If Wim Troost hadn't raised his finger, ASML probably wouldn't exist.
Wim Troost, founder of ASML at the kitchen table © Kees Martens/DCI Media
The unprecedented success of ASML has many fathers. Wim Troost will not deny it, but if he had not raised his hand, the chip machine manufacturer from Veldhoven probably would not exist.
Chris Paulussen 04-07-21
He is almost 96 now. At the kitchen table in his farmhouse in Nuenen, Wim Troost talks extensively about his career at Philips, his role as the founder of ASML, and the book he wants to write about building TQ at Strijp-T in Eindhoven, where he spent a large part of his working life.
And to think that Philips wasn't even his first choice when he graduated as an engineer in Delft.
War
But first there was the war. "I didn't want to sign a loyalty declaration for the Germans, so I could only start studying after the occupation. During the Hunger Winter, I was in hiding in The Hague to avoid forced labor. I lost thirty kilograms at that time."
After graduating in measurement and control engineering, Troost would have started at Shell if the oil company had not required him to work in the exploitation fields abroad for the first two years. So it became Philips, which had already had him in its sights during his studies.
He couldn't say no.
On September 1, 1951, he started working in Eindhoven at the main industrial group PIT (Products for Industrial Applications), later renamed to S&I (Science & Industry). He rose to the position of deputy director. His habit of delving into matters that did not directly concern his business unit and getting involved in board meetings was not always appreciated.
Another characteristic that made him stand out: he couldn't say no. He took on all kinds of projects. Sorting machines for mail, automating typesetting in newspaper companies, measuring systems for air and water pollution, a radio telescope in Dwingelo. Technical marvels and a completely different world from the consumer products most people know Philips for, according to Troost.
"The projects we worked on were complex, international, and required an integrated approach involving close collaboration with the customer. They had very different requirements compared to mass-produced items such as electric shavers and vacuum cleaners."
Philips thought it could do everything.
It was the time when a lot was possible at Philips, and when Philips often thought it could do anything. Especially in the sixties when Frits Philips was leading the company.
Troost still remembers how Frits Philips returned from a visit to the Verolme shipyard in Rotterdam. "He had mentioned that we could supply the electronics and control systems for supertankers. The next morning, I was expected in Rotterdam with some colleagues. On the way in the car, we discussed whether we were capable of providing seaworthy systems and the corresponding service. The conclusion was: we can do a lot, but this is a step too far."
In addition to assignments for third parties, S&I was also expected to create production systems for other business units of Philips. "And they always had to be better than those of the competition," said Troost.
That is also where his involvement with the later ASML begins. "During a meeting with the Natlab, lithography technology for chip production was discussed. The research on it at the Natlab was so advanced that a product division had to take on further development. No one said anything. When I raised my hand, there was some smirking in response."
Enough people and a 'secret' pot
The superior technology was there, but it would still take a lot of effort before a ready-made lithography system was available. In the meantime, about ten companies had already introduced competing systems to the market.
"Thanks to my good contacts with human resources, I was able to quickly attract employees who were surplus elsewhere. In addition, I had a 'secret' fund. I always charged a surcharge for setbacks in internal assignments. That fund has started to grow and flourish."
This could not prevent Troost from seeing doubt growing around him as the lithography development took longer and cost more money. Not only within Philips, but also at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which threatened to end its support for the project at the Natlab. "More than once I was told: stop with that damn lithography machine. The board of directors even eventually forbade us to continue with it."
ASMI was not the desired partner.I'm sorry, but I need a text to translate into English. Please provide me with the text you would like me to translate.
Troost saw only one way to save the situation: a joint venture with an American company. When that failed, a partner was eventually found in ASM International in Bilthoven, the company of Arthur del Prado, who made a name for himself as a pioneer in the chip industry.
Philips employees saw the joint venture as a dying entity. I needed all my persuasive power to convince around fifty Philips employees to make the switch.
"It was not the dream partner. ASMI was willing, but it was small, had little financial flexibility, and had no knowledge of lithography. Philips employees saw the joint venture as a dying entity. I needed all my persuasive skills to convince about fifty Philips employees to make the switch."
Troost persevered and on April 1, 1984, the establishment of ASM Lithography became a reality. "I was happy, the business was saved."
As a commissioner, he remains involved with ASML from Philips. When he retires, it seems like his role is over, but at his farewell reception on September 1, 1985, a surprise awaits him. "The directors of ASML appeared at the reception with a request. They were overwhelmed with work, and asked if I could come and help with all matters not related to lithography."
Troost rolls up his sleeves again. "The relocation of the wooden barracks from Strijp to the new building in Veldhoven, the flag protocol for foreign visits, the key organization, security, the garden, the list of tasks added up to seventy topics."
Take care of the business until a successor is found.
In March 1987, he decides he's had enough. Much rest is not granted to him again. In the summer of that same year, George de Kruiff, CEO of Philips S&I, knocks on his door. Director Gjalt Smit has resigned from ASML, and Troost can take care of the business until a successor is found. It's only temporary. He must ensure peace and continuity above all. The chip market is struggling, ASML is far from being in safe waters, and significant cost-cutting is needed.
When it becomes apparent that the arrival of a new director is being delayed and Troost feels like he is being strung along, he demands to be officially appointed as director. He guides ASML through the crisis year of 1988. Work is being done on a new generation of machines. Costs still outweigh benefits. When ASMI can no longer keep up financially with the developments, Troost is forced in 1988 to part ways with the partner he brought in as a 'savior'. Philips is then the sole shareholder. By mid-1990, his work at ASML is finished, and he retires once again.
Not that he will rest on his laurels. He remains active as an advisor until 2003 and even serves as the director of Delft Instruments for several years when the company faces difficulties due to an American boycott over the supply of night vision goggles to Iraq.
Philips had become too sluggish.
There is still the ambition to write a book about the colossal building TQ on Strijp-T. Troost is bothered that when it comes to the old Philips, there is so little attention for the professional activities that were located there. While it is the birthplace of, among others, the chip machines of ASML and electron microscopes of Thermo Fisher.
With mixed feelings, he also looks at the decline of Philips, which was once widely diversified during his time, but now solely focuses on medical technology. "People at Philips take that to heart, that's the sentiment that Frans van Houten, as CEO, is now talking about. The question is whether it could have been different. Philips had become too sluggish and fell behind technologically in some areas. But not all is lost. Just look at ASML. It literally determines the developments in the world with systems that are used to make increasingly complex chips."
If he could ever have imagined that ASML would take off like this, with 28,000 employees, a billion-dollar turnover, and by far the market leader in lithography systems? Troost answers with some hesitation: "Well, a little bit. That ambition was indeed in our business plan."