04/05/2026
70 Years of LAUDA – The Third Decade: When LAUDA Went Digital 💻✨
Welcome back to our 70th anniversary journey! Today we're exploring 1977-1987 – years of transformation, innovation, and growth.
A HEARTBREAKING BEGINNING
June 17, 1977: Founder Dr. Rudolf Wobser passed away from acute leukemia at only 66. Just months earlier, he had received the Federal Cross of Merit. The town of Lauda-Königshofen mourned one of its most respected citizens. His sons Karlheinz and Dr. Gerhard Wobser stepped up to continue his legacy, ready to lead LAUDA into a new era.
THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
When finance chief Gerhard Fasold was told to switch from his trusted Taylorix machine to EDP (electronic data processing), he was furious! For two full years, he ran both systems in parallel – only when results matched 100% did he agree to the change. His old machine? Kept in the basement "just in case." 😄
But digitalization changed everything:
🔸 Paperless warehouse, order processing, accounting
🔸 Revolutionary product innovations
🔸 Investment in cutting-edge hard- and software
THE ACHEMA 1982 SENSATION
LAUDA unveiled the KP 20 – the world's first microprocessor thermostat! 🎯
Features that blew minds:
🔸 Full digital signal processing
🔸 Temperature consistency to 0.001 °C
🔸 Digital and analog interfaces for system integration
🔸 Revolutionary proportional cooling (75% less energy than competitors!)
GOING GLOBAL & GROWING SUCCESS
📈 1983: New sales network across Germany and intensified export activities. Revenue soared through the mid-80s!
📈 1984: New 1,250 m² extension completed (total production: 3,550 m²).
📈 By mid-decade: 211 employees driving innovation forward.
📈 By 1987, LAUDA was positioned as a global technology leader – and already planning major expansion projects for the years ahead.
From loss to leadership, from analog to digital – the third decade transformed LAUDA forever.
Stay tuned for more from our seven-decade journey!