Ipf- und Jagst-Zeitung Aalener Nachrichten 31 May 2008

Lothar Bopp » He has brought laser shows to the mainstream

BY VIKTOR TURAD

When Mikhail Gorbachev, then head of state of the Soviet Union, participated in the celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the former GDR shortly before its downfall and spoke the now famous words “Those who are late will be punished by life itself”, laser technology from the capitalist class enemy was also in play – manufactured by the company LOBO from Aalen. In that moment, its managing director Lothar Bopp experienced history up close. He is the prototype of a Swabian tinkerer.

In 1982, Mr. Bopp attended high school in Ellwangen. At the time, laser was only used in movies and discotheques. He founded his company in his parents’ garage. In 1984, he relocated to Aalen, studied electronics and precision engineering at the University of Applied Sciences and continued to manage his company on the side.

At the time, LOBO was primarily a supplier of disco illuminations. However, Mr. Bopp had something else in mind: He wanted to bring laser shows to the mainstream. And he managed to do just that. In 1988, laser and multimedia technology was even used at the ultra-conservative Bayreuth Festival. Today, barely a minute passes by without enthusiastic visitors enjoying a show made by LOBO somewhere on this world.

The company from Aalen even conquered the seven seas by storm: Laser technology from Aalen is on board of large cruise ships, for example “Queen Mary 2”.

Lothar Bopp, whose company overtook one competitor after the other until there was no one left to overtake, once said that his success was the result of many small steps taken with conviction. While skill and dedication of employees were obviously important, a lot also had to do with luck and the intuition to be on the market with the right product at the right time or to open up new business segments. One example are projection surfaces made of water. Under LOBO’s trade name “Water Screen”, these are renowned and successful all around the world.

Bopp: “While LOBO always adapted flexibly to the market, we remained loyal to our core principles. Then and now, technical innovations, unconventional ideas, perfection into the last detail and, last but not least, the passionate dedication of all employees have formed a solid foundation, on which LOBO’s success is built.”