Born on Earth, worn in Space

We were welcomed by Senior Retail Manager Katrin Huber and Global Executive MBA Alumnus Nicolas Faimann who completed his Global Executive MBA at the WU Executive Academy in 2018 and is Director Sales Operations at Silhouette.

From humble local startup to a global player with crystal clear vision

Our first input was provided by Michael Schmied, WU Alumnus and Chief Marketing Officer who introduced us to the history and current focus of the company founded by his grandparents 60 years ago.

He detailed the transition Silhouette has undergone from being a production company to becoming a distribution company collaborating with 21000 opticians globally and the steps they are taking to further transform into a brand marketing company. As a mid-sized, family-owned business based in Austria Silhouette differentiates itself with their strong foothold in the premium eyewear segment and strong export orientation. After all, 95% of their products are sold internationally, with the US being their biggest market.

Michael Schmied further explained the strategic decision to start engineering frames and lenses of their three brands Silhouette, evil eye and Neubau, together and the challenges that come with producing at the interface of medical, technical and fashion production. With the introduction of their revolutionary Titan Minimal Art model in 1999 Silhouette changed the international eyewear sector and continued to be among the greatest technical innovators in their field which is proven by the fifty-five patents the group is holding.

Looking closer into how it is done.

We were invited on a guided tour through the production facilities and could observe the fascinating process of how Silhouette eyewear takes shape and form in a multitude of steps. Thomas Gehmaier und Martin Haberecker were our knowledgeable guides and walked with us through the premise. We were able to observe firsthand the technical skill and precision applied by the Silhouette staff. It was fascinating to watch and learn.

A firsthand look at New Ways of Work

After the factory tour and a delicious lunch provided by our gracious hosts, we had the chance to witness firsthand what transitioning into New Ways of Work means for the office staff at Silhouette. The Director Global Human Resources Julia Gal-Konwalinka explained with obvious passion for her role that the company needed to make sure that their teams have closer ways to interact with each other.

After presenting the participatory process in which different stakeholder groups engaged in planning new office facilities, our group was invited to tour the brand-new premises.

Zooming in on Sustainability

Our final session of the day focused on Sustainability at Silhouette. Head of Quality, Employees Safety, Environment Josef Keplinger.

There is a broad spectrum of activities the company focuses on to improve sustainability of their production. This stretches from water recycling activities, the use of solar power, reduction of CO2 emissions, a natural garden on the company premises all the way to the 200 000 bees who joined the Silhouette workforce last year producing honey for the company kitchen. The voluntary completion of a Sustainability report is additionally holding the company accountable to fulfill their sustainability goals.

A big thank you to the whole team at Silhouette involved in making this a very memorable company visit for our WU Executive Club community. Special thanks to our Alumnus Nicolas Faimann who opened the door to us Katrin Huber for the organization!

And many thanks to all alumni and current students who joined us on this trip! We hope you have had an interesting and enjoyable trip to Linz with us!

Find more photos on WU EA Connect!

And to find out about our upcoming WU Executive Club events check out our Event Board!

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