ATN – A FAMILY-RUN BUSINESS

In 1999, brothers Torsten and Helge Hölzel founded Applikationstechnik Neugersdorf GmbH (ATN) in Oberlausitz, Saxony. They had just one employee. With a successful track record in industrial bonding systems already behind them, they came from the pioneering generation that first introduced these systems in the automotive industry. Firmly convinced that bonding would become a core technology in industrial production, they set out with their new company to produce single components for processing glues and other fluids.

Today ATN employs over 500 people worldwide and is an international leader in industrial bonding. With subsidiaries in the USA, Brazil, China and Spain, ATN is renowned for its first-class bonding technology and as a specialist in partial and full plant automation.


ATN’s head office plays an important role in the local economy. Conscious of this, and of its responsibility as a regional employer, the company is actively involved in training, community engagement and sport. Owner Torsten Hölzel sees regional development as a key success factor for ATN’s growth. Though much has changed since the company was founded, one thing has always remained the same: ATN is a family-run business built on stability, reliability and sustainability. Torsten Hölzel’s sons now work alongside him in the management team to continue the success story that began in Oberlausitz in 1999. ATN regards its employees as family, too, nurturing long-standing careers so that the company’s development and leadership stay true to its family values.



Torsten Hölzel
OWNER & CEO

Born 1963

Power Plant electronics engineer specialized in automation technology

  • 1999 - Applikationstechnik Neugersdorf GmbH (ATN) is founded
  • 1993 - Founded his first company with his brother Helge Hölzel, mainly supplying the automotive industry
  • Since 1991 - Bonding system and automation plant programmer

We built ATN on commitment and passion. We were a classic garage startup with a small team and, initially, very few of our own products. Today we are a well-established leader in application technologies with a wide product range, an industrious R&D department, international subsidiaries and satisfied customers all over the world. We as a company – and I as CEO – take pride in the way we’ve grown. We aspire to go on developing in just the same way, true to our values.

MANAGEMENT OF THE ATN GROUP

UWE HAASE
ATN CHINA

CEO, ATN China
Born 1970

Computer Science graduate

  • As of 2010 - Managing Director, ATN China
  • 1999 - Joined ATN as a commissioning engineer and construction manager

THOMAS BRANDLER
ATN USA

Managing Director, ATN USA
Born 1988
Masters degree in Automation Technology

  • As of 2015 - Managing Director, ATN USA
  • 2013 - Productmanager
  • 2008 - Diploma in Automation (CET) with practical training at ATN

ANTONIO CARLOS FERES RUIZ
ATN BRAZIL

Managing Director, ATN Brazil
Born 1962
Mechanical Engineer

  • As of 2023 - Managing Director, ATN Brazil

JUAN JOSE SOLANO
ATN SPAIN

Site Manager, ATN Spain
Born 1981
Industrial Engineer

  • As of 2020 - Site Manager, ATN Spain

MARTIN HÖLZEL
ATN Shareholder and Authorized Representative

Born 1996
Bachelor of Engineering

  • As of 2024 - Authorized Representative
  • 2021 - Project Manager
  • 2017 - Industrial engineering degree
  • 2013 - Apprenticeship in mechatronics

The ATN story

A family-run company since 1999


ATN Hölzel GmbH brings together the very best of past and future: a strong sense of tradition combined with state-of-the-art engineering and new technologies.

ATN is helping to shape the future through innovation!

  1. 2022

    A new image

    Demand for industrial application systems and automation is constantly rising, not only in traditional fields but increasingly in new sectors and for more and more new applications. ATN’s new homepage and online store now make it even easier to buy application technology components and systems. As well as providing an enhanced service for existing customers, they offer prospective customers from new sectors improved options for implementing their technical application requirements.
    But our upgraded online presence is not the only change we’ve made. We’ve also updated our image with a new logo. Our simple yet contemporary logo represents how ATN has changed with the times, replacing the one we’ve been using for 23 years, ever since the company was founded in 1999. Our passion for engineering and for what we do definitely hasn’t changed. We’re constantly striving to provide our customers with the very best in innovative, cost-effective application system and automation solutions.

  2. 2021

    Further expansion of the company headquarters

    Due to higher order volumes and the increasing scale of plants, we had to expand our Oppach site yet again. In June we laid the foundation stone for a three-part complex to provide more space for our machine fleet, plant assembly and logistics.
  3. 2019

    20th anniversary

    On our anniversary we looked back at ATN’s successes across the board. As well as entering some new markets, we significantly expanded our in-house range of automation and application technologies. ATN was now employing over 450 people worldwide, with subsidiaries in the USA, Brazil, China and Spain.
  4. 2017

    Expansion of services in e-mobility and engineering consulting

    ATN became an e-mobility partner, having implemented a variety of automation and application systems in this field.
    We also stepped up our specialization in engineering based on our past conceptual design work. Our in-house engineering consulting department was therefore able to offer customers more extensive advice and support across a wide range of planning and implementation phases.
  5. 2015

    New technologies from ATN

    We launched our patented foaming system and our embossing system for vehicle identification numbers, bringing two of our own innovative technologies to market and immediately putting them to use with customers.
  6. 2014

    Inauguration of the new company buildings

    We inaugurated our new production and administration buildings at head office by holding an open day that attracted over 6,000 visitors. The new buildings doubled our capacity in all areas.
  7. 2013

