Satteins / Vienna, July 27, 2022. The AEROCOMPACT GROUP, specialized in the development, production and distribution of innovative substructures for photovoltaic systems, has experienced extremely dynamic growth in recent years. Founded in 2014 in Schlins, Vorarlberg (A), the highly profitable company in the solar tech industry reached annual sales of around EUR 30 million in 2021. Sales are expected to more than double in the current fiscal year to around EUR 70 million. In 2023, AEROCOMPACT is expected to exceed the 100 million EUR turnover mark.
With its innovative solutions and its digital platform AEROTOOL for planning and calculating solar systems, which is available to installers all over the world, AEROCOMPACT sees itself as a pioneer of the energy transition globally. The foundation of the dynamic business growth is a combination of the engineering expertise of the innovative development team, the AEROTOOL platform and the global market access of AEROCOMPACT.
Realignment of corporate structures – establishment of a management board
The company already has subsidiaries in Austria, Germany, the USA and India, as well as its own sales presence in nine countries. AEROCOMPACT products are regularly installed in over 50 countries worldwide. In order to make the most of global growth opportunities, AEROCOMPACT GROUP is realigning its corporate structures. From now on, a five-member management board will lead the innovative company. Strategic growth initiatives are being developed from the holding company to broaden market access by expanding the business model and developing new customer target groups. Thanks to continued innovations in the product portfolio and further internationalization, the operating business is expected to grow well above the industry average in the future.
Dirk Morbitzer becomes Group CEO – Founder Mathias Muther takes over as Chairman of the Supervisory Board
As of August 01, 2022, the current Managing Director USA Dirk Morbitzer will become a member of the Executive Board of the holding company and Group CEO, taking over this function from Mathias Muther, founder of the AEROCOMPACT GROUP: "We are very pleased to have Dirk Morbitzer on board, a highly competent expert in the global solar industry and a successful manager with extensive experience in the management of dynamically growing, global technology companies," explains Mathias Muther, who will accompany the further development of the company in the future as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. Muther will also set up the charity project "Solar Power Aid", with the help of which the power supply in crisis regions hit by environmental catastrophes is to be restored as quickly as possible by means of photovoltaics and battery storage packages.
Digital business model enables additional growth
Dirk Morbitzer's focus will be on strategic corporate development: "We want to continue to be a driver of the solar tech industry and dynamically expand our leadership in the global market. AEROCOMPACT not only has an extremely innovative product portfolio, but also, with AEROTOOL and its integrated business processes, a digital business model that allows us to develop new services. I am very pleased to be able to develop this potential together with our competent and extremely committed team," says Dirk Morbitzer, CEO of AEROCOMPACT GROUP.
Further organic growth, open to strategic acquisitions
The holding company of AEROCOMPACT GROUP is to be transformed from a limited company (GmbH) into a stock corporation (Aktiengesellschaft / AG). This will enable the company to expand its market share through strategic acquisitions in addition to further organic growth: "We are operating in a market that is still highly fragmented, and we certainly see opportunities to strengthen our market position through strategic acquisitions in selected regions or by expanding our product portfolio. We will continue to finance our growth from our current business, but we can also imagine working with new partners," explains Gustavo Edinger, member of the Executive Board of the holding company and Group CFO.
Further increase in workforce and expansion of production and logistics capacities
Other members of the management board are Manfred Ganahl, CSO (Chief Sales Officer) and Managing Director of AEROCOMPACT Europe GmbH, Christian Ganahl, CTO (Chief Technology Officer), and Stefan Schäfer, COO (Chief Operating Officer), all three have held management responsibility for AEROCOMPACT’S high-growth core business and ongoing development for several years. By the end of this year, the team is to be expanded from the current 115 to approximately 140 employees worldwide. The increase in the number of employees will mainly take place in international sales, research and development, and production.
At the headquarter in Satteins, Vorarlberg (A), it is intended to invest around EUR 3 million in a further office building with a training center and test laboratory. The building is supposed to provide space for around 100 new workplaces. Production in Nüziders, also located in Vorarlberg, which currently has two production lines, will be converted from a two-shift to a three-shift operation starting in September. Warehouse capacity in Austria is to be quadrupled by the end of the year and global logistics, which is managed by external partners, will be expanded further.
"We are experiencing tremendous momentum in our core business in the current fiscal year. The task now is to set the course in such a way that we can continue to optimally serve the growing demand worldwide. Our highly committed employees are our most important success factor. They are the ones who inspire our customers in over 50 countries globally with their profound industry knowledge, technological expertise and outstanding service," says Manfred Ganahl, CSO of AEROCOMPACT GROUP. And CTO Christian Ganahl adds: "Our innovative strength and digital expertise are further important growth drivers for the global business. That's why we will double our engineering team in Vorarlberg and Vienna over the course of the year and bring on board additional colleagues for research, standardization, software development and global product management."
Founder Mathias Muther with the extended management board (v.l.n.r.: Dirk Morbitzer, Christian Ganahl, Manfred Ganahl, Mathias Muther, Gustavo Edinger)
Press contact
Dieter Bitschnau
clavis Kommunikationsberatung GmbH
Anton-Schneider-Straße 12
6900 Bregenz
Austria
Tel: +43 (0)5574 533 33 13
Mobil: +43 (0)699 160 200 13
dieter.bitschnau@clavis.at
Short portrait AEROCOMPACT GROUP
AEROCOMPACT GROUP is an innovative, extremely high-growth and highly profitable company in the solar tech industry and a dynamic enabler of the worldwide energy transition thanks to its unique combination of engineering expertise, the digital platform AEROTOOL and global market access. The company's core competences are the development, manufacture and sale of aerodynamically optimized substructures for mounting photovoltaic systems, taking into account all static requirements, wind and snow loads as well as the highest industry standards and norms. Thanks to the digital platform AEROTOOL, planners and end customers worldwide can quickly and easily plan solar systems, calculate their economic viability and order the AEROCOMPACT products required for the substructure in an automated process. AEROCOMPACT was founded in 2014 by Mathias Muther in Schlins, Vorarlberg (A). Since then, the company has grown well above the industry average, reaching around EUR 30 million in sales in 2021. In 2022, sales are expected to more than double to around EUR 70 million. Today, the company has subsidiaries in Austria, Germany, the USA and India, as well as its own sales presence in nine countries. AEROCOMPACT currently employs around 115 people worldwide, with plans to expand the team to approximately 140 by the end of this year.
