Who are we...
Get to know our Team!
Klaus Eckerl
CEO, President, Senior Optic Designer
Dipl.‒Ing. Mechatronics
Klaus studied mechatronics in Nürnberg, Germany and completed his studies successfully in 1988 as a diploma engineer. He worked on software and hardware development on stepper motor units as a free engineer. Employment in the optical industry followed as technical director at ENNA WERK, Munich with approximately 300 employees. During that time he worked in the field of projection, zoom lens design and production as well as working on plastic molding for slide projectors. Klaus worked in the field of design and development of optical coatings with Leybold systems. He did optic design and quality engineering on projection and zoom systems for well‒known companies like Schneider Kreuznach, Kodak, Docter Optics, Zeiss Oberkochen and Jenoptik. He worked on opto‒mechanical design on Inventor professional software. Finally, he was responsible for the quality management for all key account customers. Later, Klaus established the new field of industrial optics at ENNA. He was responsible for engineering und production of customized systems in glas and plastic. After ENNA was sold to Docter Optics in 1992, Klaus decided to start his own company, IB(E, short for "Engineering Bureau Eckerl". Since 2001 he has been managing director at his own production company IB(E Optics GmbH. In 2012, he finally fulfilled another dream of himself by moving into his self‒designed IB(E headquarters in Freyung.
Development
Claudia Ranzinger
CNC Operator, Technical Drawings
Technical Product Designer
Claudia designs and creates drawings for tooling fixtures. She mainly supports the department and works on the CNC machines and the laser.
Since Claudia has already worked with us in the design department before becoming a mother, she is a true all-round talent.
Uwe Eckerl
Head of Development, Optical & Software Design
IT Specialist
Uwe studied computer science at the University of Passau. For many years he has been active in the company as a project manager for customer and research projects for medium-sized companies, for example in medicine and machine vision. Besides project management, his core area is the development of optical systems with Zemax (since 2004) and since 2013 with Code VAlso software works (C ++, C and Java as well as PLC Systems). Meanwhile, Uwe has developed many optical systems (telecentric, macro and zoom lenses, lens converters, Scheimpflug systems and more). He is pushing the development of internal measurement tools (ZEMAX automation routines; at OptiBench- and MTF Star measurement system) to improve quality assurance. Moreover, he is responsible for the development of our awarded MTF Star-Software for the measurement of optical systems at the projector. He has been active at IB(E Optics for over 20 years (2018).
Markus Hirz
Head of Project Management, Design & Quality Assurance
B. Eng. Physics
Markus has been working with IB/E since 2014 and even wrote his Bachelor thesis
about ´T-Stop measurement on optical systems´ in cooperation with the company. He cares for the quality assurance and MTF measurement after the assembly. Since his start, he programmed several tools for in-house purposes, as the automatic rim lacquering machine for lenses or the fully automatic focus measurement. With this, we can easily generate the engraving data in-house for the laser. We recently started a project to measure MTF at the wall while projecting targets (even more precise than our MTF Star) together with Angénieux. Markus is responsible for our Project Management. After identifying our project goals, Markus is setting up needed milestones and manages our ressources to ensure project success.
Reinhard Thomas
Optic System Design
Dipl.‒Physics (TU)
Reinhard is a long term laboratory specialist in the field of imaging optics. Before he came to IB(E, he was employed at Meyer Optics, Germany. He worked on layer design and coating development on lenses. Reinhard is a very routined specialist in the evaluation of optical systems. IB(E trained him the last years in ZEMAX and now he is one of the optical designers in house to realize your system. Reinhard has been with the company since 2001.
Mauricio Martinez
Product Design / Mechanical Assembly Specialist
Mechatronics Technician
Mauricio joined IB/E in may 2022. We are very grateful to have Mauricio as an employee. Due to his many years of experience, he is an absolute asset to our team. He worked for many years as Technical Manager in Rental Houses in Chile and Colombia. Mauricio left his home country Chile for us and moved to Freyung with his whole family.
