Working focused and maintaining an overview while industrial and commercial noise can be heard in the immediate vicinity is a challenge, but necessary in many work environments. MDS Raumsysteme has been facing this challenge for many years. The company was founded in 1998; since 2017 it has been owned by Rainer Kling, Managing Director, and Andreas Tlustek, Sales Director.

"We took over the company after the path had not always been correctly set in the past," says Andreas Tlustek, who has been with MDS since 2011. "Today, we focus on industrial interior design and offer flexible, surface-ready products for master and hall offices, steel platforms, and partitions. A unique feature is that the system walls can be easily rebuilt and reused, making them particularly sustainable."

A Strong Field Service

75 employees work for the system wall specialist, with turnover between 15 and 16 million EUR, about 20% of which is achieved in European countries outside Germany. MDS Suisse is an independent company focusing on installations in Switzerland. "In sales, we rely on three relatively balanced pillars," says Andreas Tlustek. "We have permanent field staff throughout Germany who are in direct contact with customers. In addition to our own field service, we work with trade partners who take over sales in the DACH region, the Benelux countries, and Eastern Europe, and we also cooperate with architects and general contractors." The company's core products are partition systems for industry and administration and steel platforms; these are used in a variety of manufacturing industries and logistics centers.

"Our great advantage is that we operate independently of industries," emphasizes Andreas Tlustek. "This has led to consistent growth in the past and kept us from significant downturns during the COVID times. This also means that we are not dependent on the construction market. We do a lot of refurbishing in existing buildings, often adding a second floor to utilize the height."

Flexible, Beautiful, and Sustainable

The sophisticated room systems from MDS are synonymous with flexible space concepts that are visually appealing, sound-insulated, and high-quality. Factory and master offices are based on the SHB modular system. New rooms can be created quickly and easily, even if they are located on or under a steel platform. The STW 80 system partition walls are also intelligent and flexible. New rooms and walls can be designed quickly, dust-free, and economically. The surfaces are completely finished, so no painting is required.

MDS also sets accents in the area of steel platforms with sophisticated system solutions that can be adapted to individual needs and space conditions. Profile partition walls offer many possibilities for offices and administration. Thanks to a high degree of prefabrication, the walls have short construction times. Last but not least, they are reusable and recyclable.

Excellent Employees, Very Good Products

MDS has earned an excellent reputation with its well-thought-out solutions. The products are "good, durable, and sustainable," as Andreas Tlustek summarizes. "Even though they contribute significantly to the company's success, our most important resource is our employees. We are fortunate to be able to rely on a fantastic team. I would describe the working atmosphere as good; it is important to harmonize differences between technical and commercial departments. What concerns us is the shortage of skilled workers, which is a serious problem due to our location near the border of Switzerland, where the salary level is higher."

For the Fun of the Job

Andreas Tlustek is cautiously optimistic about the industry's development; there are even more inquiries than in previous years, although decisions take longer than before due to many uncertainties in the market, he says. Together with Rainer Kling, he wants to keep MDS on a stable, healthy growth path. "We have always sold on quality, never on price," he explains. "This should not change in the future. As head of sales, I see an important task in further developing the field service, making it more powerful and strategically aligning ourselves with our target groups. I myself see my role as a mix of operational and strategic tasks. I travel a lot in Europe, often with partners, and like to personally take care of large projects because it is important not to lose touch with practice.

What I increasingly see as a problem is the bureaucracy in Germany, which unnecessarily complicates our work." Andreas Tlustek still emphasizes that having fun at work remains his biggest motivator. "If I no longer enjoy it, it will be time to stop," he emphasizes. "I still often work seven days a week because I enjoy it."