Rudolf Weber

Rudolf belongs to the expert network of former AZT colleagues (Allianz Center for Technology) and supports the Expert Centre for Technology / Experten Zentrum für Technik (EZT) and its clients with his expertise.

Rudolf entered the AZT in 1985 as a technical expert for materials engineering. His areas of expertise are damage investigations, especially on corrosion and corrosion protection, damages with plastics and coatings.

He graduated in 1985 from the Technical University of Aalen with a Dipl.-Ing (FH) degree of Applied Surface and Material Sciences.

Heinz Hofbauer

Heinz is part of the expert network of former AZT colleagues (Allianz Center for Technology) and supports the Expert Center for Technology (EZT) and its customers with his expertise.

Heinz joined AZT in 1988 with a specialization in machine diagnostics and damage investigation.

In 1990, he moved to Stadtwerke München. There, he initially worked as a commissioning engineer for the pulverized coal-fired 1000 t/h steam generator at the Munich North combined heat and power plant. After commissioning, he worked as a production engineer. In 1996, he moved internally to the Technical Management of Munich’s inner-city power plants.

Heinz rejoined Allianz Versicherung SE in 1998. He worked in various positions as a claims engineer for national and international clients, mainly in the energy sector. As a group leader, he was responsible for claims processing for technical insurance in southern Germany and the new federal states. For the last 10 years until the end of 2022, he dealt with global claims transactions in the corporate customer sector, especially in the wind-offshore segment.

Heinz completed his mechanical engineering studies as Dipl.Ing. (FH) in 1988 at the University of Applied Sciences in Munich. His focus was on machine diagnostics and measurement technology.

Rainer Servais

Rainer came from AGCS SE (Allianz Global Cororate & Specialty) as Senior Risk Consultant for Civil Engineering to Expert Centre for Technology in 08/2022.
Rainer entered Allianz Insurance SE in 1988 and worked more than 30 years in several different roles and units as an underwriter and a risk consultant for large national and international construction and erection projects as well as industrial insurance programs.
During that time, he also attended the working group of the German Insurance Association / Gesamtverband der Versicherer (GDV) in Berlin for the revision of the German Civil Construction Insurance Conditions.
Before joining Allianz SE, Rainer worked 1 year for Kling Consult in DE-Krumbach designing small hydro power plants and 3 years for Jaeschke and Preuss GmbH in Duisburg as local site manager on railway bridge projects and sewer systems.
The Luxembourg native graduated in 1983 from the Technical University of Munich with a Diplom-Ingenieur of Civil Engineering degree. He focused in university in hydropower plants and construction management.

Florian Preis

Florian founded the Expert Center for Technology / Experten Zentrum für Technik (EZT) by the end of 2021, together with former AZT colleagues (Allianz Center for Technology). EZT aims to tie in with the previous activities of AZT, which were stopped in Q4/2021, and offers a comparable service catalogue.

Florian entered the AZT in 2015 as a technical expert for electrical engineering and turbomachinery. His areas of expertise are damage investigations and risk consulting, especially on electrical equipment, electrical machines, wind turbines, and PV power plants. The conducted investigations consist of design reviews, operational data analyses as well as laboratory analyses.

Before specialising in damage investigations at AZT, he worked for 5 years at Allianz Versicherungs AG as a Claims Engineer for Engineering Insurance, especially for steam turbines, electrical equipment and wind turbines. Prior to that role, Florian worked as a commissioning lead engineer for industrial steam turbines and air-cooled turbo generators for Siemens AG, and as a commissioning engineer for hydro generators and excitation systems for Voith Siemens Hydro GmbH.

He graduated in 2004 from the University of Applied Sciences of Cologne / TH Köln with a Diplom-Ingenieur (FH) of Electrical Engineering degree. In 2006, he finished an extra-study at TH Köln with a Master of Electrical Engineering degree.

Dr. Bernhard Persigehl

Bernhard founded the Expert Center for Technology / Experten Zentrum für Technik (EZT) by the end of 2021, together with former AZT colleagues (Allianz Center for Technology). EZT aims to tie in with the previous activities of AZT, which were stopped in Q4/2021, and offers a comparable service catalogue.

Bernhard entered the AZT in 2012 as a technical expert for turbomachinery. His areas of expertise are damage investigations and risk consulting, especially on rotating equipment in the power generation industry, e.g. gas or diesel engines, steam or gas turbines as well as diverse compressor models or pumps. The conducted investigations consist of design surveys, operational data analyses as well as metallurgical laboratory analyses.

Before specialising in damage investigations at turbo machines at AZT he worked for 5 years at the RWTH Aachen University, Institute for Yet Propulsion and Turbomachinery as scientific assistant. His main scope of work was the development of the turbo machines for a CO2-free lignite-fired power plant.

