Martin Dempf and Sven Hesselbach are the new owners of BFE Studio und Medien Systeme GmbH in Mainz. As of September 1, 2023, they have taken over the company, which specializes in media technology systems, from the shareholders around the community of heirs of the founder and then owner Wolfgang Preuß, who died in 2018, and VCDE Venture Capital Partners GmbH & Co. KG, Frankfurt am Main, via a management buy-out. Martin Dempf has already been with BFE as managing director since 2021. Sven Hesselbach has been in charge of finance since the end of 2021 and was responsible for the realignment of the internal ERP system. The third managing director is Markus Greiter.

"I am extremely pleased to now hand over the company, which was built up by my husband Wolfgang Preuß with a lot of dedication and heart and soul, to committed new owners and experienced managers," explains Brigitte Preuß as representative of the community of heirs after the company founder. "It was a great concern for me personally to be able to successfully develop the immense potential of BFE, which we as a community of heirs have clearly recognized and promoted in the best possible way in our role as shareholders in the past years, in the future with new owners." 

"We have acquired an internationally successful company that we know has enormously promising growth opportunities. Our positioning as an independent systems provider is unique in the market, as we have unique opportunities to realize customer-specific requirements from a single source. We implement this in customized, integrated solutions for broadcast and media technology, for which our own production in the area of hardware and functional furniture for studio equipment at the company's site in Mainz plays an outstanding role," explains Martin Dempf.

The new owners will set up the company, which was founded in 1972 and is renowned in the industry, with its approximately 180 employees in a future-oriented manner at the Mainz and Vienna sites - in keeping with the company's tradition. "The momentum of this management buy-out has a special quality," says a delighted Martin Dempf. "It is a convincing example of successful succession planning in a rather specific, medium-sized industry. Here, the potential was recognized and it was decided not to consolidate the market by selling the company to the competition. This gives the employees and the innovative project landscape that has emerged in recent years the chance to continue writing a success story of over 50 years with new impetus." 

With planned sales of 60 million euros for 2023, the new owners are now planning to further expand the successful core business, which is in high demand. It comprises customized solutions for broadcast and media technology for national and international customers such as broadcasters. These include turnkey studio facilities, individually planned solutions for video and audio studios, mobile broadcast technology, software and network systems, and media IT. Large and small conference solutions and the technical equipment of educational institutions are just as much a part of the range as the planning and implementation of control centers for police, fire departments and private customers.

This comprehensive expertise is continuously developed and used for innovation projects. After all, up-to-date technologies must always be implemented on modern platforms. "Technological progress requires an almost permanent review and updating of existing infrastructures," explains Sven Hesselbach: "The need for modernization is an ever shorter-cycle challenge that numerous companies and organizations have to meet in order to keep their finger on the pulse with the technology standard of their own offering." "Here," adds Martin Dempf, "lies immense potential for BFE. We are also growing out of our important foundations of broadcast and media technology into new business areas. Our own hardware and software for signal control and processing plays a central role here. This combination enables us to continue developing innovative solutions for our customers in the future." Current tasks here are, for example, the planning and implementation of the control room system of the company Vattenfall in Berlin or projects for the critical infrastructure of municipal customers who rely on the solutions of BFE.

However, the know-how of BFE Studio und Medien Systeme is also increasingly in demand from other industries. The pace of innovation in digitization and automation is constantly posing new challenges. "Creating digital infrastructures that enable communication and interaction at the highest level while meeting all the necessary security standards is not a trivial requirement. We see growing demand here, for example also from planning processes for building infrastructures but also from the entire education sector," emphasizes Sven Hesselbach.

The wide range of services offered by BFE Studio und Medien Systeme GmbH forms the decisive prerequisite for realizing customer-specific requirements from a single source. This is to remain a trademark under the new owners. BFE's 360-degree perspective as a consultant, developer, system integrator and service partner will continue to be BFE's model for success in the future - with new impulses and innovative solutions in exciting business areas.