Weiss Technik in Reiskirchen celebrated its 60th anniversary with a family day for its employees and a symposium for its clients.
“60 years of Weiss Technik – it’s a story of innovation and change, but more than anything, it’s a success story,” said Peter R. Manolopoulos in his welcome speech to guests at Weiss Technik’s family day. Among the some 2,000 guests were 60 employees who had made the journey to Reiskirchen from the company’s Balingen, Hamburg, Hude, Sonnenbühl, and Stuttgart offices. On the occasion of its anniversary, Manolopoulos – the Board member of the Schunk Group responsible for Weiss Technik – looked back on the history of Weiss: Founded as an engineering bureau in Thuringia in 1941 by Karl Weiss, the company was reestablished in 1956 in Giessen, and relocated to Reiskirchen-Lindenstruth in 1965. In 1978, the Schunk Group bought the company and – thanks to its management, with the focus on financial stability – ensured the successful development of Weiss Technik; today – also thanks to the acquisition of competitors Vötsch Industrietechnik in 1995 and Imtech ATS in 2015 – the global market leader for environmental simulations and a major provider of HVAC and pharmaceutical technology solutions. Today, Weiss Technik employs around 2,100 people in 21 group companies in 14 countries worldwide, and in 2015, with an approximately 13 percent growth in sales, significantly contributed to the Schunk Group surpassing €1 billion in sales for the very first time.
Anniversary year also a record year
“Today, Weiss is bigger than ever – who’d have thought that that little engineering bureau would one day become an international champion?” said Dr. Arno Roth, CEO of the Schunk Group, summing up the company’s success story and presenting a bust of Ludwig Schunk, founder of the Schunk Group, as a gift. Gunthard Sommer, representing the Ludwig Schunk Foundation as owner of the Schunk Group, was delighted that Weiss’ anniversary was coinciding with a period of strong economic health for the company.
Mayor Dietmar Kromm emphasized the standing of Weiss as the largest employer in the community and commended its commitment to corporate social responsibility, as evidenced, for example, by the tombola at the family day, the proceeds from which were destined for the local welfare center and Lindenstruth Kindergarten. Thomas Rühl, Vice Present of the Chamber of Commerce, presented the company with a certificate and expressed his hope that Weiss would continue to adhere to Ludwig Schunk’s corporate philosophy, and also praised the multi-award-winning, first-rate training provided by Weiss, where 35 trainees are currently employed.
A worldwide presence
Weiss’ trainees had come up with a very special gift for their company: a stainless steel fountain in the form of a globe, with 14 LEDs marking the worldwide locations of Weiss Technik. Stefanie Pamer, a technical system planner in her third year of training, created the drawing, Marcel Scharmann and Philipp Battenfeld – both construction mechanics in their first year of training – constructed the fountain and trough, and Björn Winter, an electronics engineer for industrial engineering, was responsible for wiring up the LEDs. As a symbol of Weiss’ global market leadership, the new fountain was positioned in front of the main entrance in Lindenstruth.
Weiss’ employees took advantage of the family day to show their families around their workplace, and in particular to give them a demonstration of Weiss products. Children’s entertainment, including a bouncy castle and fun games, and a “food street” set up especially for the event added to the success of the day.
Clients learn about Weiss solutions
One day earlier, clients were invited to attend the “60 Years of Innovation at Weiss” symposium, examining the latest environmental simulation and HVAC trends. Internal and external experts gave talks with information on topics such as energetic inspections of air-conditioning systems, coolants – what does the future hold?, manufacturing technology for CFRP aircraft components, and the mega trend toward the digitalization of industry. Over 70 clients took advantage of the opportunity to experience the very latest technologies first hand. These included test chambers for lithium-ion batteries and corrosion test chambers, as well as innovative control systems and the CoolWall from Weiss Klimatechnik, the trendsetter in data center air conditioning. Weiss Technik’s experts were also on hand to answer clients’ questions on a tour of Production and used the relevant products to illustrate the benefits of Weiss solutions.
Weiss Technik
With its weisstechnik and vötschtechnik brands, Weiss Technik is a leading developer and manufacturer of environmental simulations, HVAC solutions, and clean air and containment systems. The company’s solutions are deployed worldwide in research & development in all key industries, as well as for production and quality assurance-related activities. A strong sales and service team provides both regional and global clients with a first-rate service and ensures the high operational reliability of systems.