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LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG honored three employees for their 45th anniversaries with the company in a special ceremony. Sonja Hörner-Dürr, Peter Spitznagel and Peter Wiltschek began their careers at the family-owned company on August 24, 1981, and have played a decisive role in shaping the development of the world market leader for constant temperature equipment and systems over four and a half decades. The ceremony was attended by the management team, employee representatives and the family members of the jubilarians.

In his laudatory speech, Dr. Gunther Wobser, President & CEO, paid tribute to the career paths of all three jubilarians and emphasized the special significance of such honors: “Anniversaries of this magnitude are something special in family-owned companies and are also exceptional by international standards. All three honorees have worked in very different positions, but always exactly where they were needed and where they could contribute something.”

Sonja Hörner-Dürr completed her training as an office administrator at LAUDA and moved to Order Processing in 1983, a department she has headed since her appointment in 1997. Today, she is responsible for the operational management of order processing as well as international customs management and is the main contact person for the customs authorities. With her in-depth expertise, she is extremely well respected within the company and has earned a position of great trust over the years. Fabian Jankowski, Director Logistics and Supply Chain, praised her consistency and reliability and emphasized that the dependable delivery of equipment to more than 80 countries is largely thanks to her.

Peter Spitznagel began his career in electrical assembly after completing his combined training as an electrical equipment mechanic and energy equipment electronics technician, before moving to the Electronics Laboratory in 1997. There, he builds, assembles and tests sample printed circuit boards, supervises functional samples and pilot series, and prepares assembly instructions and test specifications. Over the decades, he has shaped the layout of printed circuit boards and built up an enormous wealth of experience, which he has always willingly shared with the team. Dr. Jürgen Dirscherl, Director Research & Development, highlighted his comprehensive specialist knowledge, which covers the entire functionality of all devices and not just the electronics.

Peter Wiltschek has proven to be a reliable top performer with a passion for equipment construction. After completing his training as a mechanic, he worked in prototype construction, special equipment construction, the former ‘Leitzbau’ and in large-scale refrigeration, where he spent a year exclusively assembling WKS 2 systems. Since March 2003, he has been responsible for the assembly of the Hypothermia Devices, and since 2007 as group leader – always with high standards for the quality of every single device. Throughout all these years, he has demonstrated a remarkable degree of personal responsibility and a strong identification with the world market leader. Nico Weißschädel, Manager Production Refrigeration, emphasized that Peter Wiltschek has not only supported changes, but has actively shaped the company and its processes.

Dr. Wobser paid the highest respect to all three jubilarians and praised them as seasoned personalities of honesty and integrity. He thanked them for their willingness to take on responsibility, pass on their knowledge and identify with the company.

Works Council Chairman Uwe Stastny conveyed the greetings of the workforce and recalled the many shared points of contact, such as various trade fairs with Sonja Hörner-Dürr and Peter Spitznagel, as well as the joint works council activities with Peter Wiltschek.

The three anniversaries impressively underscore the special culture of the family-owned company LAUDA, where long-standing loyalty and mutual appreciation have been practiced for generations. Dr. Wobser presented all jubilarians with the LAUDA certificates as a token of recognition for their decades of loyalty and exceptional achievements and wished them continued health, contentment and many more successful years.

LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG honored Werner Kilb’s 40th company anniversary at a ceremony. In the presence of the management team, the executive board and a number of guests of honor, the Director Finance was recognized for his integrity, his entrepreneurial thinking and his loyalty to the world market leader.

Werner Kilb began his professional career at LAUDA on August 25, 1986 with an apprenticeship as an industrial clerk. After completing his training, he started out in accounting and moved to controlling in 1993. At the same time, he obtained his university of applied sciences entrance qualification and successfully completed a part-time degree in business administration. After many years as deputy head, he has been in charge of the Finance department as its Director since February 1, 2020 and is a permanent member of the management circle. His responsibilities include setting up cost accounting, contribution margin accounting and variance analyses, analyzing the profit centers and subsidiaries as well as preparing the monthly financial statements. He played a key role in the introduction of the controlling software and the GOAL system.

