PRESS RELEASE
SurFunction strengthens management team with Alexander Hornung (CSO) and Dr. Daniel Müller (CTO)
Saarbrücken, September 11, 2025 – SurFunction GmbH, an innovation leader in the field of laser-based surface functionalization based on nature’s model, is further expanding its management team.
With Alexander Hornung as the new Chief Sales Officer (CSO), a proven market expert will take over responsibility for global sales, business development, and further growth. In addition, Dr. Daniel Müller has been appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and will be responsible for the technological development of the ELIPSYS® platform and all research and development activities.
With this expansion of its management team, SurFunction is sending a clear signal for growth, innovation, and the consistent implementation of its vision for a new technology platform for sustainable surface systems.
Alexander Hornung brings more than 15 years of international experience in technology development, business development, and strategic leadership to the table. As Global Technology Manager at Stäubli AG, he built a global innovation network and successfully established new business models. In his new role as CSO, he will focus in particular on expanding the international sales network and market penetration of SurFunction.
Dr. Daniel Müller has been Technical Director at SurFunction for several years and recently completed his doctorate at Saarland University with summa cum laude honors. In his thesis, he investigated the use of ultrashort pulsed lasers in innovative DLIP processes for biomedical applications. It is particularly noteworthy that his structures have even been successfully used on the International Space Station (ISS). With his appointment as CTO, he assumes responsibility for all technological developments and the expansion of SurFunction’s research activities.
“With Alexander Hornung and Daniel Müller, we are gaining two outstanding members for our management team. Their expertise in sales and cutting-edge technologies will significantly advance SurFunction – both in terms of international market expansion and the technological excellence of our ELIPSYS® platform,” says Dr. Dominik Britz, co-founder and managing director of SurFunction.
SurFunction as a pioneer of sustainable surface systems
The personnel changes come at a time of significant success:
• By integrating fiber laser technologies into the modular ELIPSYS® platform, SurFunction has laid the foundation for a new industrial generation of sustainable surface systems. This makes DLIP economically scalable for the first time and opens up disruptive fields of application in medical technology, microelectronics, aviation, energy, and mobility.• ELIPSYS® also offers the possibility of combining DLIP with other nanotechnologies in a targeted manner. This could lead to the development of groundbreaking hybrid surface systems in the future that set new standards in terms of functionality, sustainability, and industrial applicability.
• In order to tap into this potential in an even more targeted manner, SurFunction recently completed the acquisition of Surcoatec AG. This strategic expansion strengthens the company’s position as an integrated provider of innovative surface solutions and opens up additional synergies in research, development, and industrial implementation.
“SurFunction is at a turning point, both technologically and organizationally. Together with our partners, we will redefine surface technologies – efficiently, sustainably, and internationally scalable,” explains Alexander Hornung (CSO). “I am delighted to be able to help shape the technological development of SurFunction in my new role as CTO. Recent research has demonstrated the potential of DLIP for high-tech applications – even for use in space. We now want to consistently translate this strength into market-relevant solutions,” adds Dr. Daniel Müller (CTO).