Nearly 40 years of plating electronic and the step into the next generation
From April 1, the second generation takes over leadership at plating electronic. Sebastian, Matthias, and Marius Rieder continue the family business and bring new momentum to what has been built over decades, internally and externally. At the core, everything remains that plating electronic has stood for since 1987: reliable engineering, responsibility for the complete system, and partnership across the entire lifecycle.
Karl Rieder and his sons share their look back at the decisive steps and their look forward at what remains and what will continue to grow.
The beginning
Some companies start with a business plan. plating electronic started with a very practical need. Preparations began in 1986, and in 1987 the company was officially founded by Karl Rieder and Konrad Hoch.
The trigger came from the market: when plant builders were looking for suitable power supplies, it became clear that solutions were missing that were technically convincing and reliable in day-to-day operation. At the time, Karl and Konrad’s employer showed no interest in closing this gap with a dedicated approach.
So the two decided to start on their own. Karl describes that phase as typical of the early culture: don’t talk too long, build a solution that works in practice. The name and the logo were also developed in-house.
The original logo idea symbolized the two sides of a printed circuit board, technical, pragmatic, independent.
Earning trust early
The first years were shaped by compact power units and solutions for the regional electroplating market. An early product was the “Galvano Master”, a test unit for electroplating based on Hull cells. Early on, regions such as Stuttgart and Pforzheim showed what matters: precision and reproducibility.
Matthias puts it this way today: in markets like jewelry and gold plating, “good enough” isn’t enough, quality must be reproducible. That expectation became the benchmark and a driver of growth.
Growth is built by people
Growth was always team effort. Andreas Reichenbach was among the first employees, joining as a student and taking on practical work from cable assembly to production. He is still with plating electronic today and is Head of Sales.
By late 1988, additional colleagues joined from Karl and Konrad’s previous environment, and one of those early colleagues is still with the company today. And as in many family businesses, people stepped in where needed: Dorothea, Karl’s wife, supported the early days as did Konrad’s wife when additional assembly capacity was required. Sebastian says that this “solve it together rather than discuss it” mindset is still visible today, short paths, clear responsibility, and a team that isn’t afraid to get hands-on.
Technology that made the difference
Technologically, plating electronic set its own direction early on. A key development was the introduction of electronically (switch-mode) controlled rectifiers in an environment where many still relied on classic concepts. There was skepticism: electronics would be too sensitive for electroplating.
plating electronic proved itself through engineering. In the mid-1990s, a milestone followed: water-cooled rectifiers that protect electronics from contaminated air and enable compact plant concepts. Karl describes it as the moment a technical idea turned into a real practical advantage: protecting electronics, enabling more compact designs, and opening new options for plant engineering.
What initially seemed “too sensitive” became the new standard step by step. At the same time, the approach remained technology-open. Marius emphasizes that technology at plating electronic is never an end in itself: if a project today requires thyristor-based systems, that’s not going backwards, it’s a solution-oriented response to different requirements.
Growing internationally
With this technical base, international presence grew as well. In the second half of the 1990s, exports gained significant momentum. Through the partnership with Hendor (around 1997), the US became an important market.
Karl’s first trade show appearance in Cleveland (1997) stands for a phase in which plating electronic achieved strong results there: precise, reliable, consistently engineered around the process. Karl remembers this period as particularly formative because it showed how consistent engineering builds trust in a demanding market. Pulse reverse systems added further momentum and reinforced the ambition to actively shape developments.
A foundation that remains
In 2008, Konrad Hoch stepped back from the company. As a co-founder, he shaped the early phase technically and culturally.
Karl describes Konrad as someone who strongly influenced technical care and the understanding of quality in the early years. His contribution remains part of the history and the foundation on which plating electronic continued to grow.
Transition to the second generation
Today, this foundation carries the next generation. Sebastian, Matthias, and Marius Rieder grew into responsibility via different paths. From April 1, the second generation takes over leadership with a clear distribution of roles: Sebastian is responsible for production, processes, and quality, Matthias for sales (especially Germany, together with Andreas), and Marius for R&D, purchasing, and technical development.
Karl supports the transition step by step. Matthias describes it as a conscious handover: experience and relationships should not break off, but be passed on in a structured way. Sebastian adds that continuity in day-to-day work matters, customers should feel stable processes while responsibility transitions internally.
What stays and what will continue to grow
We care for power is the clear expression of that. And because it’s never only about devices but about results in the process, this attitude belongs to it as well: We care for your success.
In the refreshed brand, this attitude also becomes visible. “We care for your success” is highlighted as a pink accent, deliberately as a recognizable signal. At the same time, it connects to our history, because pink was used deliberately in plating electronic’s visual communication before.
Continuity remains the core, in collaboration, quality, and service mindset. At the same time, markets evolve, and plating electronic evolves with them. we care for power means taking responsibility not just for a device, but for the solution, technically, practically, and across the entire lifecycle.
And “We care for your success” means we measure ourselves by whether systems run stably in the process, whether results are reproducible, and whether support is available when it’s needed. After nearly 40 years, the outlook is clear: the name remains, the attitude remains, and the next generation continues, with experience from the past and a clear view forward.