In his laudatory speech, President & CEO Dr. Gunther Wobser paid tribute to the special achievements of the long-serving employee: “Werner Kilb is a true homegrown talent. By setting up our controlling system, he created foundations from which the company still benefits today. His critical eye for processes and procedures brings about improvements. In doing so, he always thinks outside the box and acts entrepreneurially. Thinking along, thinking ahead and providing support – that is how he leads himself and his team.” In recognition of his services, Werner Kilb received the LAUDA certificate of honor as well as the certificate of honor of the Heilbronn-Franken Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

The mayor of the town of Lauda-Königshofen, Dr. Lukas Braun, conveyed the town’s congratulations and presented the certificate of honor of the state of Baden-Württemberg, signed by Minister President Cem Özdemir. He emphasized the reliability, dedication and loyalty of the honoree as a true lifetime achievement and stressed that LAUDA offers good prospects to committed employees. At the same time, he recalled the local political work of Werner Kilb, who served as a member of the municipal council for Oberlauda and the town as a whole for 15 years and was awarded the town’s Citizens’ Badge of Honor in 2022.

In his speech, Dr. Mario Englert, Managing Director and CFO, highlighted the many facets of the long-standing head of finance, adding the odd anecdote along the way: Werner Kilb, he said, is a reliable constant on whom one can rely in any situation. He is extremely loyal, always gives honest feedback and never loses sight of the company and the bottom line. As a straightforward manager, he continuously questions the status quo, making him a role model for the family-owned company.

Uwe Stastny, Chairman of the Works Council, spoke on behalf of the works council and as a representative of the workforce. He praised Werner Kilb as a person who combines responsibility, reliability and heart, and emphasized that the long-serving employee had actively helped shape the course of the world market leader for more than four decades.

In closing, Werner Kilb expressed his thanks for the tribute and pledged his continued commitment. Alongside his professional work, Werner Kilb is passionate about local politics, beekeeping, nature conservation and local history. He has also been active in local clubs and associations for many years – a commitment that reflects his ties to the region just as much as his work at LAUDA.

LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG, world leader in precise temperature control, welcomed Shri Shatrughna Sinha, Consul General of the Republic of India in Munich, along with Amir Bashir, Consul and Head of the Department for Commerce, Education and Information at the Consulate General, to its company headquarters in Lauda-Königshofen. The two-hour exchange focused on the strategic plans of LAUDA for the Indian market as well as existing and future collaborations with partners on the subcontinent. The Indian Consulate General in Munich is responsible for the federal states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Consul General Sinha has been a member of the ‘Indian Foreign Service’ since 2007 and, prior to his appointment as Consul General, was responsible for bilateral relations with the USA and Canada as ‘Joint Secretary’ in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

To open the meeting, Dr. Gunther Wobser, President & CEO, offered a personal insight into the company’s history: The company was founded by Dr. Rudolf Wobser, who fled the former GDR in 1955 and established a new entrepreneurial foundation in Lauda. Over the next three generations, LAUDA developed into a globally operating, medium-sized family business from Baden-Württemberg. The company was founded in 1956 and is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. This visit marks an important milestone in the company’s engagement with India: In February 2025, Dr. Gunther Wobser took part in the economic delegation of the state of Baden-Württemberg to India, and in November 2025 the Indian subsidiary Degree LAUDA Precision Pvt. Ltd. was founded in Pune. Marco Hauser has assumed management responsibilities, having been deployed to India for a one-year period, ending in July 2026, for this purpose.

The discussion then turned to growth potential and strategic target markets, the local sales and service structure, and prospects for new collaborations with Indian partners. In addition to biopharma, LAUDA identified automotive, semiconductors and medical technology as particularly promising target industries. The participants also discussed specific support options offered by the Consulate General, such as applying for multi-year visas for posted employees and establishing contact with authorities and relevant contacts in India.

“India is a market of the future for LAUDA with exceptional dynamism. The personal exchange with the Consul General is an important signal to us that our commitment is being recognized at the diplomatic level,” explained Dr. Gunther Wobser. “With our subsidiary in Pune and a growing network of sales partners, we are well positioned to consistently capitalize on the sales opportunities. The next step will be local production.”

To conclude the visit, Managing Director Dr. Marc Stricker guided the guests through the company’s applications laboratory and production areas. The two consuls, Sinha and Bashir, were visibly impressed by the vertical integration, the technological expertise and the international orientation of the family business at the Lauda-Königshofen site. LAUDA and the Consulate General agreed to remain in close contact. For LAUDA, India is a strategically significant component of its international growth strategy.