Dr. Lars Friedrich joined the company on 15 October 2018, and will take over as Head of the Application Technology division on 1 January 2019 as a member of the Board of Management of Dürr Systems AG. Dr. Friedrich is following in the footsteps of Dr. Hans Schumacher, who headed up the division for 17 years. In order to continue the successful path, Dr. Friedrich will drive forward the development of digital products and the enhancement of competitiveness in paint application technology. “My particular focus is on hardware innovations such as overspray-free painting, software developments by Dürr Digital Factory, and continuous efficiency improvement,” says Dr. Friedrich. The Application Technology division currently sells over 1,200 painting and sealing robots per year.
Dr. Lars Friedrich studied physics and business administration in Jena (Germany) and Salford (Great Britain), received his doctorate in physics, and has a wealth of experience in measurement technology, sensor technology, and Industry 4.0. From 2000 to 2008, Dr. Friedrich held various management positions at the telecommunications supplier Adva Optical SE. This was followed by six years as General Manager in various divisions of the Californian high-tech company JDS Uniphase (now Viavi) in the USA as well as in Canada, China, and Germany. From 2015, Dr. Friedrich was responsible for the Identification & Measuring division at the sensor and automation specialist Sick, and helped the company’s largest division to achieve great growth. Dr. Friedrich was also a Member of the Executive Committee at Sick, which is responsible for all the company’s Industry 4.0 activities.
Dr. Schumacher joined Dürr in 1999, and headed up the Application Technology division since 2001. “Dr. Hans Schumacher took advantage of the automation trend in painting technology, led Dürr’s Application Technology division to great success, and continuously developed the division as a technology leader. On behalf of the entire Board of Management, I would like to thank him for his outstanding work,” said Dr. Jochen Weyrauch, Member of the Management Board of Dürr AG and CEO of Dürr Systems AG. “We are delighted to have Dr. Friedrich on board as the right successor to the role to further expand Dürr’s leading position under the banner of digitization. We wish him every success in leading the division,” continued Dr. Weyrauch.
