Technical Management

Turnaround of a technology start-up

Role: Managing Director

Strategic reorientation of a start-up company making machinery and systems for the production of complex optical components after several years in the red.

Greatest successes: New technical innovations enabled a change in strategy, resulting in the company's first sales in the seven-digit price segment. Other leads were also generated, bringing the company back on the road to success.

R&D and Production Ramp-Up (technology)

Role: Project Manager

Development and ramp-up of a highly complex optical technology for display production. Manufacturing of the optical precision systems had to increase by factor 10 within short time.

Greatest successes: Building an effective project team, planning and implementation a well working supply chain, optimizing production flows, and release of necessary invests enabled a massive production ramp-up by factor 10.

R&D (technology)

Role: Managing Director and Head of Research, Development, and Innovation

Development of fiber-coupled high-power diode laser modules in the medium power range for highly-automated plastic welding applications.

Greatest successes: The combination of the best possible beam quality, high availability in 24-hour operation, and innovative interfaces for the integration of laser modules into industrial production systems allowed the company to take the lead in the international competition for this technology. The target market for laser plastic welding was developed and expanded together with customers.

M&A (Germany/USA)

Role: Managing Director and Project Manager

Initiation and execution of the sale of a German company in the laser industry to an American laser company.

Greatest successes: Suitable buyers were found. Negotiation and drafting of contracts until the deal was closed. Joint strategy development and successful post-merger integration.

R&D (technology)

Role: Managing Director and Project Manager

Development of a vacuum-based coating technology (PECVD) for the application of scratch-resistant coatings with very good optical and mechanical properties on plastic lenses.

Greatest successes: Completed development of a coating process that outperforms conventional wet-chemical coatings in scratch resistance, lifetime, optical quality, and cost-effectiveness. Production-ready development of a vacuum coating system.

Under my management, the company was honored for this and other technological developments with the Swiss Innovation Award 2013 for promoting the future prospects (by Idee-Suisse).

R&D (product)

Role: Head of Research, Development & Innovation

Development of a safety helmet system with adaptive face and ear protection. The system features a magnetic adaptation concept and special ergonomics.

Greatest successes: After collecting data on future customer needs and developing technical solutions to meet these needs, the development project delivered a production-ready product on time. It allowed sales to grow greater than expected.

The helmet system won the coveted Pro-K Award 2016 for innovation, design, and functionality.

Business Development (production company)

Role: Managing Director

Improving the market access of a company making eyeglass lenses by vertical integration to the eyeglass supplier and establishing a service network and multi-channel distribution.

Greatest successes: Sales increased by more than 300%. Significant strengthening of the corporate brand. Established a business model that generates increased knowledge feedback from the market to improve product quality and for product enhancements.

R&D (technology)

Role: Managing Director and Head of Research, Development, and Innovation

Development of individual optical and opto-mechatronic systems, beam shaping and guidance systems, as well as laser processing heads for various applications in laser materials processing.

Greatest successes: These customized optical systems together with standardized beam sources allowed clients' specific technical problems to be solved. This led to significant sales growth and high customer satisfaction.

R&D (materials)

Role: Managing Director and Project Manager

Development of a UV-curable acrylate-based plastic with high optical quality as a raw material for the production of plastic spectacle lenses in fully automatic casting machines.

Greatest successes: Despite the highest technical demands on the material, it was possible to develop a high-quality optical plastic within 18 months which met the specifications and enabled outstanding technology innovations through its UV curing.

M&A (USA/Germany)

Role: Project Manager

Initiation as well as technical and market-oriented support during the acquisition of an American company by a German medium sized enterprise seeking to enter the North American market.

Greatest successes: The company acquisition, market entry, and start to sales in the United States according to plan.

Company Growth (laser technology start-up)

Role: Managing Director

Growing a start-up company in the laser industry from its formation to technology, product, and market development and the eventual worldwide distribution of its systems.

Greatest successes: Highest competitive advantages through the development of innovative high-power lasers. Rapid increase in sales. Acquisition of well-known customers from the manufacturing industry (automotive, medical technology, electronics, vacuum technology, laser technology) and from research.

R&D (materials)

Role: Head of Research, Development & Innovation

Development of an anti-fogging coating system (wet chemistry) with very good optical and anti-fogging properties for application on polycarbonate protective goggles using float technology.

Greatest successes: The newly developed coating system exceeds all conventional coatings in its anti-fogging performance under extreme environmental conditions even though it costs the same to manufacture. It keeps working while wearing safety glasses efficient and safe.