DESIGNA CEO Dr. Thomas Waibel Announces Retirement

Born in the Austrian town of Hohenems, Dr. Thomas Waibel learned early on how to conquer mountains and reach summits. It was his father, a registered doctor in Vorarlberg, who encouraged his interest in medical technology. Following this predetermined path of study, the prospective graduate engineer ended up at Graz University of Technology, where he also completed a PhD as part of his work at the Institute of Applied Systems Technology. The further career stages of Dr. Thomas Waibel, who graduated in 1989 were Ganter Electronic, OTAG Oberflächentechnik AG, Collini-Flühmann AG and, last but not least, Management Trust Holding AG, IPO Beteiligungs-Management AG and Axess AG.

From Graz to Kiel. 1200 kilometers north-north-west.

The then 48-year-old manager entered DESIGNA for the first time on 1 January 2006. He was in charge of development, production, all supply chain and administrative departments, as well as marketing and sales. The challenge ahead is to steer the company into successful waters in an ambitious competitive environment.

Dr. Josef Taus (MTH) appointed him to the management of DESIGNA for an initial period of three years. In the end, the three years turned into fourteen, the position of managing director was followed by various roles as president, board member, supervisory board member and chairman of the board; and DESIGNA, which was quickly rejuvenated, has been sailing into success, achieving its national and international goals, for many years now. In the one and a half Waibel decades, the company’s sales figures have more than tripled, from an initial annual target of €30 million to currently around €100 million. A result of the successful work of the entire DESIGNA team.

"Technology has always accompanied me on my journey."

Dr. Thomas Waibel is only too happy to take advantage of the power of technology to design, develop and validate with his own team. His motto, "Try something new; you can always change it if you don’t like it", points to his tireless creative strength. No fewer than eight patents underline the high demands Dr. Waibel places on himself. They include a safety system for automatic equipment cabinets and a brake sensor for modern vehicles. You have to have ideas. Thanks to his passion for technology, his penchant for research and the courage to create something new, Dr. Waibel knows how to inspire and enthuse others.

Parking solutions of the future are digital.

DESIGNA’s future path will be more digital than ever before. The "Industrial Transformation" is demanding full attention from its market participants, especially in manufacturing companies. Digitalization, the changes in customer needs and the drastic changes in mobility will require DESIGNA to have a strong will to change, predicts the outgoing Dr. Waibel.

The parking garage will no longer remain a place to "just" leave the car. It will have to evolve into a hub in an integrated mobility concept – with further transport means for long distances and urban means of transport such as bicycle, bus or e-mobile. With charging stations, service points and information centers. All this with a multi-story car park-based integrated solution for processing.

In a competitive environment that is becoming more and more ambitious, DESIGNA’s management team, which includes the experienced top managers Robert Monsberger and Gotthard Mayringer, will increasingly focus on a digital-based innovation course. For several years now, they have been consistently driving forward DESIGNA’s strategic orientation in the management team alongside Dr. Waibel. As a result, the existing cooperation with ilogs in Klagenfurt, also a member of the Access Control Group, which specializes in software, will be intensified.

DESIGNA would like to thank Dr. Thomas Waibel for his sustained and successful teamwork. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. techn. Thomas Waibel goes as he came: With clear visions. "After 14 years of responsibility, it is an upright feeling to know that the company with its experienced management colleagues and competent team is still on course in a rapidly changing environment," says Dr. Thomas Waibel.