Rehau is mourning the loss of company founder and honorary president Helmut Wagner who passed away last Sunday at the age of 95 in Switzerland surrounded by his family.
Jobst Wagner, Helmut’s son and president of the supervisory board, said: “The great sympathy for the passing of our father comes from many regions of the world. We are very touched by this as a family.”
“It shows how great the legacy will be that Helmut Wagner has left behind as one of the pioneers of modern industry, as a courageous creator and unwavering visionary.”
He added: “We will honour the memory of Helmut Wagner by resolutely continuing his impressive work. His entrepreneurial spirit will continue to guide us in the future.”
Helmut Wagner has been shaping the world of plastics since 1948 and has thus given important stimuli to an entire industry. The founding of the company in the city of Rehau, Upper Franconia, Germany, marked the beginning of the manufacture of products made of polymer materials and thus the success story of a family-owned company that is still strongly characterised by the pioneering spirit of the company founder.
After five decades of successful development of the company, Helmut Wagner handed over the management of the corporation to his sons in 2000: Jobst Wagner became chairman of the supervisory board and Dr. Veit Wagner, vice chairman.
The third generation are already active in shaping the family business. In 2015, Rehau city council paid a special tribute to the founder of Rehau. Helmut Wagner was appointed the first honorary citizen since the end of the Second World War.
Today, it is an internationally operating family business with 20,000 employees at more than 170 locations worldwide. “We owe this in particular to the vision and courage of Helmut Wagner,” said William Christensen, chief executive officer of the Rehau Group.
“In deep mourning and sincere gratitude for the achievements of the company’s founder, the Rehau family is especially united in these days,” he added.