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IST celebrates its 30th anniversary

On Saturday, August 21, 2021, Innovative Sensor Technology IST AG popped the corks and celebrated its 30th birthday in glorious weather.

30 Jahre IST AG Geschenkübergabe Churfirsten
30 Jahre IST AG Geschenkübergabe Glocke
30 Jahre IST AG Fussballturnier
30 Jahre IST AG Volleyballturnier
30 Jahre IST AG Volleyballturnier

On Saturday, August 21, 2021, Innovative Sensor Technology IST AG popped the corks and celebrated its 30th birthday in brilliant weather.

What started as a 4-man operation in Wattwil developed into a Toggenburg success story. The sensor manufacturer now employs over 400 people worldwide in a wide variety of professions, about half of them in Ebnat-Kappel.

A celebration was organized for these employees on Saturday, enlivening the center of Ebnat-Kappel. In the afternoon, the Gill sports field was taken over, where 3 teams each competed in traditional tournaments in volleyball and soccer. One team each from Switzerland, the Czech Republic and the "rest of the world" took part, cheered on by the spectators present. Team Switzerland did not manage to defend its title in football and lost it to the "Rest of the World" team: but the Ebnat-Kapplers were able to secure the volleyball trophy. A games course with a bouncy castle provided enthusiasm for the employees' offspring.

Farewell to Mirko Lehmann
However, the event had one downer: part of the evening program in a marquee on the IST grounds was the official farewell of Mirko Lehmann, who was unable to attend the event in person due to a Covid-19 infection within his family. So he was forced to receive his honors and gifts virtually. A picture of the Churfirsten as well as a cowbell, which was carried into the marquee by "Urmi", were to remind him of his time at IST AG.

"Mirko has successfully led the company for 14 years. Continuing this history is a challenge I am looking forward to," says Jörn Lützen, CEO of IST AG, and adds: "But I am confident that we will successfully master the future because I can count on a great team. Without our daily dedicated staff, who often go the extra mile, we would not be where we are today. That's why we were keen to celebrate our 30th anniversary with as large a proportion of our workforce as possible. The staging of the event was uncertain for a long time, but thanks to the protection concept with on-site rapid tests, it was possible to have a great party together with a 90-strong delegation from our plant in Roznov, Czech Republic and 14 employees from our subsidiary IST Innuscreen in Berlin, as well as our vendors from Ireland, USA and India."

After the official part with dinner, the rock band "Bollocks" heated up the atmosphere in the IST canteen. The DJ that followed had the staff dancing the night away until the early hours.

Outlook
IST AG continues to focus on growth. With the acquisition of IST Innuscreen (formerly AJ Innuscreen) from Berlin last year, the product portfolio was expanded to include DNA and RNA extraction kits. In addition, IST AG will expand its production facility in the Czech Republic to meet increased demand. The subsidiary Jobst Technologies GmbH in Freiburg will also move into a new, larger building next year to have more space for the development and production of biosensors.