Change of Managing Director at Fabmatics

Dr. Andreas Purath succeeds Heinz Martin Esser, who is retiring

Dr. Andreas Purath takes over the areas of sales and marketing, service, commercial administration and human resources. The areas of project management, engineering, production preparation and manufacturing will remain in the area of responsibility of Dr. Roland Giesen. Dr. Giesen and Dr. Purath will manage the company jointly from November 1, 2020.

Return to the semiconductor industry

“I am pleased to be able to tie in with my professional roots in the semiconductor industry by joining Fabmatics,” says Dr. Andreas Purath. Most recently, he was Vice President and Head of the Electronics and Advanced Applications business unit at VON ARDENNE GmbH as well as Managing Director of the Enhanced Battery Solutions Group, which is currently being established there.

The graduate chemist with a doctorate in inorganic chemistry once started his career as a process engineer at Infineon in Dresden. As project manager for technology transfer to Taiwan and as program manager in the area of equipment strategy for Infineon’s worldwide production sites, he later gained extensive international experience, especially in Asia and the USA. After a short stopover as Deputy Sales Manager Photovoltaic/Electronics at Jenoptik Automatisierungstechnik GmbH, he joined the globally operating medium-sized mechanical engineering company VON ARDENNE in 2010. “Fabmatics can now benefit from Dr. Purath’s international experience,” says Heinz Martin Esser. “He will therefore also assume the position of Chairman of our American subsidiary Fabmatics USA Inc. in the future”.

Successful development after the merger

Heinz Martin Esser had been Managing Director of Roth & Rau – Ortner GmbH Dresden (then: Ortner cleanroom logistic systems) since 1999. In 2016 it merged with HAP GmbH Dresden to form Fabmatics GmbH. “When I came to Dresden 20 years ago, the Ortner company counted just 17 people. My employees were all in their early to mid-twenties, and their motivation was really impressive,” recalls the Cologne-born. “Today Fabmatics has more than 200 employees – but there is still this extremely positive spirit in the team. Together we have achieved a lot.” The merger of the two Saxon companies also proved to be a clever move, says Esser: “This resulted in a unique combination of integration and manufacturing expertise, and this is ultimately what makes Fabmatics successful”. The company generated sales of 27 million euros last year and is still on course for growth. “The continuing trend towards automation using advanced robotics and state-of-the-art software solutions is a driver – not only in the semiconductor industry, whose companies have been among our customers for years. In the next few years, we want to transfer our expertise to other industries as well”, says Dr. Roland Giesen.

With 20 years of professional experience in the areas of management, strategy, sales, project management, development and technology transfer in mechanical and plant engineering as well as in the semiconductor industry, Dr. Andreas Purath will now continue this success story together with Dr. Roland Giesen. “I will be particularly involved in business development in order to open up new markets and business areas for Fabmatics,” says the new Managing Director. “We will work to continuously develop our business and to position Fabmatics more broadly for the future.”

Generation change also at Silicon Saxony e.V.

Heinz Martin Esser will end his professional activity on 31 October 2020. However, he will remain active in Silicon Saxony e.V. for another six months – because next year the Saxon industry association will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Afterwards, the long-standing spokesman of the board of directors would like to hand over his office to a successor there as well: “Retirement also has its charms,” says Heinz Martin Esser. But he will still continue to contribute his experience: “Whenever my advice is needed, I will be available of course”.

The retirement of Heinz Martin Esser marks the end of an era. As Managing Director and President of Silicon Saxony e. V., Esser not only shaped a steadily growing medium-sized technology company, but also represented the interests of the German and European semiconductor industry in an honorary capacity. With a festive “Open House” event in October, Fabmatics honors Esser’s commitment among customers and long-standing partners.

About Fabmatics:

Fabmatics GmbH, headquartered in Dresden, is an experienced specialist in the automation of material flows and handling processes in semiconductor factories, semiconductor process plants and other high-tech production environments. 2021 the company will have been successful in the market for 30 years. Founded in 1991, the company has been successfully implementing customer-specific automation projects in the semiconductor industry for more than 25 years. This has resulted in a strong market position, especially regarding the modernization of 200 millimeter semiconductor factories worldwide.

Fabmatics has the unique competence to offer comprehensive solutions in the field of material flow automation for use under cleanroom conditions from a single source. The range of services includes a modular product range of hardware and software for the automation of handling, transport and storage processes as well as solutions for product identification and localization. Systems such as mobile robots, robot cells, storage systems under the clean room ceiling, RFID components and much more ensure a more efficient, faster and safer production process in a semiconductor factory.

Fabmatics GmbH, including its subsidiary Fabmatics USA Inc. in Sandy (Utah), is active worldwide and currently employs around 200 people. Fabmatics GmbH is a member of the global industry association SEMI, the high-tech network Silicon Saxony e.V. and the AND Automation Network Dresden.

Source: © Fabmatics GmbH, Fotographer Sven Claus

For press inquiries:

Fabmatics GmbH, Kathrin Kammer, Head of Marketing,

Telefon: +49 351 65237-230, E-Mail

WeichertMehner GmbH, Robert Weichert,

Telefon: +49 351 50140206, E-Mail