At the Pulse of Time for 40 Years
Interview with Peter Trosien, CEO of Pyramid Computer GmbH
Whether as a snack stand in the park, as an information terminal in the city center, or as a digital service point system at events – outdoor kiosks combine functionality, accessibility, and modern technology. The hardware of the terminals faces extreme requirements – requirements with which Pyramid Computer GmbH is well acquainted. The Freiburg-based company has stood for sophisticated OEM and ODM solutions for IT hardware for 40 years.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Trosien, the first PC was released in 1981; since then, the industry has been changing at a rapid pace. Pyramid Computer GmbH has been part of this dynamic industry for four decades. What have been the most important development steps for the company to date, and how did you come to Pyramid Computer?
Peter Trosien: I have been working at Pyramid Computer GmbH since 1994, and over the years, I have taken on various roles within the company – initially in purchasing, then in product management, later as CTO and COO. From 2017 to 2021, I was CEO of faytech AG, which has been part of the Pyramid group since January 2022. Since then, I have been the sole managing director of Pyramid Computer GmbH. With only a brief interruption, I have been part of Pyramid for over 30 years and have played a role in the company's continuous development. Over time, Pyramid has opened up numerous new business fields in hardware: Starting in 1985 with PCs, followed by server solutions, then the kiosk sector under the POLYTOUCH® brand, and finally in 2022 the integration of the faytech group with its touch monitors and touch panel PCs. The majority of our devices are manufactured near Erfurt. In addition, we have further production capacities in Germany and abroad.
Wirtschaftsforum: What exactly is the structure of the Pyramid Group?
Peter Trosien: We are talking about Pyramid Computer GmbH as a 100% subsidiary of the publicly listed Pyramid AG. Over time, various companies have joined the group, most recently RNT Rausch GmbH from Ettlingen, a specialist in the storage sector. Pyramid Computer GmbH focuses on the product groups of industrial PCs and servers. These are marketed under the AKHET® brand, while self-service terminals are offered as POLYTOUCH® and all touch solutions as faytech®. We address our products exclusively to B2B customers, including well-known companies such as Zeiss and Siemens. As one of three manufacturers, we stand behind about 50% of all McDonald's order kiosks. For 20 years, we have been producing hardware for genua, the well-known German manufacturer of firewalls and gateways. However, the lion's share of our revenue is made under other brand names. Here, we work as a hardware manufacturer for third parties who integrate our products into their complete solutions. Our three brands AKHET®, faytech®, and POLYTOUCH® encompass a very broad standard product portfolio, which we use as a basis for customized solutions.
Wirtschaftsforum: Does that mean Pyramid primarily offers custom solutions?
Peter Trosien: We develop very special, unique solutions for customers from standard devices to complete special developments and designs, which are optimized down to the millimeter for customer requirements. These optimizations and developments are carried out by a completely own development team from the 3D designer to the electronic engineer in-house in Germany. We can also visually adapt the devices, for example with the name and logo of the customer. Thus, we are a classic OEM.
Wirtschaftsforum: Among the customers are many well-known large players. What do they appreciate about working with Pyramid?
Peter Trosien: We are one of the few hardware manufacturers that still produce in Germany and are large enough to realize even large, demanding projects with budgets in the tens of millions. With 40 years in the market, we stand for reliability, continuity and professional project management. Since we also operate internationally, we ship products directly to deployment sites around the world and handle all necessary customs clearances. Over 40 years, many partnerships with customers and suppliers have emerged, some of which have existed for decades and have helped us, for example, during the Corona period. During this time, we were 100% transparent and never exploited the situation for our purposes. For this, customers are still grateful to us today.
Wirtschaftsforum: The pandemic was challenging, but today's economic situation in Germany is also difficult. How does Pyramid handle it?
Peter Trosien: Since we operate in the B2B sector, we have more stability than others. But we too feel uncertainties with customers; projects are running much slower or are being postponed. Nevertheless, we remain optimistic about the future. We were able to conclude one of the largest framework contracts in our company's history recently and expect further major orders. Sticking to manufacturing in Germany has now paid off for us. With RNT, we will expand the storage area, and we will also place a strong focus on outdoor kiosks, where we see great potential for the next ten years. We always work at the cutting edge and can therefore supply any modern data center with the appropriate AI equipment. We are very well-positioned here as well.