a key piece of the geopolitical chessboard) makes up for the writing of questionable quality.
Also, Martin van den Briken: the OG Founder Mode.
During technical discussions, Martin would probe the weak spots of every argument. He also had an uncanny sense for when someone was deflecting, never hesitating to confront them and pry them open, regardless of whether this was in front of colleagues, customers or suppliers. And if anyone thought they had a better idea – bring it on. You just had to be prepared for how it would be received if Martin thought otherwise. His second nature was to challenge the world around him, and this brazen and ruthless attitude would become one of the pillars of ASML.
Once again ASML took the route of deliver first, improve later. This also worked in favor of the chip factories, allowing them to try out producing the most advanced – and most profitable – chips before competitors. ASML was happy to play along; after all, such an early delivery was also a sure-fire way to keep their own competitors out of the chip factories. As Martin van den Brink put it: ‘If we wait until our machines work, then we’re already behind.’
Most meetings with Martin never got past the first page on the agenda. He would hijack the conversation almost immediately, sometimes talking for three quarters of an hour about what he had just read in the paper and leaving fifteen minutes for the topic on hand. He knew what he was doing: one gift he received from a colleague was a Delft Blue tile, inscribed with one of his regular closing remarks: ‘We didn’t see many slides, but we grew mentally.’
In truth, Van den Brink never really led a big company. He guided it like a start-up, as if it were a defiant toddler in the body of a mature multinational. This could have been a recipe for disaster, if not for its unique dual leadership. And so entered Peter Wennink, the chartered accountant with the ability to judge when to take control, and when to step back. He built an organization that tempered Van den Brink’s tantrums, without taming him.
ASML: "Europe's killer app".
Also, Martin van den Briken: the OG Founder Mode.
During technical discussions, Martin would probe the weak spots of every argument. He also had an uncanny sense for when someone was deflecting, never hesitating to confront them and pry them open, regardless of whether this was in front of colleagues, customers or suppliers. And if anyone thought they had a better idea – bring it on. You just had to be prepared for how it would be received if Martin thought otherwise. His second nature was to challenge the world around him, and this brazen and ruthless attitude would become one of the pillars of ASML.
Once again ASML took the route of deliver first, improve later. This also worked in favor of the chip factories, allowing them to try out producing the most advanced – and most profitable – chips before competitors. ASML was happy to play along; after all, such an early delivery was also a sure-fire way to keep their own competitors out of the chip factories. As Martin van den Brink put it: ‘If we wait until our machines work, then we’re already behind.’
Most meetings with Martin never got past the first page on the agenda. He would hijack the conversation almost immediately, sometimes talking for three quarters of an hour about what he had just read in the paper and leaving fifteen minutes for the topic on hand. He knew what he was doing: one gift he received from a colleague was a Delft Blue tile, inscribed with one of his regular closing remarks: ‘We didn’t see many slides, but we grew mentally.’
In truth, Van den Brink never really led a big company. He guided it like a start-up, as if it were a defiant toddler in the body of a mature multinational. This could have been a recipe for disaster, if not for its unique dual leadership. And so entered Peter Wennink, the chartered accountant with the ability to judge when to take control, and when to step back. He built an organization that tempered Van den Brink’s tantrums, without taming him.
ASML: "Europe's killer app".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2024
Dit is een boek over de Nederlandse chipsector en specifiek het grootste bedrijf van het land. Hijink kiest ervoor om Martin van den Brink de hoofdrol te geven. Hij begint op het VMBO en eindigt als mede-voorzitter van het bedrijf, een klassiek 'van krantenjongen tot miljonair" verhaal. We leren hem in zijn werk kennen als een briljant ingenieur, een enorme harde werker, een goed leider en een rasoptimist tegen beter weten in. In de veertig jaar die hij bij het bedrijf heeft gewerkt geven ook een aanleiding om de economische (wereld)geschiedenis uit de doeken te doen. Hijink schrijft het vlotjes op, terwijl de materie inhoudelijk soms natuurkundig van aard is en de ontwikkeling van een chipmachine gemakkelijk tien jaar in beslag kan nemen. Wie Van den Brink wil zien praten kan dat hier zien: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4CkR...
