Managing Director and Head of Research & Development at Dr.-Ing. Max Schlötter GmbH & Co. KG, Dr. Michael Zöllinger.
Interview: Robert Piterek
Dr. Zöllinger, your company is celebrating its 110th anniversary this year. What milestones have there been in this long period of time?
Schlötter was founded in Leipzig in 1912 and later moved to the Berlin district of Adlershof. In 1944, we moved again to Geislingen due to the war, where we have grown organically ever since. The founder established the company as an electrochemical research laboratory and thus gave it its brand essence. Today, 45 of the 200 employees at the site work in research and development alone. Internationalization followed in the 1960s. Today we have sites in Ireland, England, Sweden, Singapore and China.
Schlötter is known in the industry as an electrolyte manufacturer ...
We are mainly active in electrolyte development. But a proper electrolyte system always includes the plant technology. That's why the descendants of the founder started building electroplating systems back in the 1950s. We can now offer our customers complete solutions from a single source.
What are you currently researching?
Electroplating is a typical cross-sector industry that is active in many areas. Many new surfaces are currently required in the electronics sector, such as contact surfaces for signal or power transmission. But surfaces for cathodic corrosion protection, such as zinc and zinc-nickel, are still a field in which we are putting a lot of energy. With regard to contact surfaces, we are working with partners to develop test benches on which contact properties such as friction and tribology can be investigated while simultaneously measuring conductivity and contact resistance in an air-conditioned environment. In the case of tin surfaces, whisker formation can also be investigated in this way. The interaction of hydrogen with surfaces has also been a central field of research for the past 5-6 years. Among other topics, this involves new surfaces for the electrochemical production of hydrogen and its further electrochemical conversion.
This is also about climate neutrality and sustainability ...
Yes, exactly, and of course that also applies to us. It is a matter close to our hearts to make our contribution to this. We want to achieve a renewable energy supply at our site by 2030, 2032. But of course the supply chains are also in demand. After all, raw materials also have to be obtained in a green way. Unfortunately, we don't currently have much choice. In the current times, we are happy if we get any raw materials at all.
If we look to the future: Where will Schlötter be in a few years' time?
The renewal of our IT infrastructure will be important, both in terms of hardware and software. The biggest project is the new development center that we are currently planning in Geislingen to prepare us for future challenges. We are privately owned and want to stay that way.
How can you hold your own against competitors such as MacDermid Enthone?
It's not the bigger that beats the smaller, but the faster that beats the slower. We occupy niches where we can offer solutions without exposing ourselves too much to the competition. And that is not our claim at all. There are enough tasks for all of us and I am sure that we will find and fill the right niches.
ABOUT THE PERSON
Dr. Michael Zöllinger initially trained as a chemical laboratory technician after leaving secondary school. He went on to study chemistry and then worked at BASF for three years. Before moving to Schlötter in 2014, he worked for a lubricant manufacturer for several years. In Geislingen, he initially headed up the Research and Development department and has been Managing Director alongside the Geldbach family owners since February 2021.