Prior to that role, Bernhard worked for IABG mbH at Munich in decommissioning and dismantling of nuclear power stations for 2 years.

He graduated in 2004 from the Technical University of Munich with a Master of Mechanical Engineering degree. In 2006, he finished an extra-study in Nuclear Engineering. In 2012, Bernhard graduated from RWTH Aachen University with a Ph. D. of Mechanical Engineering.

Dr. Johannes Stoiber

Johannes belongs to the expert network of former AZT colleagues (Allianz Center for Technology) and supports the Expert Center for Technology / Experten Zentrum für Technik (EZT) and its clients with his expertise.

Johannes entered the AZT in 1996 as a technical expert for materials engineering. His areas of expertise are damage investigations, especially on high temperature applications in the power generation industry, e.g. gas or diesel engines, steam or gas turbines. He became head of the AZT Laboratory in 2001 and was appointed to the managing director of ARC GmbH in 2012.

efore joining the AZT he worked for three years as project leader in the central laboratory of ABB in Baden (CH). His main scope of work was failure analysis in the area of gas turbines and the development of repair technologies (brazing and welding) for advanced gas turbine materials (directionally solidified alloys and single crystals).

He graduated in 1988 from the Technical University of Erlangen with a Master degree of Materials Engineering. In 1993, he graduated from EPFL “Ecole Fédérale de Lausanne” with a Ph. D. in Metal Physics.

Dr. Thomas Meschede

Thomas used to work for Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty (AGCS) as Head of Allianz Risk Consulting Central and Eastern Europe (ARC CEE). The Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) was a unit of ARC CEE. He joined AGCS in 2012 and stayed until his retirement in 2021. His area of expertise is management, customer liaison and support, and industrial risk management. Prior to working for AGCS Thomas run the German and Eastern European subsidiaries of various international engineering companies and the liability risk management unit of an international insurance company.

He graduated from the Leibniz University of Hannover, Germany, and the University of Wuppertal, Germany with a Diploma and Dr. – Ing. in Civil Engineering.

Felix Liedtke

Felix founded the Expert Center for Technology / Experten Zentrum für Technik (EZT) by the end of 2021, together with former AZT colleagues (Allianz Center for Technology). EZT aims to tie in with the previous activities of AZT, which were stopped in Q4/2021, and offers a comparable service catalogue.

Felix joined AZT in 2019 as technical expert for welding and non-destructive testing of ferreous and non-ferreous metals. His areas of expertise are failure and damage investigations, especially on welded components in the power generation industry. He used the wide range of NDT and laboratory capabilities available at AZT to investigate the cause of technical failures. Besides, he is consultant for non-destructive and destructive testing.

Before specialising in failure analyses at AZT he worked for 2 ½ years as failure analyst for WS Essen and 5 years as quality surveyor for pressure vessels manufactured according to European and US-American standards for TÜV NORD. He graduated in 2011 from the University of Duisburg-Essen with a Master degree (Dipl.-Ing.) in Mechanical Engineering.

Thomas Gellermann

Thomas belongs to the expert network of former AZT colleagues (Allianz Center for Technology) and supports the Expert Center for Technology / Experten Zentrum für Technik (EZT) and its clients with his expertise.
Thomas joined Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) in 2000 as a technical expert for turbomachinery. His areas of expertise are machinery diagnostics and damage investigations, especially on rotating equipment in the power generation industry. He uses the wide range of vibration analysis capabilities to troubleshoot rotordynamic problems and is also a consultant for vibration monitoring solutions. He holds the highest level of certification for vibration analysts according to ISO 18436-2, CAT IV.
Related to vibration issues of turbomachinery he has performed and managed several comprehensive investigations on steam, gas and hydro turbines, as well as load measurements on wind turbine drive trains. For many years he has been a member of the advisory panel for conferences of the Association of German Engineers (VDI) and the chairman of the working group “Measurement and Evaluation of Mechanical Vibration of Wind Turbines” of the national standard committee VDI/ NALS.
Before specializing in machinery diagnostics at AZT, he worked for 6 years at the turbine manufacturer MAN Turbo in Oberhausen as a service engineer for gas turbine units. He graduated in 1993 from the University of Dortmund with a Master degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Gudrun Stronski

Gudrun worked as professional photographer for the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) since 1988.
Her task was the photographic documentation of damaged components and fracture surfaces at the laboratory of AZT. This implied photos in her own photo studio, but also mobile photography in the lab as well as onsite.
Since the integration of AZT into the Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty (AGCS) in 2008, she was additionally responsible for the photographic documentation of meetings or events within the AGCS.