    ATN wins entrepreneur’s award

    Company founder and CEO Torsten Hölzel was awarded the Ostdeutscher Sparkassenverband’s entrepreneurial prize in November 2013, in recognition of the company’s growth and its commitment to the region.
  8. 2013

    ATN scales up its head office in Oppach

    April 2013 saw the foundation stone ceremony for a new production and administration building. The new premises were to house an extended design and administration office for the application technology production area, a robotics and R&D test centre and the Research and Technology Development department.
  9. 2012

    Growing strong

    By late 2012, ATN was employing 250 staff at its head office in Oppach, Saxony and across its international locations. By tirelessly expanding its customer base, adopting an international focus and continuing to develop its product range, the company saw incoming orders increase to €30 million in the same year.
  10. 2010

    First international bases

    Between 2010 and 2012, ATN established its first international sites in the USA (Chattanooga), China (Changchun), Spain (Valencia) and Brazil (Saõ Paulo), triggering an increase in service quality for local customers. These two years were marked by strong growth throughout the entire company.
  11. 2009

    10th anniversary

    In January 2009, ATN Hölzel GmbH celebrated ten years in business as well as the official opening of its new headquarters. Having by now produced over 200 application and assembly systems, the company had become an application technology specialist, particularly in final assembly for the automotive industry. With over 100 staff and an annual turnover of over €11 million in these business areas, the firm continued growing at an impressive pace.
  12. 2008

    New premises

    The construction of the new company headquarters in 2008 also marked the start of ATN’s focus on developing and producing combined heat and power units. While the development was initially only planned for in-house energy supplies, it became an entire product range and a new cornerstone of the company’s services.
    In October 2008, the company moved to its new premises in Oppach, and changed its name from ATN Applikationstechnik Neugersdorf GmbH to ATN Hölzel GmbH.
  13. 2007

    Systems for the solar industry

    2007 saw ATN Applikationstechnik’s first opportunity to develop and produce systems for the solar industry. The company built one of the technical highlights of its history to date in the form of the world’s first fully automatic silicone brick joining and bonding system for Wacker Schott Solar in 2008. Meanwhile the company was still growing; space was getting tight at its headquarters in Neugersdorf. The production areas and the administration and design offices were simply no longer big enough, prompting the symbolic ground-breaking ceremony at the company’s future premises in Oppach, 15 km away, on 27 September 2007.
    The new site provided excellent infrastructure and options for further expansion, and the additional expense of the slightly longer commute for staff, most of whom came from the region around the previous location, was minimal.
    The official foundation stone ceremony was attended by Saxon Premier, Prof. Dr Georg Milbradt, and District Administrator, Günter Valentin, on 2 November 2007.
  14. 2005

    Widening the focus

    2005 and 2006 were characterised by a broader focus for ATN. In Genk, Belgium, we built our first plant for Ford – today one of our biggest customers. The fully automatic primer systems and fully automatic, bonded fitting of front seats in continuous operations were some of the new technical developments that emerged during this time.
  15. 2004

    An economic crisis

    For the first time in its history, 2004 saw the company faced with a year-on-year decline in orders due to the persistent economic crisis in Europe. This prompted ATN to expand its product range and client base – a crucial development that set a better course for the business, re-positioning it for the future.
  16. 2003

    The first fully automatic glazing and decking systems

    ATN built the first fully automatic glass gluing and decking systems for Volkswagen in Wolfsburg and Audi in Neckarsulm in 2003.
  17. 2002

    Outgrowing our space – time to relocate

    2002 marked ATN Applikationstechnik’s first relocation, prompted by a lack of space. Initially the new facility was once again at the premises of MBN Neugersdorf. With new in-house design, programming, production and project management departments, ATN’s present-day “everything under one roof” philosophy and structure began to take shape. Meanwhile Audi and Opel joined the company’s ever-increasing customer base in the German market, while ATN also expanded its activities in China.
  18. 2001

    "Gläserne Manufaktur" showcase factory in Dresden

    In 2001, in co-operation with MBN Neugersdorf, ATN Hölzel GmbH manufactured its first pure assembly system – fully automatic wheel assembly for the VW Phaeton for Volkswagen’s Gläserne Manufaktur showcase factory in Dresden. It also developed the first boostered bonding system for the automotive industry.
  19. 2000

    Our first systems for a location beyond Europe

    Soon after opening for business, ATN was already producing its first systems for a non-European location – systems for fitting cockpits, windows and DVD (roof vibration and sound damping) mats for FAW Volkswagen in Changchun.
  20. 1999

    Applikationstechnik Neugersdorf GmbH is founded

    Applikationstechnik Neugersdorf GmbH was founded by Torsten and Helge Hölzel, with partners MBN Maschinenbaubetriebe Neugersdorf GmbH and Röhr Steuerungstechnik GmbH, on 20 January 1999.
    ATN’s first headquarters were located at the premises of MBN Maschinenbaubetriebe Neugersdorf GmbH in Neugersdorf. Its first client was VW Slovakia, with an order for bonding systems for DVD (roof vibrations and sound damping mats) glue application and mounting in the VW Polo in Bratislava.
    At the end of its first year, ATN had 12 staff.