Dipl.-Ing. After concluding his training as a telecommunications technician and his studies of Electrical Engineering at the University of Wuppertal in 1981, Werner Katzschner spent five years as scientific assistant at the Heinrich-Hertz-Institut für Nachrichtentechnik Berlin GmbH and at the Institute of Microstructure Technology at the Frauenhofer Gesellschaft in Berlin with focus on development of process- and equipment technologies for semiconductor industries.

This was followed by two years of activity at Leybold AG as a manager in the area of developing vacuum processing technology. As of 1990, Werner Katzschner was responsible for the marketing and sale of semiconductor production plants for two Japanese companies, Kokusai Electric Europe GmbH and EBARA Deutschland GmbH.

After concluding a special project in 1997, he assumed the management of Marketing and Sales in the Crystal Pulling Division of Leybold Systems GmbH. In June 1999, he was appointed Deputy Member of the Board of Directors of ALD Vacuum Technologies AG. Since March 2001 Werner Katzschner is Full member of the Board of Directors.