In Kölleda, an old GDR public enterprise became a European champion for digital communication and security technology: Funkwerk AG. Today, the innovative technologies from Thuringia connect trains and railway stations all over the world.
Economic success is not only achieved at the hubs of the East - but sometimes also in the provinces. Like in Kölleda, a town of 6,500 people in rural Thuringia between Kyffhäuser and Ettersburg, where huge fields line the country road. The headquarters of Funkwerk Kölleda AG, a public limited company listed on the Munich stock exchange m:access, is located in the inconspicuous „Kiebitzhöhe“ industrial estate. The company has quietly developed into an international technology leader for digital communication and information systems - especially in promising niches. Today, its customised radio systems control high-speed trains in Europe, its information systems guide travellers through metropolitan railway stations and its video systems ensure security on factory premises, in power stations and prisons. „We are constantly developing new solutions on the cutting edge from our day-to-day business,“ says CEO Kerstin Schreiber.
In addition to Deutsche Bahn, Funkwerk's customers in more than 40 countries around the world include state railways in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Switzerland and Austria. Major rail vehicle manufacturers such as Siemens, Bombardier and Alstom also install systems from Kölleda and use them almost worldwide, for example in China, Australia, Mexico and South Africa. A plus for the industry: the relationships with customers are just as long-lasting as their products, which are often in use for decades.
One key to Funkwerk's success lies in the GSM-R digital mobile radio standard, which was specially developed for use in railways. „We are the first and only provider in Europe to have developed the centrepiece, the GSM-R radio module, in-house and still integrate it into our individual train radio systems today,“ says Schreiber. „This means we are close to the customer and can offer customised solutions - without having to involve an external supplier.“ Funkwerk AG's service ranges from the development and production of the circuit boards in Kölleda to the final assembly of the devices in the trains on site. „Thanks to our in-house research and production, we have enormous engineering clout,“ emphasises Schreiber.
The main owner with 78 per cent is the Munich entrepreneur Hans Hörmann. He bought the former VEB from the Treuhand in 1992, and his liberal spirit still characterises the corporate culture today. „Hans Hörmann gave us a lot of freedom right from the start and placed the entrepreneurial responsibility in our hands,“ says Schreiber. Accordingly, the entire team is responsible for the company. In addition, the company boss has always reinvested his profits in the company since the 1990s. This allowed the digital technologies to be developed at an early stage, with which the Thuringian Funkwerkers are still a pioneer in their niche today. At the time, they were able to land a major contract with Deutsche Bahn and retrofit more than 10,000 traction units. The country's railway lines are now largely digitalised, says Schreiber, under whose leadership the company's share value has increased more than fivefold since she was appointed to the Management Board in 2013. It is a success story from Thuringia.
„The East is considerably underestimated,“ says Schreiber. „Our region offers excellent opportunities, a good education system and very well-trained specialists.“ Funkwerk AG itself, meanwhile, has become an all-German company - with sites in Kölleda and Munich, Berlin, Nuremberg and Bremen. „We are proud of the fact,“ says Schreiber, „that we make no distinction in our day-to-day dealings as to where someone works.“ Schreiber, herself from Thuringia and a graduate in business administration, has held various management positions in the Group for a good 20 years; she helped prepare the IPO and has managed the Funk plant in Kölleda since 2006. She takes a pragmatic view of the question of women's leadership style at the top of the Group. „Of course there are too few women in management positions,“ she says, „but there are different characters in men and women alike.“
Interview and editing by: Sven Heitkamp | Freelance Journalist | Leipzig
