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My successor is Patrick Bass, former CEO of Thyssenkrupp North America, a Fortune 500 company. Patrick has not only an impressive track record, but also unique experience in the elevator business and in digital transformation. I am more than happy to leave the future of the CEDES Group in Patrick`s hands.

A true visionary and market expert, Patrick will lead the digital transformation of the CEDES Group, focusing not only on processes, but also on the new direction in the CEDES portfolio development. 

In March 2013, I have taken the lead of the CEDES Group over from Beat De Coi, the company`s founder. During the last ten years, I had the honor to guide CEDES through numerous changes together with my colleagues – or better yet friends – on the Management Team. I would like to express my deep gratitude to the CEDES Family for their support through all the ups and downs. Together, we have managed to increase the revenue of the CEDES Group with its seven subsidiaries from 50 million to 70 million Swiss francs. The revenue is distributed evenly on three continents – in Europe, North America, and Asia. We have brought a whole range of innovative product families to the market. The share of 3D sensor solutions is growing. Our contactless absolute positioning system APS is setting new standards and gaining momentum in sales. CEDES is also doing well in the commodity area, being able to offer competitive products developed and produced in China. As a full-range supplier of sensor solutions, CEDES holds a leading position in the elevator and escalator market. Moreover, the acquisition of VITECTOR has allowed the company to become a global leader in industrial door sensors as well.

Under Patrick`s leadership, CEDES will focus strongly on the IoT market development. According to The Economist, “the world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data”. The IoT market is growing rapidly, from USD 201 bn in 2022 to an estimated USD 483 bn in 2027.

Source: Iot-analytics.com

CEDES is positioning itself as an IoT enabler. IoT is nothing without data, and AI-supported sensor systems are the source of this data. We are about to make our IoT-enabling sensor solutions available to the broad market this fall, with an official launch at the NAEC Convention in Reno, USA, and at the interlift in Augsburg, Germany. CEDES and relayr, a leading provider of cloud-based IoT solutions (SaaS/DaaS), have formed a strategic partnership. Assets connected through IoT and enhanced with AI provide a unique opportunity to bring elevator operation and service efficiency to a new level.  

Patrick Bass has already successfully implemented complete elevator IoT systems in the past. His know-how is of utmost importance for the CEDES Group and will help to market and establish a new generation of IoT-connected, AI-supported sensor systems, creating a new growth area for the CEDES Group.

Patrick will guide CEDES through the next growth phase and bring our structures and processes to a new level. I wish him and the CEDES Family much success with this endeavor. I am happy to support CEDES over the next years as President of the Board, Member of the Advisory Board, and consultant for special projects.

Christian-Erik Thoeny

President of the Board
Former CEDES Group CEO