Thomas Hansel, born in 1975, has been with APE for 13 years. He is a Berlin native and is known for his diverse talents. His career initially began in the field of competitive sports. He attended the Ernst Grube Sports School with the goal of becoming a weightlifter. Although he passed the selection process, it wasn’t enough for a professional sports career. Therefore, he opted for Plan B, which started with civil service, followed by an apprenticeship as an skilled electronic electrician.

During this time, Thomas noticed that his interest in natural sciences and technology ran deeper and began studying physics at the Technical University of Berlin. From the beginning, he placed a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary applications. This led to his diploma thesis on oxygen dosimetry in photodynamic therapy in collaboration with the Charité in Berlin. Subsequently, he consistently moved on to the Max Born Institute under the guidance of Prof. Elsässer, where he developed a novel method for utilizing ultrashort light pulses in digital holographic interferometry as part of his doctoral research. It was during his time at this institute, where we have established strong connections, that he became acquainted with APE.

Thirteen years ago, Thomas was initially hired by APE as a developer, primarily working in the area of parametric amplifiers and oscillators. At that time, APE was still a small company mainly producing in small quantities. However, the technology of optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) was garnering increasing customer interest, and an OEM contract led to a rapid increase in production quantities.

While still in his role as a developer, Thomas, along with a team of technicians and developers, oversaw the establishment of an automated production line. This marked the beginning of significant changes and the introduction of new processes in our production. Through this effort, we were not only able to increase production quantities but also enhance quality and reproducibility. Extensive data collection and analysis led to valuable insights.

Thomas not only contributed his technical expertise but also successfully led the team. When it was time to appoint a new production manager, we didn’t have to look far!

He has now been heading the production department for 7 years and, together with his colleagues, has further developed and improved numerous processes. APE’s production is now capable of producing both single customer specific systems as well as batch-fabricated standard products. Mastery of a wide product range, coupled with flexibility regarding production quantities, forms a solid economic foundation for the company’s ongoing development. However, this is a constant challenge.

Thomas says:

“I look forward to the future with confidence and joy, as long as we continue to apply our expertise not only to new innovative products but also to the improvement of our internal processes.”