Jürgen Hirsch
Mechanical Design
Mechatronics Engineer / Mechanical Engineering Technician
Jürgen’s areas of expertise range from the assembly of optics and systems to mechanical design with CAD. Responsible for the assembly of the ARRI65 and the ARRI65S lenses he subsequently moved into the field of mechanical design. Jürgen is a highly skilled mechanical designer and uses his diverse experiences in complex mechanical designs, 3-dimensional computer modeling and creative problems solving to create a high-quality product. Coupling these skills with his innovative mindset allows him to solve the toughest product challenges. Among his recent and most well-known projects are the Blackwing7 lenses by Tribe7 as well as the new in-house Raptor Prime lenses. Jürgen has been with the company since 2013.
Claudia Ranzinger
CNC Operator, Technical Drawings
Technical Product Designer
Claudia designs and creates drawings for tooling fixtures. She mainly supports the department and works on the CNC machines and the laser.
Since Claudia has already worked with us in the design department before becoming a mother, she is a true all-round talent.
Uwe Eckerl
Head of Development, Optical & Software Design
IT Specialist
Uwe studied computer science at the University of Passau. For many years he has been active in the company as a project manager for customer and research projects for medium-sized companies, for example in medicine and machine vision. Besides project management, his core area is the development of optical systems with Zemax (since 2004) and since 2013 with Code VAlso software works (C ++, C and Java as well as PLC Systems). Meanwhile, Uwe has developed many optical systems (telecentric, macro and zoom lenses, lens converters, Scheimpflug systems and more). He is pushing the development of internal measurement tools (ZEMAX automation routines; at OptiBench- and MTF Star measurement system) to improve quality assurance. Moreover, he is responsible for the development of our awarded MTF Star-Software for the measurement of optical systems at the projector. He has been active at IB(E Optics for over 20 years (2018).
Markus Hirz
Head of Project Management, Design & Quality Assurance
B. Eng. Physics
Markus has been working with IB/E since 2014 and even wrote his Bachelor thesis
about ´T-Stop measurement on optical systems´ in cooperation with the company. He cares for the quality assurance and MTF measurement after the assembly. Since his start, he programmed several tools for in-house purposes, as the automatic rim lacquering machine for lenses or the fully automatic focus measurement. With this, we can easily generate the engraving data in-house for the laser. We recently started a project to measure MTF at the wall while projecting targets (even more precise than our MTF Star) together with Angénieux. Markus is responsible for our Project Management. After identifying our project goals, Markus is setting up needed milestones and manages our ressources to ensure project success.
Administration & Sales
Manuela Seidl
VP (Vice President), Commercial Manager
Certified business economist
Manuela has joined our company in February 2022. She has many years of experience in all commercial areas and is a valuable addition to our constantly growing team. Manuela is a certified business economist, has completed an apprenticeship as a foreign language merchant and further training as a customs specialist. For many years she worked in the metal industry (sales, marketing, executive assistant, purchasing). In 2004, she moved to a company in the automotive industry, where she was in charge of internal sales and export for many years.
Nicole Eckerl
Management Assistant / Accounting
Office clerk
Nicole ensures that the company is running smoothly and seamlessly while working with the staff at all levels of the company. She performs advanced administrative duties requiring broad experience, skills and knowledge of organization policies and practices for this specific industry. Her ability to function in a confidential and discrete manner and demonstrate the ability to adhere to timelines, flexibility and adaptability as well as maintaining a professional atmosphere under pressure and meeting numerous deadlines is exceptional. Nicole does not only coordinate budget activities including tracking full-time employee vacancies but also serves as a resource to interpret and provide information regarding organizational policies and procedures. Nicki has already been working at IB(E for more than 20 years.
Nicole Donaubauer
Sales / Administration
Office clerk
Nicole, secretary to the marketing team, provides full secretarial as well as logistical and administrative support. Nicole is the principal link between company and customer. Her effective written and verbal communication skills and her high level of attention to detail make her a valuable asset that significantly contributes to the company’s smooth and efficient workflow. Nicole started working at IB(E in 2002.
