Patrick Spieldiener spreads joy, with a side of safety, to amusement park thrill-seekers.
Patrick Spieldiener has had a front-row seat to the success of Intamin Amusement Rides. In his 35 years with the family business, Intamin has grown from a small company with a limited portfolio, geared mostly to markets in the US and Japan, into an international fun factory with a broad, state-of-the-art portfolio and more than 1,000 rides and attractions in operation.
With a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Patrick quickly realized how important it was to continuously implement technical innovations like maintenance-free magnetic braking units, which have become an industry standard, as well as to leverage network partners. Those efforts have positioned Intamin to push customers’ boundaries — safely — through attractions such as the Falcon’s Flight rollercoaster for Six Flags Qiddiya in Saudi Arabia, currently in production. It will be over 2 miles long and reach speeds of 155 mph.
Patrick is now promoting standardization and simplification so that less prosperous countries can afford Intamin attractions. The company also supports the maintenance and rehabilitation of existing customers’ equipment, as well as upgrades to enhance the rides over their life cycles. Patrick’s biggest dream is to achieve the same market awareness and position for Intamin’s monorail systems.