The courage to innovate: Manfred Pletzer at the FH Kufstein Tirol

On 19. November 2025, Manfred Pletzer, Managing Director of the Pletzer Group, was a guest at the Management Forum Kufstein. Prof. (FH) Dr. Peter Dietrich hosted the evening and created a framework for exchange between Pletzer and the guests. Pletzer provided insights into the group of companies and showed how sustainable innovations have been a key success factor for over 60 years.

The Management Forum Kufstein is an initiative of the FH Kufstein Tirol degree programs in International Business Management, Marketing & Communication Management, and Leadership & Business Management. Several times a year, it brings together students, teachers, and interested parties with experts from the fields of business, art, and management. Lectures and discussions address current topics and trends that open up new perspectives and encourage discussion, providing practical insights directly from the business world.

Sustainable success takes time

At the Management Forum, Pletzer vividly described how foresight and courageous decisions laid the foundation for the Pletzer Group's success today. The foundation for this was laid by his father, local councilor Anton Pletzer, who joined the family business after completing his business studies and created a stable basis through his pioneering spirit and determination. Later, Pletzer himself took over the management of iDM Energiesysteme and was faced with a decisive turning point: switching production from traditional boilers to heat pumps, which were still relatively uncommon at the time.

Although this decision was initially ridiculed by industry colleagues, it proved to be a milestone and demonstrated the importance of taking forward-looking, courageous steps. “You can always wait, but when it's too late, it's too late,” Pletzer emphasized, encouraging his audience to initiate innovations early on. To this day, this courage remains a key success factor that has made the Pletzer Group a successful, diversified company not only in industry, but also in tourism and real estate.

SUSTAINABILITY AS A MISSION

The group of companies has made it its mission to develop sustainable businesses for a better future. Pletzer emphasizes that the individual business areas benefit from each other and exploit synergies: for example, the group's hotels are predominantly energy self-sufficient, running on renewable energies – made possible by decades of experience in the energy sector and by the group's own industrial companies, which supply the necessary technology. Pletzer sees this as an example of accelerated innovation processes – one of three central pillars of the corporate strategy, which also includes structural stability and financial resilience.

More efficient management through artificial intelligence

Afterwards, participants had the opportunity to ask specific questions. One student was interested in how the Pletzer Group uses artificial intelligence (AI). Pletzer explained that AI is already being used in many areas - for example, to support marketing or to intelligently control energy use. This allows heat pumps to generate energy exactly when it is needed and when conditions are particularly favorable.

Pletzer emphasized that AI is by no means intended to replace jobs. Rather, it serves to relieve employees and enable them to work more effectively, allowing the company to optimize processes while putting people at the center.

The Management Forum at the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol thus once again underscores its commitment to discussing current economic issues in a practical manner.

Links:

• iDM Energiesysteme | Website
• Management Forum Kufstein | Event Series