Windischeschenbach, December 2025. For four decades, microSYST Systemelectronic GmbH has been known for innovative display systems ‘made in the Upper Palatinate’. What began in a five-room flat in 1985 has developed into an internationally active company with around 60 employees. Whether LED display systems, picking solutions or customised electronics – microSYST is now one of the leading providers in these areas.
From pioneering spirit to high-tech manufacturing
In 1985, a small team around the former management founded the company – with four employees and a clear vision: to develop and manufacture electronic display systems according to customer requirements. Already in the early years, innovative solutions such as LED church song and passenger call displays were developed, which were used in supermarkets and vehicle registration offices, among other places. In addition to the first VFC displays for beverage system manufacturers, the first version of a specially developed control electronics system for LED graphic displays was created. Development and prototype construction for automotive suppliers were also part of the exciting range of tasks undertaken by the then still relatively small company.
The move in 1989 to the newly constructed company building ‘Zur Centralwerkstätte’ in Weiden marked the beginning of a phase of steady growth. microSYST tapped into new technologies such as fieldbus systems and expanded its development capacities. By the mid-1990s, the company already had 20 employees, including several trainees who have remained loyal to the company to this day: Harald Kilian continues to manage the company as a partner and managing director, supported by Manuel Rass since 2016.
Continuous growth and new business areas
Following a restructuring of the management team in 2000 and the development of new text display series, the company grew in the following years, not only in terms of staff, which increased to 25 employees, but also in terms of floor space. By renting former railway administration buildings, the production area was expanded by 300 m². This was an important expansion, as 2003 marked another milestone: with the ISO 9001 certification and the entry into the field of picking systems, microSYST once again significantly expanded its product portfolio.
After a period as part of Funkwerk AG, microSYST returned to independence in 2013 and moved into new premises in the industrial area on Neustädter Straße in the same year. Following the expansion of its production area to 2,100 m² and the introduction of a new corporate design, the company celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2015 with 60 employees. Since 2017, the new building in the industrial area in Windischeschenbach has offered the most modern production conditions and a great environment for all employees under one roof in different departments: work preparation, purchasing, development, production, warehousing, marketing, shipping and sales. Currently, around 1,000 orders are fulfilled each year. The focus is on customer interests and individual requirements on site: ‘We work on a completely customer-specific basis and can meet almost any special requirement with our modular systems and our own software,’ explains Managing Director Manuel Rass.
Training, innovation and cohesion
microSYST has always placed particular emphasis on training young talent. Since 1985, a total of 66 trainees have been supervised by the company – eight of them currently, twelve of whom are still permanent members of the team, including one of the first trainees from 1987. Many other employees who joined the company in the early 1990s are examples of the close ties and continuity that exist within the company.
microSYST has also established a name for itself internationally: from car park displays in Dubai to crane displays in England to large orders for an automotive group with sometimes over 200 large LED displays per year as andon boards – microSYST products are in use on every continent. ‘And sometimes that means working long hours late into the night,’ recalls Harald Kilian, thinking back on a very special project: ‘Stamp vending machines for Taiwan.’
Looking forward
Today, 40 years after its founding, microSYST combines the latest technology with down-to-earth values. Digitalisation, sustainability and customer-specific system solutions will be the focus in the coming years. Harald Kilian, who manages the company together with Manuel Rass, looks back proudly on a success story full of innovative strength and team spirit as the company celebrates its 40th anniversary: ‘Our strength lies in the combination of technical precision, quality and regional roots,’ he says, while also focusing on the future: ‘All of this has defined microSYST for 40 years, and that is exactly what we want to continue successfully in the coming decades with a great team.’
