Wirtschaft Regional December 1999

Inauguration of LOBO’s multimedia temple
Laser Star
Lobo sets standards – as a global market leader in the show laser industry and as builder of an architectonically impressive building. Recently, LOBO’s multimedia temple, designed by the architect Andreas Engelhardt, was handed over to its purpose. Managing director Lothar Bopp makes no secret of the fact that his company considered relocating to another city. Aalen’s mayor Mr. Pfeifle had prevented that at the last second. According to Mr. Engelhardt, the building was also supposed to be an advert for LOBO. More than 50 companies with 500 employees were involved in the construction, said Horst Trittler from the company Hebel. “LOBO is synonymous with innovation and progress,” an enthusiastic district administrator Klaus Pavel said. The company was an important asset for representing the region. For example, LOBO will be involved in Ostwürttemberg’s presentation in Berlin in September 2000. “Lothar Bopp is a star in his industry.” But Bopp himself clarified that a company can only be as good as its employees. And they are enthusiastic about the „Laser Oscars“, which were recently awarded to LOBO in the US. Mr. Pfeifle was happy about the qualified jobs. In a city characterized by the metal-processing industry, this was of great importance.
 
LOBO electronic GmbH opened a globally unique production, service and logistics center
World number 1 in the show laser industry
In Aalen, the company LOBO electronic GmbH opened a globally unique production, service and logistics center, setting standards not only on an architectural level, but also on a technical one for an entire industry. According to independent market analysts, LOBO can be considered a technological market leader of the show laser industry. Now, the company has moved into new futuristic premises. Several architects submitted their proposals, with the contract being awarded to the architect office Andreas Engelhardt from Aalen. LOBO’s design department was responsible for the interior architecture and color design.
The building with its exposed position is visible from afar: The center of the building is dominated by a 15 meter high tower, interconnecting the building’s wings that are arranged like a fan. Spacious, blue tinted glass facades, domineering steel elements and aluminum fronts provide the company headquarters with futuristic, yet timeless optics.
The two-story entrance hall with a gallery and pathways to the administration offices radiates a spacious atmosphere. The canteen housed on the second level of the tower provides insights into all surrounding building sections. The glass-covered hallways are design elements and serve as experiential rooms. The building’s avant-garde design ensures an optimal flow of materials and smooth production processes. For the planning of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and electrical installations, state-of-the-art methods, taking into account environmental aspects, were applied.
For the architect Engelhardt, the building was “a challenge”, based on the following ideas: • future-proof design with maximum adaptability to usage developments, • motivating atmosphere with optimal functionality and experiential spaces • representative architecture, • tailored to flexibility and innovation demands.
The final expansion stage has a built-up area of about 3,000 square meters, with a usable area of about 4,000 square meters. The enclosed area has a considerable size of 25,000 square meters. An expansion is planned from the tower in a westward direction. Bopp says: „Lasers are best utilized in large spaces. In order to realize gigantic spectacles for our international client base, we do not only operate two smaller production studios, but also a multimedia studio with a floor area of 500 square meters and a spacious grandstand for about 200 spectators.” This studio is something to behold: Half of the eight laser projectors are moveable and can be hidden in the ceiling, if needed. 350 deflection and effect mirrors provide optimal usage of the space. A 60 m large water basin is hidden under high-load grates, facilitating the use of the Water Screens developed by LOBO. Here, Water Screens operating under the waterfall principle as well as an outdoor Water Screen composed of fountain segments are used. There is also no lack of conventional projection surfaces. The range of projection media is covered by 22 screens. Five light scanners, 20 slide projectors, 120 spotlights, fog and wind generators, two fiber optic starry skies and four JVC and Barco video projectors, supplied by hard disk players, create multimedia highlights.
In order for the 10 kilowatts sound system to shake everyone to the core, the spectators are standing on a vibrating floor, making the ground shake with every bass beat. The system is controlled with LACON laser and multimedia workstations, also developed by LOBO. With an elaborate system, all controls and projectors developed by LOBO can be presented under realistic conditions.
The highlight: not a single laser is located inside the studio. Rather, laser light is fed into the studio from the neighboring laser laboratories, primarily via fiber optic cables. Many of the innovative products that made the company into a world leader and were showered with international awards have their origins in these laboratories. In the immediate vicinity of the laser laboratory, production, packaging, dispatch and warehouse are located. The four warehouses with a total usable area of about 1,000 square meters are arranged around production in a way that facilitates direct supply of all components required for the production of electronic and precision assemblies. Company owner Mr. Bopp has no doubt that these halls will provide impulses for an entire industry.