We get competition

When we moved from Niederhasli to Freienstein, we lost one of the CLASSIC vehicles. Where did it end up? A year later, I read an advertisement about the opening of a new sales outlet for senior citizens' vehicles called LASTRON. I went there, of course. Markus Frey was explaining his new vehicles to some guests. He did not want me at the celebration. In no uncertain terms, he instructed me to leave him alone.
Markus Frey and I had met many years ago. At that time, I was training to be a machine mechanic at the Metalworkers' School in Winterthur (MSW). In one of the rare school excursions, we were allowed to visit a very innovative company in Pfungen. The company Laserworks, founded by Mr Furrer. At the time, this company was the first to manufacture laser cutting machines. According to their own statement, they had invented these machines. Markus Frey was the sales manager of this company. He took us trainees on a tour of their development department and production. I was impressed. He showed us which machine had just been built for Japan, which for Denmark and which for a German customer. He told us about the tremendous precision of the gears and the enormous cutting power of the lasers. I was overwhelmed.
Shortly afterwards, the director of our training centre, Max Fischer, solemnly told us that this same company, Laserworks, was looking for two new employees. Mr. Furrer and Mr. Frey were impressed by our school class and two of us were allowed to apply. He himself wanted to make sure that only the best apprentices applied. After all, he wanted us students to bring fame and honour to him personally and to the MSW. That sunk in. So, I was not allowed to apply. I wasn't good enough as a mechanic. I had no choice but to continue going to school. In spite of myself, I didn't want to stick to mechanics, but wanted to study electronics. Two other MSW apprentices who had left got jobs at Laserworks. The company's machines were very good, but much more expensive than competing products. So, this wonderful company fell apart and eventually Mr. Furrer and his team only made laser parts to order.
Markus went to this same company with our CLASSIC and convinced his old partner to invest and make all the vehicles for him, which he would sell by the hundreds. The LASTRON was born. There were a few examples and Markus was obviously the salesman. The vehicles had some technical peculiarities. Mr Furrer understood his work. They were not beautiful. They were clunky and quite awkward to drive. But Markus Frey was an excellent salesman.
Unfortunately, he fell seriously ill shortly after starting the company. He could no longer speak and consequently could no longer sell anything. He died a few months later. Life can be really cruel!
Mr. Furrer had to step in as a salesman and sell the vehicles he produced himself. We exchanged phone calls from time to time and supplied each other with material when one of us needed something. In a later design, the DXP, I even took up two ideas that I had seen for the first time in Mr Furrer's vehicle: the rear wheel suspension and also the longitudinal and height adjustment of the driver's seat.
Of course, we were competitors on the market.

I learned in the process:

• I do well to concentrate on my own products and not on the competition.
• You can also work together with competitors
• One man's joy is another man's sorrow.