Modern automation allows quick response for high demand

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The HAHN Group enables the medical industry to react quickly to increasing demand in production.

The tailor-made automation solutions of the HAHN Group offer the best quality and the highest precision for manufacturers in the medical industries. The advantages of the HAHN Group’s global presence allows it to access components and experts quickly. Companies in the medical industry benefit from the HAHN Group as a partner for automation, particularly in this time with challenging tasks and high demand.

Invotec GmbH offers equipment validation as part of companies’ process validation

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Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany – The new Invotec process offers support for companies to satisfy the new European Medical Device Regulation (EU-MDR).

Invotec is now offering a new equipment validation program to support medical device manufacturers facing implications from the new European Medical Device Regulation (EU-MDR).

Set to take effect this year, the EU-MDR will require medical device manufacturers to meet higher documentation requirements within a shorter reporting deadline—meaning many manufacturers are facing a significant increase in effort during the validation process. Invotec GmbH has developed over the past six months a standard process that provides customers with the best support. The integration of equipment validation into the project process eases the pressure of validation.

During the planning phase, Invotec works with the customer to create a customized project plan and define the necessary documentation to satisfy the EU-MDR. The following design phase builds on these definitions and works to minimize risks through controlled documentation of the development. Finally, in the testing phase, the functionality is verified and documentation for the performance of the equipment is provided.

Despite the streamlined process, customers can choose from flexible options throughout the process, ensuring that they have the necessary equipment information to meet their individual needs. Experts from the Invotec team in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany will be available for interview at Pharmapack Europe 2020 on February 5 – 6 (Booth #B2) to explain the process, talk about latest advances in automation and discuss this program. The rollout of a similar program for US-based customers is planned for later this year.

Jointly with Invotec Waldorf Technik GmbH, a sister company of Invotec within the HAHN Group, will be at Pharmapack Europe. Waldorf Technik is also active in medical technology and the healthcare industries and highlights at the fair Waldorf Technik’s Vario TIP® system, which ensures maximum productivity, minimum space needed and increased patient safety. Vario TIP® is the patented, worldwide leading system concept for manufacturing pipette tips and blood reagent containers. Besides proven cycle times of up to 4.5 seconds and high cavity numbers of up to 128, the Vario TIP® Systems stand out with their extremely space-saving design and complete cavity sorting.

GeKu names Ingo Heuer and Cord Rodenberg as additional managing directors

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Diepenau, Germany – Ingo Heuer and Cord Rodenberg join the GeKu management team alongside Thorsten Gerling.

Effective February 1, 2020, Ingo Heuer and Cord Rodenberg became members of the management of GeKu Automatisierungssysteme GmbH. This reflects the company’s growth in recent years. In their roles, the new managing directors take over the operational management of the company. Thorsten Gerling remains CEO of GeKu and will focus on the company’s future strategic direction and development. The management trio aims to further develop GeKu and its employees within the HAHN Group, leading them successfully into the future with continuous growth.

Ingo Heuer and Cord Rodenberg have firm roots in the company. Heuer joined GeKu in 2013, three years later he advanced to the position of technical manager. Rodenberg has had a similar career trajectory. After several positions in German mechanical engineering companies, Rodenberg joined GeKu as a sales engineer, where he became sales manager in 2016. Heuer and Rodenberg have completed an additional degree in business administration while working at GeKu, which means that they are well prepared for their role as managing directors. Both have been responsible for many areas of the company independently since the beginning of 2019. The official raise into the management is the next step.

“In Ingo Heuer and Cord Rodenberg, we have found two additional managing directors for GeKu, which complement each other perfectly,“ explains Thorsten Gerling, founder and managing director of GeKu Automatisierungssysteme GmbH. „We are certain that with this expansion in our management we will continue to promote and secure the positive development of GeKu. We are also proud to have such qualified talents in our own ranks.”

In addition to the strategic management of GeKu as managing director, Thorsten Gerling takes over the development of HAHN Robotics Diepenau GmbH as managing partner. The newly founded company will start operations in spring 2020. The new company is already planning for strong growth. Together with GeKu’s 25th anniversary, this development demonstrates the durability and innovative strength of the Diepenau location.

HAHN Automation expands its management

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Rheinböllen, Germany – Philipp Klaschka and Jörg Kilb strengthen the management of HAHN Automation

Effective January 1, 2020, the management of HAHN Automation was expanded with Philipp Klaschka and Jörg Kilb. They support Frank Konrad, who remains CEO of HAHN Automation and drives the company’s strategic decisions and developments, with its well over 800 employees at eleven locations in eight countries.

Jörg Kilb takes charge of the operational tasks as Chief Operations Officer (COO), focusing on the further integration of international subsidiaries and increasing efficiency in processes and systems. As Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), Philipp Klaschka is responsible for the customer-oriented functions of sales, service and project management. Both are experts in the field of automation and have many years of experience within HAHN Automation.

