Feb. 6, 2026 — Daniel Seiler, CEO of AT – Automation Technology GmbH, has been elected chairman of the Board of the VDMA Machine Vision Division. He succeeds Dr. Olaf Munkelt, co-founder and managing director of MVTec Software GmbH, who has stepped down as Chairman but will remain on the Division's board.
"I am optimistic that together we can master the necessary changes and shape a successful future for industrial image processing in Europe. This requires closer cooperation, as the current challenges posed by geopolitics, international competition and economic change are too complex to be tackled alone," said Daniel Seiler. "At the same time, opportunities are emerging: I am convinced that industrial image processing will continue to be a driving force for robotics and automation projects worldwide. By combining traditional mechanical engineering expertise with new technologies based on AI and digitalization, our industry can remain relevant and successful."
“The VDMA is the ideal platform for this collaboration and offers great added value to both its member companies and the entire economy," Seiler continued.
Dr. Kai Ströder , CTO of Basler AG, succeeds Hardy Mehl, CEO of Basler AG, who resigned his seat on the board of the Machine Vision division upon his election to the board of the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association. Marco Reiter-Wassmann, general manager of Isra Vision GmbH, succeeds Holger Wirth, who is leaving Isra Vision at the end of the month and has therefore resigned from the board for statutory reasons. Wirth was recognized and thanked for his contributions at the VDMA Machine Vision division board meeting in January 2026.
The board of the VDMA Machine Vision division is therefore composed as follows:
- Dr. Horst Heinol-Heikkinen, founder and managing director, Asentics GmbH & Co. KG, Siegen
- Markus Maurer, Head of the Automation Business Unit, VITRONIC Machine Vision GmbH, Wiesbaden
- Dr. Olaf Munkelt, co-founder and managing director, MVTec Software GmbH, Munich
- Marco Reiter-Wassmann, director general, ISRA VISION GmbH, Darmstadt
- Daniel Seiler, managing director, AT - Automation Technology GmbH, Bad Oldesloe
- Dr. Kai-Jens Ströder, CTO, Basler AG, Ahrensburg
