automation in a new dimension

Frank Ebersbach is new Head of Development

Aiming to get the company ahead from a strategic and a technology point of view: Frank Ebersbach, futronic’s new Head of Development. (Photo: futronic/Alexander Nold)

Frank Ebersbach will in future be responsible for all of futronic’s software and hardware development activities in the Container Glass division as well as for automating customised applications with embedded systems. Aged 38, he succeeds Wolfgang Lachmann, who has now retired from active professional life after some 30 years at futronic. Ebersbach previously worked for almost a decade as an engineer at a major international supplier of sensor and automation solutions based in Tettnang.

Securing the company’s cutting edge in the face of global competition
Among his most important duties will be the further development and optimisation of futronic’s successful controls and drives for container glass machinery and equipment. He will also oversee projects to automate customised applications with embedded systems. The idea, of course, is that more new and innovative products will be created under his aegis. “futronic is one of the leading suppliers in this field”, Ebersbach explains. “I want to help secure our company’s cutting edge in the long term in the face of global competition.”

Huge footsteps
Ebersbach is very much aware of the huge footsteps he’s following in as successor to Wolfgang Lachmann, who is what you might call an institution in the glass industry. The management has every confidence in him in spite of this: “We’re convinced that Frank Ebersbach is the right man for the job”, emphasises Managing Director Michael Preuss. “He’ll step into those footsteps very quickly and get the company ahead from both a strategic and a technology point of view.” Ebersbach started work at futronic on 1 December. Since joining the firm, he’s been undergoing a rigorous programme learning the ropes, preparing for his new mission and winning the commitment of his 13-strong team comprised of the Development and Testing & Service departments.

Sales work with a lot of engineering
Many people aren’t probably aware that Ebersbach’s first acquaintance with futronic was while he was while still at school; he’s been interested in technology from an early age, which is why he chose us for his work experience placement. An apprenticeship as a power electronics technician with Friedrichshafen’s utility services was the perfect choice for him. He later got a job with a maker of special-purpose machines in Tettnang, where he was entrusted with the manufacture of control cabinets and the installation and commissioning of machines. Parallel to this he went back to the classroom, graduating in 2004 as a technician specialising in automation and mechatronics from the renowned Tettnang Electronics College (Elektronikschule Tettnang, EST). With this extra qualification in his pocket, Ebersbach took on supplementary tasks in electrical design and PLC programming and was eventually promoted to Sales Manager. “That was an entirely new and fascinating challenge”, says Ebersbach. “It meant direct contact with customers, application consulting and a lot of engineering.” It was an exciting time, both instructive and enriching, which aided his personal development and broadened his horizons.

Talented and eager to assume responsibility
In 2008, Ebersbach transferred to a major international supplier of sensor and automation solutions based in Tettnang. He remained faithful to the firm for around ten years altogether, initially as a development assistant and later as a technician with responsibility for product quality assurance including, amongst other things, system testing, product verification and approvals management for fluid sensor technology. He consequently built up considerable experience and knowledge at this still early stage in his career. Ebersbach was charged on a number of occasions with leading small project teams; that suited him and he soon realised that he had the potential to go farther. Then came the offer from futronic.

Architect and motivator
So what is it he finds so particularly appealing about his new assignment at the dividing line between customers and production? He’s adamant that futronic is more than simply a chance to develop his individual talents. He’s also looking forward to “assuming responsibility, actively shaping the future and moving the company forward with fresh ideas as part of a highly motivated team”. That’s much easier at a small firm than it is at one of the heavyweights – like an agile speedboat compared to an ocean giant. Thinking outside the box, the trustful, interdisciplinary cooperation with the other departments and the ample room for manoeuvre are “what I enjoy most”, Ebersbach concludes.

Rivers as an opportunity to wind down
Born in Leipzig, Ebersbach grew up in Tettnang and has been actively involved in animal welfare issues in the local region for many years now. When he’s not helping to protect animals, he likes to spend his spare time out and about in the countryside, for instance riding his motorbike around the Dolomites. There are also times when he and his wife get out their motorhome, their mountain bikes or their hiking boots and set out in search of an opportunity to wind down – in the mountains and forests or by a river in Scandinavia. It’s a great way for him to recharge his batteries for the challenges that await him at futronic.