The graduate industrial engineer Jörg Kilb started his career at HAHN Automation GmbH in Rheinböllen following his studies at TU Kaiserslautern, Germany. After working as an assistant to the management and member of the organizational development, he was among others involved as branch manager in the operational management of the company. In 2017 Jörg Kilb joined the HAHN Group, where he initially worked as Head of Supply Chain Management, IT & Risk Management. In his last position, Jörg Kilb acted as Division Director for the Assembly & Test division of the HAHN Group, which in addition to HAHN Automation also includes Invotec, REI Automation and DFT Maschinenbau.

Philipp Klaschka studied engineering physics at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, United States. Building on this, he obtained his MBA from the University of Mannheim, Germany. Before joining HAHN Automation, Philipp Klaschka worked for companies such as Festo AG, Deloitte Consulting and Norma Group and spent three years of his career in Asia and eleven years in the United States. He thus has valuable experience in all of HAHN Automation’s growth markets. There, Philipp Klaschka was responsible for the successful establishment of the Chinese subsidiary before being appointed the current CEO of the US subsidiary HAHN Automation, Inc. He will continue to work in this role until a successor is appointed.

„The expansion of the management reflects the growth of recent years and supports the further internationalization of HAHN Automation,“ explains Frank Konrad, CEO of HAHN Automation. „With Jörg Kilb and Philipp Klaschka, we are appointing two leaders to the management who know and develop the company, its activities and markets very well. We are particularly proud that we have this potential in the ranks of our own employees.”

Axel Greschitz new CFO of the HAHN Group

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Frankfurt, Germany – Starting January 1, 2020, Axel Greschitz is the new CFO of the HAHN Group.

In his new role as CFO, Axel Greschitz strengthens the management team of the HAHN Group, which already includes Thomas Hähn and Philipp Unterhalt.

For his work in the HAHN Group, Axel Greschitz brings extensive experience in the areas of controlling, accounting, project development and financing. In addition, the successful completion of M&A transactions and due diligence processes on the buyer and seller side offers great added value for the dynamically growing HAHN Group.

Axel Greschitz graduated as a Master of Business Administration from the University of Graz. He then started his career in various positions in accounting and controlling, with early experience in the entire DACH region. Axel Greschitz began classically with Dr. Pöschl Wirtschaftstreuhand GmbH in tax advice and then worked for 4 years as a tax expert at Austrian Energy & Environment AG in Graz. This was followed by 3 years as CFO and member of the executive board at AE&E Austria GmbH & Co KG and then at AE&E Inova Holding AG in Zurich, Switzerland. Most recently he was CFO and member of the management of Hitachi Zosen Inova AG Zurich, Switzerland.

„We are very pleased that Mr. Greschitz is taking on the responsibility as CFO for the HAHN Group,“ said Thomas Hähn, founder and CEO of the HAHN Group. „His extensive financial knowledge from various leading positions, as well as experience in an international and cross-location environment of medium-sized companies, make Greschitz the ideal partner for the management team and further development of the HAHN Group.“

HAHN Group ranked as one of the most innovative companies in the world

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Frankfurt, Germany – In the ranking of EconSight for the German Handelsblatt newspaper, the HAHN Group holds place 36 among the most innovative companies in Germany.

Every year, the Swiss EconSight GmbH examines companies in terms of their innovation power at the intersection of digitalization and applied technologies. Three factors are assessed for the analysis: The networking of digital and existing technologies, digitalization and the dynamics in its implementation. In the final ranking, the HAHN Group holds the 36th place among the most innovative German companies in 2019. Within the first 10 positions there are several longtime partners and customers of the HAHN Group. VW Group, Bosch and Siemens lead the German ranking of most innovative companies. In the global assessment for 2019, the HAHN Group is among the top 500 companies.

The company and product portfolio of the diversified HAHN Group serves the increasing demand for technologies in the fields of automation, robotics and solutions for Industry 4.0. With its 14 brands, the group is represented in numerous promising industries such as electronics, medical technology, medical devices, consumer goods and the automotive industry.

Each company within the HAHN Group is an industry expert with a high degree of innovation in its field. For example, HAHN Automation has been awarded the Innovation Prize of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate several times in the Digitalization/Industry 4.0 category. HAHN Digital continues the development of the innovative product portfolio EVE Suite to implement the digital transformation for smart factories. With the launch of WIPS 4.0, WEMO enables even more user-friendly dialog programming of robots. The company Walther Systemtechnik introduced the fully automatic degassing system for greases in 2019. The innovative strength of the HAHN Group remains at a high level for the coming year as well. In 2020, HAHN Automation will launch a completely new concept for automated assembly and testing processes.

Thomas Hähn, CEO of HAHN Group, comments on the outcome: „Position 36 in the EconSight ranking of the most innovative companies in Germany is a fantastic result for us. The outstanding achievements of our employees and the cooperation of our teams make this success possible.”

HAHN Group expands its footprint in the United States by acquiring REI Automation, Inc.

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Frankfurt, Germany – HAHN Group acquired REI Automation, Inc., which will continue to operate under existing management.

The HAHN Group, a leading provider for factory automation and robotic solutions, has acquired REI Automation, Inc. The takeover is effective as of 01. November 2019. With the company based in Columbia, South Carolina, the HAHN Group adds a hub in the important industrial area of the Southeast and strengthens its regional coverage in the United States. REI Automation will complement the Assembly & Test Division within the HAHN Group. With 80 employees and USD 25 million revenue, REI Automation focuses on medical, electronics and consumer goods. The recent acquisition is once more reflecting the strategy of the HAHN Group to diversify its business across industries and regions.