Wat midder uit de verf komt is de persoonlijkheid van deze protagonist. We komen weinig te weten over zijn opvoeding en de impact daarvan op zijn gedrag. Zijn vader overleed jong en die traumatische gebeurtenis zou misschien zijn woedeaanvallen deels kunnen verklaren, maar aan vader wordt verder niet meer gerefereerd. Dat geldt ook voor de partners en kinderen van de hoofdpersoon, die ergens richting einde boek nog even voorbij komen. Wat vonden zij eigenlijk van de manier waarop de protagonist zijn medewerkers vaak zo kon afblaffen? Ik had het wel fijn gevonden om iets meer zicht te krijgen op het karakter van de man die Nederland en de wereld veranderde.
Toch ben ik blij dat het boek er is. Opvallend eigenlijk dat het nog zo lang heeft geduurd voordat deze monografie er kwam. "That obscure Dutch company", zo werd ASML nog in 2019 door de BBC betiteld, want ASML bleek het lieft in zijn hyper-expert hoekje. Inmiddels is de moloch inzet geworden van de Americo-Sino handelsoorlog en heeft wereldwijde bekendheid. De impact daarvan beschrijft de auteur buitengewoon knap en levendig. Het boek deed mij het meeste denken aan De machine (2022), die andere NRC-techredacteur, over het bedrijf booking.com. Focus is echter een meer doorwrocht boek, waaraan ook veel veldwerk ten grondslag ligt, dat ook voor een groot publiek toegankelijk is. Kom maar door met de Brusse-prijs!
Wat midder uit de verf komt is de persoonlijkheid van deze protagonist. We komen weinig te weten over zijn opvoeding en de impact daarvan op zijn gedrag. Zijn vader overleed jong en die traumatische gebeurtenis zou misschien zijn woedeaanvallen deels kunnen verklaren, maar aan vader wordt verder niet meer gerefereerd. Dat geldt ook voor de partners en kinderen van de hoofdpersoon, die ergens richting einde boek nog even voorbij komen. Wat vonden zij eigenlijk van de manier waarop de protagonist zijn medewerkers vaak zo kon afblaffen? Ik had het wel fijn gevonden om iets meer zicht te krijgen op het karakter van de man die Nederland en de wereld veranderde.
Toch ben ik blij dat het boek er is. Opvallend eigenlijk dat het nog zo lang heeft geduurd voordat deze monografie er kwam. "That obscure Dutch company", zo werd ASML nog in 2019 door de BBC betiteld, want ASML bleek het lieft in zijn hyper-expert hoekje. Inmiddels is de moloch inzet geworden van de Americo-Sino handelsoorlog en heeft wereldwijde bekendheid. De impact daarvan beschrijft de auteur buitengewoon knap en levendig. Het boek deed mij het meeste denken aan De machine (2022), die andere NRC-techredacteur, over het bedrijf booking.com. Focus is echter een meer doorwrocht boek, waaraan ook veel veldwerk ten grondslag ligt, dat ook voor een groot publiek toegankelijk is. Kom maar door met de Brusse-prijs!
June 21, 2025
I was initially interested in ASML from an investment point of view, but while studying them I became completely fascinated by their machines and the miraculous, stunning technology that gives them a 15-year lead over the competition—granting them with a literal monopoly in lithography that will be hard to dethrone.
It started with interest in the high tech—the proclaimed “most advanced machine on the planet”—but it ended up being a riveting deep dive inside one of the most fascinating companies on the planet.
In a world dominated by Western capitalism, where the US is typically front and center, it was inspiring to discover how a seemingly doomed backyard company from a small town in the Netherlands could grow to produce the machines where around 90% of the chips in the world are made.
It’s a story of focus. Focus on technology, on improvement, on the customer, on the future, on making a difference—on being better. “Making a profit is a side effect, not a goal” stands out as one of the most inspiring quotes in this book, a sharp contrast with what we’re accustomed—especially from a company that currently ranks as the 31st most valuable in the world.
It taught me a great deal, and it was refreshing to see that success can come from focusing on what truly matters—such as innovation—while avoiding. as much as possible, bureaucracy and politics. The intimate and deliberate relationship between ASML and its suppliers were nothing short of wholesome. Again, in a world where everyone seems to be looking out only for themselves, it was moving to see such mutual respect and collaboration.
