Out of school he obtained a position as a product developer and assistant technical manager at Firma Ritter Aluminum GmbH[6] Esslingen am Neckar.
Robert Bosch GmbH even went on to publish a book called “The Influence of Ergonomics on the Design of Power Tools” [10] based on Slany’s recommendations to share with all their engineers and to follow up a traveling exhibition (Europe only) they sponsored called, “Making work easier: Ergonomics for power tools”.
He said, "Früher arbeiteten Gestalter oft isoliert und mit künsterlischen Gestaltungskriterien, beeinflußt durch unterschiedliche kulturelle Anschauungsterndenzen.
"[14] Slany along with six other professional industrial designers that later were referred to in publications and in the media as the "7", joined together to found the VDID in 1959.
They believed that designers needed an association to promote professional advocacy, support them in both legal and educational issues, and to represent the profession to the public.
He sold part of his shares in the company to two of his managers, Reinhard Renner and Klaus Schoen and changed the firm's name to Slany Design TEAMS.
Finally when he retired in 1996, he was awarded the highest honor in Germany for lifetime service, the Bundesverdienstkreuz[20] by then Federal President Roman Herzog.
A lot of Slany's founding philosophies are at the heart of the firm today, now expanding across 4 countries (Germany, Serbia, United States and China) with 5 offices in Esslingen, Hamburg, Belgrade, Chicago, and Shanghai.