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LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG is a new cooperation partner of the association Innovationsregion Hohenlohe e. V. In this way, the global market leader wants to strengthen its own innovation activities and also supports the securing of locations and structural promotion in the extended region. Both partners want to use synergies and work together to promote and retain skilled workers in so-called MINT professions.

"As a family business with strong roots in the region, one of our most important tasks is to inspire skilled workers and young talent for our wonderful home region - especially in times of a shortage of skilled workers. Although we are based outside of Hohenlohe in the Main-Tauber district, I have been following the admirable activities in our immediate neighborhood with great enthusiasm since the company was founded over twenty years ago. As cooperation partners, we can now work together to achieve our common goals," emphasizes LAUDA's President and CEO, Dr. Gunther Wobser. In addition, LAUDA bundles innovation activities outside its core business in its subsidiary new.degree. In the company's own Innovation Lab, the company drives forward ideas from employees as well as technology and service innovations from start-ups and digital initiatives in exciting search fields for future-oriented temperaure control.

With the Brainstation project, which is to be built in the former Lauda train station in the heart of the Main-Tauber district, the ambitious entrepreneur himself is pursuing the goal of working with other entrepreneurs to get young people excited about entrepreneurship, digitization and innovation - and ultimately to prevent them from migrating to metropolitan areas. As the region's innovation center, Brainstation will offer event space, creative zones, a co-working area, a café, boarding house, offices and a technology museum. With Futurelabs gGmbH and the Makerspace, children and young people will have an exciting place to discover their own talents. This creates the best conditions for successful collaboration with the Hohenlohe Innovation Region.

"We are very pleased to welcome the global market leader LAUDA as a new cooperation partner of Innovationsregion Hohenlohe e.V.," explains the chairwoman of Innovationsregion Hohenlohe e. V., Dr. Stefanie Leenen. "The globally active and innovative company with the impressive dynamics is a real enrichment for our network and fits perfectly with the goals that the Innovation Region has set for itself."

Since its foundation in 2000, the Initiative Innovationsregion Hohenlohe e. V. has set itself the task of maintaining the region with its large number of world market leaders as an attractive location for the future. Today, the innovation region consists of 26 members, 19 of which are manufacturing companies and seven service providers. Among other things, the initiative is involved in schools and works closely with politics, ministries, administration, science and educational institutions.

A special anniversary is being celebrated by LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG on July 1, 2022: Dr. Gunther Wobser, the President and CEO of LAUDA, started his career in the family business exactly 25 years ago. At a ceremony held at the company's headquarters in Lauda-Königshofen, congratulations were extended not only by the managing directors, the LAUDA management team, the shareholders of LAUDA and the chairman of the works council, Elmar Mohr, but also by the mayor of the town of Lauda-Königshofen, Dr. Lukas Braun, and the managing director of the Heilbronn-Franken Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Elke Döring.

His career at LAUDA began in 1997 when he joined the company as Head of Marketing. After his uncle's retirement, he became CEO in 2003 alongside his father, Dr. Gerhard Wobser. During their time together, until Dr. Gerhard Wobser's retirement in 2010, he founded, among other things, the first foreign subsidiary, LAUDA France, to support and advise customers and agencies in the French market. Later, the subsidiaries LAUDA América Latina C.A., LAUDA China Co. Ltd. and LAUDA-Brinkmann LP, USA. were added. The internationalization of LAUDA was in full swing.

With LAUDA's enormous growth, Dr. Gunther Wobser gradually brought support into the management team, starting with Dr. Marc Stricker (COO, 2014), Dr. Mario Englert (CFO, 2018) and Dr. Ralf Hermann (CSO, 2022). LAUDA continued to grow strongly over the next few years, founding its own foreign companies such as LAUDA Technology in the UK and acquiring LAUDA Ultracool in Spain, LAUDA-Noah in the USA and most recently three manufacturers in 2019 with GFL in Burgwedel near Hanover. Turnover and employee numbers have risen constantly over the years to 530 employees worldwide with a turnover of around 92 million euros. Under the direction of Dr. Gunther Wobser, LAUDA became the world market leader for tempering equipment and systems and has remained so to this day.

