VDMA Robotics + Automation Association names new chairman

Dr. Dietmar Ley, CEO of Basler AG in Ahrensburg, Germany, has been elected as the new chairman of the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association. He succeeds Frank Konrad, CEO of Hahn Automation Group GmbH, whose three-year term of office as chairman recently came to an end.

Ley has been the CEO of Basler AG since February 2000. He is responsible for research and development, innovation and the product business. Ley joined Basler in 1993 after earning his doctorate in computer vision and was appointed to Basler’s executive management team in 1996. Prior to this, he worked for Philips GmbH, Siemens AG and Alcatel AG.

Ley also addresses vision technology topics outside of the company. From 2003 to 2018 he was a member of the Management Board of the VDMA’s Machine Vision department – the largest German federation of vision technology companies. Since 2018, he has been a member of the Management Board of the Robotics & Automation department of the VDMA.

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“Robotics and automation are key technologies for securing Europe’s competitiveness in a world characterized by geopolitical uncertainty,” said Ley. “In these dynamic times, it is crucial that Europe has a strong voice in innovation and technological excellence. We will therefore work hard over the next three years to defend and expand the position of the European mechanical engineering industry as a global technology and innovation leader in this field.”

Konrad was honored for his commitment to the industry at this year’s Members‘ Assembly of VDMA Robotics + Automation and elected as its Deputy Chairman.

The VDMA also revealed its new board members:

• Dr. Dietmar Ley (Chairman) – CEO, BASLER AG, Ahrensburg
• Frank Konrad (Deputy Chairman) – CEO, Hahn Automation Group GmbH, Rheinböllen
• Wilfried Eberhardt – Vice President Governmental Affairs, KUKA AG, Augsburg
• Dr. Lars Friedrich – President & CEO of the Division Application Technology, Dürr Systems AG, Bietigheim-Bissingen
• Dr. Horst Heinol-Heikkinen – Managing Partner, ASENTICS GmbH & Co. KG, Siegen
• Jörg Kipper – General Manager, Festo Vertrieb GmbH & Co. KG, Esslingen
• Martin Kullmann – Head of Business Line Customer Service, ABB AG, Friedberg
• Ralph Lehleuter – Managing Partner, MAFU Automation GmbH, Rosenfeld
• Markus Maurer – Head of Business Unit Automation, VITRONIC Machine Vision GmbH, Wiesbaden
• Dr. Olaf Munkelt – General Manager, MVTec Software GmbH, München
• Cornelia Püschel – Managing Partner, PÜSCHEL Automation GmbH & Co. KG, Lüdenscheid
• Enno Scharphuis – General Manager, Bosch Rexroth AG, Stuttgart
• Volker Spanier – Head of Manufacturing Solutions, EPSON DEUTSCHLAND GmbH, Meerbusch
• Ralf Winkelmann – General Manager, FANUC Deutschland GmbH

With 3,600 members, the VDMA is the largest network organization and an important voice for the machinery and equipment manufacturing industry in Germany and Europe. The association represents the common economic, technical and scientific interests of this unique and diverse industry.

The VDMA Robotics + Automation Association (VDMA R+A) is a trade association within the umbrella of the VDMA with more than 400 member companies: Suppliers of components and systems from the fields of robotics, integrated assembly solutions and machine vision. The aim of this industry-driven platform is to support robotics and automation through a wide range of activities and services.

According to International Federation of Robotics (IFR), Germany had the fourth-highest robot density worldwide in 2023 at 429 robots per 10,000 employees. Germany’s robot density has grown by 5% CAGR since 2018. Robot density is a number to track the degree of automation adoption in the manufacturing industry around the world.

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