Mödling / Göppingen / Düsseldorf. As part of the integration of NITREX, the AICHELIN Group is strengthening the organization of UPC in Germany and further intensifying the integration of its expertise in plant engineering, process control, and digital solutions. With personnel changes at United Process Controls GmbH (UPC Marathon) in Göppingen and at QMULUS in Düsseldorf, the Group is reinforcing its technological focus and responding to the growing importance of digital solutions in the heat treatment industry.

Daniel Panny Appointed Head of UPC; Effective March 1, 2026, Daniel Panny has assumed management of the UPC site in Göppingen. In this role, he holds overall responsibility for the site and has been granted power of attorney (Prokura). At the same time, he continues in his position as Head of Sales Europe at UPC.

Daniel Panny brings more than 20 years of experience in the heat treatment industry and contributes extensive market, industry, and sales expertise to his expanded role. This combination of operational site responsibility and European sales leadership is intended to further strengthen strategic market development and consistently drive the sustainable growth of UPC.

Karl-Michael Winter, who previously served as Managing Director of UPC and in a dual role as VP R&D / Engineering at NITREX Metal, will in the future support the AICHELIN Group’s R&D team as Senior Consultant R&D NITREX, contributing his many years of expertise in development.

Mike Löpke Appointed Head of QMULUS; Effective February 1, 2026, Mike Löpke has taken over the management of QMULUS. This division of the AICHELIN Group focuses on all software-related topics, primarily on the eponymous product “QMULUS,” an IIoT platform. In addition to controlling industrial plants, the platform places an expanded focus on coordination, analysis, and visualization of real-time data. The objective is to create process transparency, identify optimization potential, and enable more efficient plant control, including through the use of AI and machine learning. In March, the QMULUS development team will open a new office in Düsseldorf, further strengthening proximity to customers and partners in the German market.

Close Integration of Hardware, Process Know-how, and Digital Solutions; UPC specializes in control and automation systems for heat treatment plants and plays a central role within the AICHELIN Group in the further development of digital solutions. In combination with existing process control systems such as FOCOS 4.0 and the cloud-based analytics platform QMULUS, this creates a seamless connection between plant control, automation, and data-driven optimization.

Energy efficiency, process stability, and transparency are becoming increasingly important. At the same time, demand is growing for digital solutions that capture plant conditions in real time and enable predictive optimization.

“With the further development of our organization in Germany, we are creating the conditions to more closely integrate our technology and software expertise. Our ambition is not only to supply individual products, but to deliver holistic solutions along the entire process chain,” says Christian Grosspointner, CEO of the AICHELIN Group. “The combination of proven heat treatment technology, process know-how, and digital IIoT applications is a key element of our strategic direction.”

The structural adjustments are part of the Group-wide organizational development, ensuring clear responsibilities, faster decision-making processes, and stronger collaboration across locations and companies.

About the AICHELIN Group; The AICHELIN Group, headquartered in Mödling near Vienna and part of the Berndorf AG, is one of the world’s leading providers of heat treatment solutions. Its portfolio includes industrial furnaces, industrial heating systems, nitriding systems, control and automation systems, Industry 4.0 solutions, as well as service offerings. The company’s roots date back to 1868. In addition to the traditional AICHELIN brand, the Group includes AFC-Holcroft, SAFED, BOSIO, NOXMAT, and NITREX, making it one of the world’s top three heat treatment companies with around 1,350 employees. The AICHELIN Group operates subsidiaries in Austria, Germany, Slovenia, France, Poland, Turkey, China, India, and the USA. Its global presence is further strengthened by an international sales network. www.aichelin.com