“We found a passionate team with an impressive track record building the company in the past and ambitious plans to develop it further,” says Philipp Unterhalt, Managing Director of HAHN Group. “We are ready to support REI Automation on its further journey and are delighted to have them on board.”

Operations of REI Automation will continue under the existing management, which will also remain as shareholders going forward. Grant Phillips, CEO of REI Automation comments: “We are excited to begin planning with a partner who has all the experience in bringing a company to the next level. For REI Automation and its clients the transaction is a very important step into a reliable and sustainable future.”

With the acquisition HAHN Group continues its buy and build strategy to form a global network of automation specialists. HAHN Group is owned by Germany’s largest foundation RAG-Stiftung and employs meanwhile nearly 1.400 employees in 13 countries, serving clients in various industries around the world.

HAHN Group expands into Ruhr region

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Frankfurt, Germany – HAHN Group acquires the majority stake in Ruhrbotics GmbH in Recklinghausen, Germany

As of 1. October 2019, the HAHN Group, headquartered in Rheinböllen, took over the majority of shares in Ruhrbotics GmbH. The Recklinghausen-based company with 12 employees specializes in complex robot programming. In the future, it will continue to expand these services under the name HAHN Ruhrbotics and strengthen the Robotics Division of the HAHN Group.

Philipp Unterhalt, Managing Director of the HAHN Group, is pleased about the transaction: „We receive a team with outstanding training which will also support us in projects within the group.“ HAHN Ruhrbotics forms another building block in an extensive network of smaller robotics integrators. With agile organizations and proximity to the customer, the automation offer for industrial and collaborative robot solutions will be further expanded.

The founder and former CEO of Ruhrbotics, Daniel Bunse, has taken over the management of Rethink Robotics, another HAHN Group subsidiary, since October 1st. „It was important to me that the company can continue to develop solidly and sustainably,“ emphasizes Bunse, and adds: „As part of the HAHN Group, Ruhrbotics employees now have the opportunity not only to harness their passion for robotics and automation in the service of their customers but also to share it with the other brands of the HAHN Group.“

The former authorized representative, Christopher Drewer, will take over the management of HAHN Ruhrbotics. He has been with the company for more than 10 years. „We have built a great company in the Ruhr area and are proud to continue this story from our location together with the HAHN Group on a global level,“ says Drewer.

More durable, quieter, higher quality: The Sawyer BLACK Edition

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Rheinböllen, Germany – The Sawyer BLACK Edition is now available for pre-order and will be presented for the first time at K 2019 in Düsseldorf

One year after the takeover of assets by HAHN Group, Rethink Robotics presents its hardware update: The Sawyer BLACK Edition is the result of the combination of German engineering and longstanding application experience. Sawyer is now quieter and has more reliable components with higher quality. The Sawyer BLACK Edition can be pre-ordered now; first deliveries will take place in 2019.

The Sawyer BLACK Edition contributes to a quieter working environment and is therefore even more popular among employees. The improved component quality of the Sawyer BLACK Edition significantly raises the cobot’s reliability.

At K 2019 the Sawyer BLACK Edition will be demonstrated at the HAHN Group at booth E61 in hall 10 as part of a palletizing application for the packaging of boxes and plastics parts.

With the BLACK Edition Rethink Robotics continues to stand for easy application, flexibility in use and high acceptance among employees. Tasks that are dangerous for humans are, among others, possible applications. Some of these include CNC machine assembly, circuit board assembly, metal processing, injection molding, packaging, loading and unloading, as well as tests and inspections. The cobot solution is ready for use immediately after delivery and equipped with the powerful Intera software and two camera systems.

Rethink Robotics under new leadership

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Rheinböllen, Germany – Daniel Bunse is new CEO of Rethink Robotics GmbH

Since October 1, 2019, Daniel Bunse is CEO of the Rethink Robotics GmbH. He takes over from Philipp Unterhalt, who served as interim CEO up until this point and now focuses completely on his tasks as Managing Director of HAHN Group.

Immediately after graduating as a certified engineer in mechatronics, with a focus on production and automation, Bunse founded the company Ruhrbotics in 2008. Through his international customers Bunse is an expert for topics on automation applications and robotics in industrial environments. In addition he advised standardization departments of original equipment manufacturers (OEM) on the future of automation and robotics. With guest lectures in robotics classes, the Bochum University of Applied Sciences among them, Bunse maintains close contact to research and education. Furthermore, he worked in numerous research projects, together with institutions like Fraunhofer IPA, FZI and KIT, to develop innovative robotics solutions for customers in various industries.

“The competence of Daniel Bunse in the market for automation and robotics solutions is outstanding. We are happy that we were able to staff the role of CEO for Rethink Robotics with such a specialist. Particularly his expertise and experience as a founder make an important contribution for our agile and fast-growing company,” explains Philipp Unterhalt, Managing Director of HAHN Group.