Frank Konrad, CEO of HAHN Automation GmbH in Rheinböllen, Germany, has been elected as the new Chairman of the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association. He succeeds Wilfried Eberhardt, Chief Marketing Officer of KUKA AG, Augsburg, whose three-year term of office as chairman ended in accordance with the rotation principle of the association’s statutes.
Eberhardt was honored for his services and extensive commitment to the industry at this year's Members‘ Assembly of VDMA Robotics + Automation and elected as a regular member of the new board of VDMA Robotics + Automation.
"The robotics and automation industry continues to grow. We see increased global competition and accelerated transformation processes. The strong network of the VDMA helps us seize opportunities arising from advancing digitalization and rapid technology development. Medium-sized mechanical engineering companies in particular need to realize that cooperations speed up innovations. This will make us more sustainable and efficient and enable us to respond to fluctuations in a more stable manner," said Konrad on the occasion of his inauguration.
Dr. Dietmar Ley, CEO of Basler AG, Ahrensburg, Germany, was elected Deputy Chairman of the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association.
The new Board of the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association comprises the following members:
Frank Konrad (Chairman)
CEO, HAHN Automation GmbH, Rheinböllen
Wilfried Eberhardt
Chief Marketing Officer and Member of the Supervisory Board, KUKA AG, Augsburg
Dr. Lars Friedrich
President & CEO of the Division Application Technology, Dürr Systems AG, Bietigheim-Bissingen
Dr. Heiko Frohn
CTO, VITRONIC GmbH, Wiesbaden
Dr. Horst Heinol-Heikkinen
CEO and Owner, ASENTICS GmbH & Co. KG, Siegen
Jörg Kipper
Managing Director, Festo Vertrieb GmbH & Co. KG, Esslingen
Dr. Klaus Kluger
General Manager, OMRON ELECTRONICS GmbH, Langenfeld
Dr. Dietmar Ley (Deputy Chairman)
CEO, Basler AG, Ahrensburg
Johannes Linden
CEO, PIA Automation Holding GmbH, Bad Neustadt
Dr. Olaf Munkelt
Managing Director, MVTec Software GmbH, München
Cornelia Püschel
Managing Director, PÜSCHEL Automation GmbH & Co. KG, Lüdenscheid
Volker Spanier
Head of Manufacturing Solutions, EPSON DEUTSCHLAND GmbH, Meerbusch
Ralf Winkelmann
Managing Director, FANUC Deutschland GmbH, Neuhausen a.d.F.
Source: VDMA