Diana Vernay
Administration / Customs
Office Communication Clerk
Diana works in our administration and takes care of shipping documents, delivery notes and dispatch declarations. Her experience in customs is a great help for our export deliveries. She joined the IB(E-Team in december 2019.
Since our company outing we now also know that she has a good connection to alpacas and can run at least as fast.
Kerstin Grundmüller
Purchasing Manager
Technical Product Designer
Kerstin´s years of experience in the field of assembly and technical drawings with Inventor 3D and 2D let her be the ideal contact person for our suppliers. She is organizing the delivery schedules for our assembling team. Because she started at IB(E in 2001 as a trainee and has spent all her working life at the company, she is the one to ask for nearly everything.
Zsuzsanna Horpaczi
Material Management
Office Communication Clerk
Zsuzsanna has been supporting IB(E Optics since 2017 and is a reliable benefit for us. We call her our mobile ERP System, because she knows almost all items we are dealing with by heart.
She takes care for the supply chain so that needed material is in production at the right time as she is our main managing clerk.
Zsuszanna is also a perfect support for our technical purchase team as she knows the parts and worked in the assembly team before too.
Manuela Seidl
VP (Vice President), Commercial Manager
Certified business economist
Manuela has joined our company in February 2022. She has many years of experience in all commercial areas and is a valuable addition to our constantly growing team. Manuela is a certified business economist, has completed an apprenticeship as a foreign language merchant and further training as a customs specialist. For many years she worked in the metal industry (sales, marketing, executive assistant, purchasing). In 2004, she moved to a company in the automotive industry, where she was in charge of internal sales and export for many years.
Nicole Eckerl
Management Assistant / Accounting
Office clerk
Nicole ensures that the company is running smoothly and seamlessly while working with the staff at all levels of the company. She performs advanced administrative duties requiring broad experience, skills and knowledge of organization policies and practices for this specific industry. Her ability to function in a confidential and discrete manner and demonstrate the ability to adhere to timelines, flexibility and adaptability as well as maintaining a professional atmosphere under pressure and meeting numerous deadlines is exceptional. Nicole does not only coordinate budget activities including tracking full-time employee vacancies but also serves as a resource to interpret and provide information regarding organizational policies and procedures. Nicki has already been working at IB(E for more than 20 years.
Production
Nico Gierke
Mechanical Assembly, Teamleader
Industrial mechanic operating technology
Nico started working at IB(E in fall 2020. He is responsible for the coordination of the assembly and according documentation. He does the mechanics assembly and adjustment of focus units up to the completion of the lens.
Christoph Stadler
Head of Production
Mechanical Engineering Technician
Christoph has been working at IB(E since 2017 and is the face behind the production (RAPTOR, Optimo PRIMES). Utilizing our ERP-software Christoph ensures smooth production processes. To manage production based on material availability and capacity is one of his main responsibilities. He ensures on time deliveries and best quality of our products. With regard to the steady extension of the production with all product lines in 2020, Christoph and his team will remain busy.
Nico Gierke
Mechanical Assembly, Teamleader
Industrial mechanic operating technology
Nico started working at IB(E in fall 2020. He is responsible for the coordination of the assembly and according documentation. He does the mechanics assembly and adjustment of focus units up to the completion of the lens.
Christoph Stadler
Head of Production
Mechanical Engineering Technician
Christoph has been working at IB(E since 2017 and is the face behind the production (RAPTOR, Optimo PRIMES). Utilizing our ERP-software Christoph ensures smooth production processes. To manage production based on material availability and capacity is one of his main responsibilities. He ensures on time deliveries and best quality of our products. With regard to the steady extension of the production with all product lines in 2020, Christoph and his team will remain busy.
Prototyping & Testing
Heiko Bethke
Prototyping
Precision Optician / Precision Mechanics
Heiko is an expert within the field of mechanics and optics with almost 20 years of work experience in the film industry. After leaving his job as a senior technician at Vantage in 2018, he joined forces with IB(E Optics to work on new, demanding and exciting projects. Heiko is currently working on the Tribe7 project, making him the perfect match to understand the client’s visionary stylistic choices while finding state-of-the-art technical solutions to bring innovative products such as the Blackwing7 lenses to life. With regard to our upcoming anamorphic program, it is to say that Heiko fits the bill perfectly.
