Prof. Dr.-Ing. Berthold Schlecht studied mechanical engineering at the Gerhart-Mercator-University of Duisburg, Germany, where in 1993 he obtained his doctoral degree on the optimization of vertical conveyors. He was then employed by Krupp Fördertechnik GmbH, Lübeck, Germany, ultimately serving as head of design for Open Pit Mining Technology. From September 1999 to April 2002 he was managing director of Maschinen-und Stahlbau Dresden, a company of the Herrenknecht AG, and managing director of Schlosser-Pfeiffer GmbH, a Bilfinger + Berger AG company. Since January 2001 Schlecht holds the Chair of Machine Elements at the Technische Universität Dresden, with specialization in drive technology, fatigue strength calculation and multibody system simulation.