It became very clear that ASML’s leadership and culture—centered around people that actually understood the product and were passionate about improving it to better the world—were the key drivers of success. This is something we can all use as guidance, I know I will.
From the seemingly impossible and almost mystical tin droplet being shot 50,000 times per second to print chips with features approaching the size of atoms—used everywhere in the world—to the inspiring leadership behind it all, one thing is clear: focusing relentlessly on one thing for a very long time is how you change the world.
It started with interest in the high tech—the proclaimed “most advanced machine on the planet”—but it ended up being a riveting deep dive inside one of the most fascinating companies on the planet.
In a world dominated by Western capitalism, where the US is typically front and center, it was inspiring to discover how a seemingly doomed backyard company from a small town in the Netherlands could grow to produce the machines where around 90% of the chips in the world are made.
It’s a story of focus. Focus on technology, on improvement, on the customer, on the future, on making a difference—on being better. “Making a profit is a side effect, not a goal” stands out as one of the most inspiring quotes in this book, a sharp contrast with what we’re accustomed—especially from a company that currently ranks as the 31st most valuable in the world.
It taught me a great deal, and it was refreshing to see that success can come from focusing on what truly matters—such as innovation—while avoiding. as much as possible, bureaucracy and politics. The intimate and deliberate relationship between ASML and its suppliers were nothing short of wholesome. Again, in a world where everyone seems to be looking out only for themselves, it was moving to see such mutual respect and collaboration.
It became very clear that ASML’s leadership and culture—centered around people that actually understood the product and were passionate about improving it to better the world—were the key drivers of success. This is something we can all use as guidance, I know I will.
From the seemingly impossible and almost mystical tin droplet being shot 50,000 times per second to print chips with features approaching the size of atoms—used everywhere in the world—to the inspiring leadership behind it all, one thing is clear: focusing relentlessly on one thing for a very long time is how you change the world.
July 20, 2025
Focus: The ASML Way explica en detalle la historia de una de las empresas tecnológicas más importantes de Europa: ASML, que mantiene prácticamente el monopolio en la fabricación de máquinas de litografía EUV, fundamentales para la producción de microchips avanzados.
El libro también muestra cómo ASML ha quedado atrapada en el centro del conflicto geopolítico entre Estados Unidos y China, siendo presionada por el gobierno estadounidense para detener casi por completo sus ventas a China. Esta situación plantea un escenario complejo: aunque el objetivo es limitar el acceso de China a tecnologías clave, podría terminar incentivando y acelerando el desarrollo de una industria local de semiconductores en el país asiático.
Me parece que estas acciones de Estados Unidos, a largo plazo, podrían afectar negativamente el desarrollo tecnológico de Occidente y, en cambio, acelerar el avance tecnológico de China, actuando desde una posición de debilidad y temor a perder su hegemonía en el sector.
Además de la pérdida de ingresos por ventas, la escasez repentina de chips de alta calidad en China probablemente impulse con mayor fuerza la promoción y crecimiento de empresas locales para lograr competitividad en el mediano plazo. También existe el riesgo de una fuga de talento altamente capacitado: al negarse puestos clave a ciudadanos chinos por temor al espionaje industrial, muchos de ellos podrían terminar trasladándose a trabajar en empresas nacionales, contribuyendo así a fortalecer aún más el ecosistema tecnológico chino.
February 28, 2025
Working in the IT industry for a decade, being fascinated by natural science and living in the Netherlands, ASML truly was just 'One of those companies' to me for the longest time. While I knew that they produce some of the most innovative machines in the world, something to do with computer chips and TSMC, I had little to now understanding of its singular importance to our everyday life nor of its storied history.
Marc Hijink manages to turn corporate history into a thrilling story that makes it difficult to stop reading. Having read 'Material World, by Ed Conway' and 'Chip War, by Chris Miller' I realized that I wanted to know more about ''That Company'' whose cutting edge technology enables the production of the world's leading chips.
Starting the book with high expectations, at no stage does it disappoint. The in-depth research, unique access to key figures and easy to grasp explanation of scientific principles makes 'Focus' an excellent read, regardless of the reader's background. Thinking that the work required to deliver the lithography machines would above all else be about science and engineering, it was fascinating to learn that supply chain and partner management was vastly more important.