Heiko Bethke
Prototyping
Precision Optician / Precision Mechanics
Heiko is an expert within the field of mechanics and optics with almost 20 years of work experience in the film industry. After leaving his job as a senior technician at Vantage in 2018, he joined forces with IB(E Optics to work on new, demanding and exciting projects. Heiko is currently working on the Tribe7 project, making him the perfect match to understand the client’s visionary stylistic choices while finding state-of-the-art technical solutions to bring innovative products such as the Blackwing7 lenses to life. With regard to our upcoming anamorphic program, it is to say that Heiko fits the bill perfectly.
Heiko Bethke
Prototyping
Precision Optician / Precision Mechanics
Heiko is an expert within the field of mechanics and optics with almost 20 years of work experience in the film industry. After leaving his job as a senior technician at Vantage in 2018, he joined forces with IB(E Optics to work on new, demanding and exciting projects. Heiko is currently working on the Tribe7 project, making him the perfect match to understand the client’s visionary stylistic choices while finding state-of-the-art technical solutions to bring innovative products such as the Blackwing7 lenses to life. With regard to our upcoming anamorphic program, it is to say that Heiko fits the bill perfectly.
Optics Laboratory
Katharina Ehrenthaler
Optics Laboratory
Cutting machine operator
Katharina joined the team at the end of 2020 and is a trained cutting machine operator. To date, she has created technical drawings and programmed CAD/CAM in the field of mechanical engineering. Katharina works in our QS & Optics Laboratory on the collimator, projector and O-Tool.
Katharina Ehrenthaler
Optics Laboratory
Cutting machine operator
Katharina joined the team at the end of 2020 and is a trained cutting machine operator. To date, she has created technical drawings and programmed CAD/CAM in the field of mechanical engineering. Katharina works in our QS & Optics Laboratory on the collimator, projector and O-Tool.
CNC Machining
Günther Schrank
CNC Production / Mechanics, Teamleader
Industrial Mechatronic Specialist
Günther keeps the CNC machines running and gives support to assembly and evaluation. With his two 4-axis CNC machines, a milling machine, a laser cutter and a laser engraver he was trained in CAD, CAM software as well. He is able to program most of our complex parts in-house and produce the first samples for the customers to prove the design and concept. Günther has been with IB/E optics since 2002.
Günther Schrank
CNC Production / Mechanics, Teamleader
Industrial Mechatronic Specialist
Günther keeps the CNC machines running and gives support to assembly and evaluation. With his two 4-axis CNC machines, a milling machine, a laser cutter and a laser engraver he was trained in CAD, CAM software as well. He is able to program most of our complex parts in-house and produce the first samples for the customers to prove the design and concept. Günther has been with IB/E optics since 2002.
Quality Management
Jürgen Luger
Qualitiy Control
After his time as a tyre compound specialist, he worked years in the field of surface treatment (galvanic) and later also as quality assurance for high end carbon laquering parts. Jürgen now is responsible for the incoming goods, their receiving inspection as well as the last exit control before packing for delivery. He has been working at IB/E optics since November 2018.
Jürgen Luger
Qualitiy Control
After his time as a tyre compound specialist, he worked years in the field of surface treatment (galvanic) and later also as quality assurance for high end carbon laquering parts. Jürgen now is responsible for the incoming goods, their receiving inspection as well as the last exit control before packing for delivery. He has been working at IB/E optics since November 2018.
Jürgen Luger
Qualitiy Control
After his time as a tyre compound specialist, he worked years in the field of surface treatment (galvanic) and later also as quality assurance for high end carbon laquering parts. Jürgen now is responsible for the incoming goods, their receiving inspection as well as the last exit control before packing for delivery. He has been working at IB/E optics since November 2018.
