Portrait: Dieter Bachmann

Dieter: I live in Feldkirch. This is approx. 20km away from our office in Austria (Lustenau). I live in a small house built over 80 years ago, which we renovated a few years back. It has a steep roof and a garden with some old apple trees.

Angi: That sounds very lovely. What do you like most about Feldkirch? Is there a favourite place of yours?

Dieter: Feldkirch is a lovely medieval city located in the Rhine valley near the mountains. This means you have easy access to all cities and infrastructure in the valley and a lot of nature at a very close distance. The centre of the city is just amazing with all the old buildings and the castle overlooking the city.

Angi: Feldkirch is indeed an antique cultural city. Tell me a bit more about some exciting aspects of your career.

Dieter: I have always been interested in technology. When I studied in the 1990s, the internet as we know it today started to exist. This was a fascinating development, and I focused my interest on this area. Later I researched on what is known now as “cloud computing”. Early in my professional career, I worked for a company creating systems for large telecommunication companies. After working in a global and international environment once, I knew I didn’t want to miss this in my future career. Identec is, therefore, the perfect environment for me.

Angi: Do you think the internet was better in its early days or even the days without it?

Dieter: It is a bit like asking Henry Ford if he thinks the world was better without cars. Like cars, the internet is one of the developments which changed our lives. For sure, some developments are a challenge for society, but I don’t think the world would be better without the internet.

Angi: I only can agree with you that it changed our lives. Onto the next question, then... What do you do at Identec Solutions, and when did you start?

Dieter: I started in 2007. That’s now over 15 years ago. My role is head of software development, and the goal is quite simple: We want to create world-class solutions for our customers. Back in 2007, the company was very hardware focused, but over the years, we managed to move away from being a component provider to a real solution provider – as the company name states.

Angi: You play a significant role in development and improvement, then. Have you ever faced a challenge for which you didn’t have a solution?

Dieter: There are plenty of such challenges. Especially in the company's early days when we got approached by so many different people who presented their vision. We always analysed these opportunities thoughtfully, but only some have been sound, and only a few resulted in products.

Angi: Yeah, creating a new product is a long process. Now to your job, what do you like most about it?

Dieter: When it comes to product development, I enjoy it when things we plan strategically are working out. The concepts for our products are developed long before market launch. When these products become successful in the market, I know that all the effort was very well invested. In my role as head of software development, I try to create a perfect work environment for all team members. I like it when this works out, and I get the feedback that a customer or someone in a project is very happy with my team's performance.

Angi: Very inspiring vision! Do you have a guiding principle at work regard to our five company values which are: leading, open, visionary, responsible and global?

Dieter: No real guiding principle, but when working in this area, it is important to be open and accept that things are always changing. Whenever we touch one of our products, we try to generalize things. This means we use the input we get to improve our product offering and not create a one-off solution for a single customer. This usually takes a little bit more effort but results in better products. Another important thing (principle) is that we always try to do our work properly. This means we avoid shortcuts and follow our processes to fulfil our quality and security standards. I think all of our company values are important, but especially “open” and “visionary” describe the mindset required for developing new products quite well.

Angi: Apart from your interesting stories about your career what do you do in your free time – any hobbies or passions?

Dieter: I love to spend time with my family. We do some skiing in winter and mountain biking in summer. I like to cook, and when living in an old house, there is always something that needs to be done or repaired. I think I must call this a hobby as well.

Angi: Cooking is one of my hobbies as well - What was the most extraordinary dish you did cook?

Dieter: My approach to cooking is that I like to understand how things are done. Once I know that, I tend to move along and look for a new challenge. But one dish or group of dishes that I always come back to is risotto. There are plenty of different recipes, but one I really like is beetroot risotto. My older daughter gave it the name pink rice, and it made it into the standard dishes of the family.

Angi: Uhh, that sounds delicious! Do you have a favourite place to go skiing and biking?

Dieter: For skiing, it is easy: There are some of the world’s most exciting ski resorts in the area. You can almost pick any, and you will have a good day. When it comes to biking, what I love are the longer tours that you go up a bit higher, ideally with a mountain pass to go from one valley to the next one. You can get away from civilization, and that’s just great.

Angi: Thank you for sharing these exciting topics about your life!

Dieter: I really enjoyed it. Thanks for asking me :)

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