iqs personally - interview with our management board

Mr. Mangold and Mr. Weber, you are taking on a great legacy: More than 25 years ago, Dr. Siegfried Schmalz founded iqs and developed it into a leading software company for quality management. Now you have taken over the management of the company. Are you ready for this?

Ulrich Mangold: Of course - if I wasn't, I wouldn't have taken this step together with Stefan Weber. But it's a big challenge, that's right.

Stefan Weber: I have been with iqs since January 2019 and have already worked with Dr. Schmalz on the management board for a year. And even before joining iqs, I already had close contact with Dr. Schmalz as a member of the management team at the software developer Q-DAS. So there was enough time to familiarize myself with iqs.

What do you see as iqs' strengths?

Stefan Weber: I find the consistent control loop principle of the iqs software fascinating. The knowledge and data about products and processes are not simply managed, but generate valuable insights for continuous improvement. Error prevention, cost reduction and quality improvement are thus practically inevitable.

Ulrich Mangold: Before joining iqs, I worked for 23 years in the Robert Bosch Group and therefore know iqs from the customer's point of view. That's why, in addition to development, I am also responsible for the customer-facing departments in the management team. In my eyes, the continuous innovation of the software and the competent, motivated and agile team at iqs are also very important success factors.

Was it difficult for you to leave the Robert Bosch Group after 23 years?

Ulrich Mangold: I always enjoyed working there, it was an exciting time. As an industrial engineer specializing in mechanical engineering, I worked in many different areas such as Mobility Solutions, Energy and Building Technologies, Industrial Technology and Consumer Goods, and got to know other countries and cultures in Spain, the Netherlands and Australia. I don't want to miss this time there, but now it's time for something new. I'm really looking forward to working at iqs.

Mr. Weber, you came to Q-DAS rather by chance at that time?

Stefan Weber: Yes, that's right, actually I just wanted to bridge the time at Q-DAS after my studies in geoecology until I started my career - and I stayed. I have held various positions in the more than 20 years and became a member of the management in 2014. It was an exciting time to help shape the development of Q-DAS. I am happy to now contribute my experience to iqs.

Then you haven't seen as much of the world as your colleague?

Stefan Weber: You can't say that like that. The establishment and further development of the management system of the Q-DAS Group have regularly taken me to the subsidiaries in Europe and the USA. But also on a private level, I am always drawn to distant countries: for example, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, on a rafting tour in Alaska or gorilla trekking in Rwanda.

Mr. Mangold, what is your balance to your job?

Ulrich Mangold: I have a family with three teenage children, and they quickly take my mind off things. I also play the cello in various orchestras and ensembles.

What is your personal goal as managing director of iqs?

Ulrich Mangold: iqs has a holistic software package for quality processes that - unlike any other competitor - stringently leads to an irreversible improvement and thus to a significant increase in efficiency for manufacturing companies. My goal is to use iqs to help our customers advance the digitalization of Q processes and thus increase their competitiveness.

Stefan Weber: In addition to the product philosophy, the employees at iqs are also great. We develop and implement future-proof software solutions with a passion for quality and technology. iqs has everything it takes to set standards and inspire customers as a leading provider of quality management solutions. I would like to accompany and lead iqs on this path.

Where do you see iqs in a few years

Stefan Weber: As an expert for sophisticated software solutions in industrial quality management, iqs will play a leading role worldwide.

Ulrich Mangold: Yes, I agree. I am sure that iqs will become a market standard and one of the top players in the CAQ market.