Helge Thielbein

Helge Thielbein, Head of the Research and Development Department, has no such thing as a favorite material - he loves them all. Which is probably why he feels so at home at Deutsche Werkstätten. Thielbein is convinced, “Nowhere else can you find such a wide range of materials in combination with the most extraordinary design concepts: At least not in a joinery.” Thielbein is a trained carpenter and cabinet maker. After completing his apprenticeship in his hometown of Aschersleben, he spent seven years working as a carpenter and painter for a Berlin company. This was an important time for him. “Thanks to the practical experience in Berlin, I have a better understanding of the problems my colleagues face in production.”

After studying wood technology, Thielbein joined the Research and Development (R&D) Department of Deutsche Werkstätten in 2010. He is responsible for material tests, the development of reproducible technologies and environmental requirements.

The department, including its own laboratory, has become a vital resource supporting other units throughout the company. “There is hardly a department that I do not deal with.” He particularly enjoys the communication with a wide range of people and the fact that the project teams are constantly being rearranged depending on the task at hand.

Thielbein is not only known as the person who can identify and demonstrate material alternatives. Recently he has also made a name for himself with a particularly viscous substance: Since 2017, he and his son have been keeping bee colonies on the Hellerau site. Guests and colleagues are regularly treated to the delights of the honey produced here.