Interview with Frequentis CEO Norbert Haslacher. The company operates in the Air Traffic Management, Defense, Airports & Airlines, Public Safety, Public Transport and Maritime business units and generates sales of 294 million euros with around 1,800 employees worldwide.
Mr. Haslacher, your company is active in the “safety-critical area”. What characteristics do products need to have for this? Absolute reliability. This is only possible with several backup systems and they have to be so good that the air traffic controller does not even notice if the main system fails. Over the past four years, her company’s turnover in the “Defense” sector has doubled. That is true, but we are still not a defense company. However, we have noticed that the market is growing strongly, especially in the USA, and military spending is also increasing in Asia. Frequentis, owned by the Bardach family since the 1980s, went public this year in May. Why this step and what changes does it entail for the company? We are a hidden champion, but now it’s about getting rid of the “hidden” and attracting investors. The IPO has brought in 20 million euros in capital, which we are using to prepare the company for the next generation. However, Hannes Bardach still holds 22 percent. What is the money used for? For the development of new solutions and for acquisitions of companies. Major drivers are currently the integration of drones into air traffic control and the use of the 4G and 5G mobile communications standard by police units. This enables live streams from bodycams to the control center.
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