Based on the current situation, the constant drive for innovation, geopolitical pressures and the recent transformations at ASML, there could not have been a better time to publish the book.
Marc Hijink manages to turn corporate history into a thrilling story that makes it difficult to stop reading. Having read 'Material World, by Ed Conway' and 'Chip War, by Chris Miller' I realized that I wanted to know more about ''That Company'' whose cutting edge technology enables the production of the world's leading chips.
Starting the book with high expectations, at no stage does it disappoint. The in-depth research, unique access to key figures and easy to grasp explanation of scientific principles makes 'Focus' an excellent read, regardless of the reader's background. Thinking that the work required to deliver the lithography machines would above all else be about science and engineering, it was fascinating to learn that supply chain and partner management was vastly more important.
Based on the current situation, the constant drive for innovation, geopolitical pressures and the recent transformations at ASML, there could not have been a better time to publish the book.
September 30, 2025
The only book on ASML I've managed to find - isn't it a recommendation already? This European company has achieved an unprecedented success - yet, very few people know how they did it. They are not that vocal online (kind of understandable, as they target a specific market ...), there are no dramas, no striking personalities that create an outrage on Twitter, etc.
Did I learn enough about ASML from this book? I think I did, but ... it just isn't a very good story TBH. If I compare it to the books on Nvidia and J.Huang, I can recall plenty of memorable anecdotes from those and this book about ASML is very ... dutch - unemotional, monotonous, chronicle-ish. It's not that I'm encouraging turning it into a fiction booklet ;) - but maybe some stories should be left untold ... to avoid disappointment.
Is there anything else I'm missing here? Yeah, a wider context - there's very little on the competitive situation of ASML - their "moat", the comparison against (real) competition, the ways US or Chinese companies can get independent of it. It's not that there's nothing on that, but what I've found didn't really answer even the first "layer" of my questions.
Anyway, if you're interested in who are ASML - this is your starting point. But don't expert a ride of your life-time.
Did I learn enough about ASML from this book? I think I did, but ... it just isn't a very good story TBH. If I compare it to the books on Nvidia and J.Huang, I can recall plenty of memorable anecdotes from those and this book about ASML is very ... dutch - unemotional, monotonous, chronicle-ish. It's not that I'm encouraging turning it into a fiction booklet ;) - but maybe some stories should be left untold ... to avoid disappointment.
Is there anything else I'm missing here? Yeah, a wider context - there's very little on the competitive situation of ASML - their "moat", the comparison against (real) competition, the ways US or Chinese companies can get independent of it. It's not that there's nothing on that, but what I've found didn't really answer even the first "layer" of my questions.
Anyway, if you're interested in who are ASML - this is your starting point. But don't expert a ride of your life-time.
February 17, 2025
An exciting adventure into the inner-working of ASML, the monopolist of lithography (a technique to print semiconductor chips), which is largely unknown outside the tech world.
The book retells the amazing 40-year journey of ASML from spinning off from Philips's NatLab to build the most complex and crucial machines in the world, from an under-funded lab to Europe's most valuable tech company, all originated and still running in a small, obscure town of the Netherlands, Veldhoven.
The best thing about this book is that it covers almost every aspect of ASML: history, management, culture, technical challenges and geopolitical pressure. These give a complete picture of how things are done at ASML, how they coped with all kinds of obstables (technical and non-technical), how the local and world politics influence its multinational business, etc.
The book also highlights some important characters in that complicated, messy world of lithography machine making, nobably the two presidents Martin van den Brink and Peter Wennink. However, I feel the book idolized Van den Brink a bit too much. Overall, good storytelling.
The book retells the amazing 40-year journey of ASML from spinning off from Philips's NatLab to build the most complex and crucial machines in the world, from an under-funded lab to Europe's most valuable tech company, all originated and still running in a small, obscure town of the Netherlands, Veldhoven.
The best thing about this book is that it covers almost every aspect of ASML: history, management, culture, technical challenges and geopolitical pressure. These give a complete picture of how things are done at ASML, how they coped with all kinds of obstables (technical and non-technical), how the local and world politics influence its multinational business, etc.
The book also highlights some important characters in that complicated, messy world of lithography machine making, nobably the two presidents Martin van den Brink and Peter Wennink. However, I feel the book idolized Van den Brink a bit too much. Overall, good storytelling.
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