Acontis Technologies, the German industrial automation software company, is set to undergo a generational shift in leadership as its founders prepare to hand operational control to a new management team at the start of next year.
The Weingarten-based group said that Christoph Widmann and Stefan Zintgraf, who founded Acontis more than 20 years ago, will step back from executive management on 1st January 2026. The pair will be succeeded by Cyril Eyssautier and Thomas Waggershauser, both long-serving figures in the industrial automation sector.
Eyssautier, who has spent over two decades at Acontis, is regarded as a leading specialist in EtherCAT technology and the company’s hypervisor software. He will take responsibility for the technical and market development of the product portfolio.
Waggershauser, whose background includes senior roles in sales, marketing, and product management, will concentrate on strategic market positioning and growth.
Although relinquishing day-to-day control, Widmann and Zintgraf will remain with the company in senior advisory and product-focused positions. Widmann will become Senior Product Manager, leading the development of central product lines, while Zintgraf will serve as Senior Consultant and Global Key Account Manager, overseeing critical partnerships and complex strategic projects.
“After more than two decades at the helm, this is the right moment to pass leadership to the next generation,” Zintgraf said. Widmann added that the transition would allow the founders to return to their “technical passion”, strengthening the company’s innovation efforts.
Acontis, best known for its EC-Master EtherCAT MainDevice Stack—deployed in more than 1.5 million controllers worldwide—also supplies tools for configuring, diagnosing, and simulating EtherCAT systems, as well as real-time hypervisor solutions for industrial applications. Its customers include leading control-system manufacturers, global machine builders, and technology companies across multiple sectors.