After a one-year stay abroad in the USA, the entrepreneur brought Silicon Valley to Tauber Valley. With new.degree GmbH, Dr. Gunther Wobser established holistic innovation management at LAUDA. Digitalization took hold - and not only in internal processes. The temperature control units and systems are pioneering the digitalization of temperature control technology with state-of-the-art operating concepts and cloud connection. With the Brainstation innovation center, the innovative approaches should also benefit the region.

The mayor of the town of Lauda-Königshofen, Dr. Lukas Braun, found appreciative words for the commitment of the jubilarian in his laudation: "You think ahead, you drive, you are an entrepreneur in the most original sense, an innovation driver for our region."

"Always on the pulse of time and with full entrepreneurial power," said IHK Chief Executive Elke Döring, "he always initiates new innovative processes." She found special recognition for his commitment in the plenary assembly of the IHK and for the entire Heilbronn-Franken region. In addition, he has already headed the IHK Entrepreneurial Circle Main-Tauber, founded by Dr. Manfred Wittenstein in 1999, for ten years. Other well-wishers were Dr. Gerhard Wobser on behalf of the shareholders, as well as Dr. Marc Stricker and Dr. Mario Englert as part of the LAUDA management team. Elmar Mohr, Chairman of the Works Council, offered warm congratulations on behalf of the employees.

At the beginning of the year, under the leadership of Dr. Gunther Wobser, Drive250 was launched - the most ambitious strategic project in the company's history: sales and the number of employees are to double within five years, while construction work and relocation measures accompany the first steps at the headquarters in Lauda-Königshofen. In Spain, LAUDA has invested around seven million euros in the construction of a completely new production facility. The signs continue to point to growth - with Dr. Gunther Wobser at the helm. The repeated record sales in recent months impressively demonstrate that the family-owned company can achieve its ambitious goals.

The success story of LAUDA is closely linked to the person Dr. Gunther Wobser, he is the face of LAUDA and has significantly shaped the awareness of LAUDA through his presence in public and in social media.

Dr. Gunther Wobser, President and CEO of LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG, the world market leader for temperature control equipment and systems, has been appointed to the Digital Council of the Confederation of German Employers' Associations. The entrepreneur, author and lecturer now strengthens the 20-member council, consisting of thought leaders from family businesses, corporations, the tech industry, start-ups and academia. The chairpersons are former Siemens AG executive Janina Kugel and the CEO of WAREMA Renkhoff SE, Angelique Renkhoff-Mücke. Other prominent members include digital pioneer Christoph Bornschein, bestselling author Christoph Keese, and Industrie 4.0 thought leader Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wahlster. The digital transformation of the world of work cuts across all industries and poses completely new questions and demands on society, employees and employers. The focus of the new Council member is on passing on his knowledge of innovation, providing impetus to society and the corporate world, and developing effective recommendations for action for politics and business from the perspective of SMEs. He is particularly interested in the professional exchange in the trusting round. The BDA Digital Council is always concerned with encouraging and empowering decision-makers from business and society to actively shape and accompany change.

"The appointment is a great honor and recognition for me. Challenges that a modern company of our time has to face require the development of new business models as well as innovative technologies and strategies," says Dr. Gunther Wobser. "Agility, flexibility, modern leadership and ambidextry - efficiently and flexibly expanding our core business consistently while at the same time systematically exploiting innovations and opportunities for the future - is a necessity in order to position one's own company for the future." The successful entrepreneur would like to bring his own experience to bear in Berlin in order to jointly master the challenges at the economic and socio-political level and to drive forward solutions to the problems of digital transformation.

About the BDA Digital Council

The Digital Council of the German Employers' Associations was founded in April 2019 and brings together personalities who deal with digital transformation in their respective professional contexts. They develop new business models as well as innovative technologies or concepts, conduct research along these topics and are key players in the social debate. These different perspectives and competencies are brought together in the BDA Digital Council to find solutions in an interdisciplinary and networked manner. The Confederation of German Employers' Associations is the leading social policy organization for the entire German economy. It represents the interests of one million companies with around 20 million employees across all sectors at national, European and international level and is thus the mouthpiece of German industry on the working world of the future.