Arburg Senior Partner Eugen Hehl passed away aged 94
December 18, 2023
Eugen Hehl, Senior Partner of Arburg GmbH + Co KG, Lossburg, Germany, passed away on December 12, 2023, at the age of ninety-four. Hehl was known for his contributions to the development of Arburg’s global sales and infrastructure, as well as his strong social commitment.
As Chairman of the Management Team for many years and responsible for global sales at Arburg, Eugen Hehl significantly contributed to the company’s global success. With a technical background and a strong sales instinct, he played a decisive role in shaping the family business for more than seven decades in co-operation with his brother Karl, who passed away in 2010.
Hehl’s ideas and construction solutions gave the company a unique profile worldwide. As the Managing Partner and the ‘master builder of the company,’ he was instrumental in the global success of the family business.
In 1951, Eugen Hehl started to develop his own regional sales structures through extensive travel. By 1957, he elevated the company’s sales to an international level by participating in the first trade fair in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Throughout his life, Hehl pursued his visions with commitment. As early as 1962, he travelled to Japan and the USA to further increase machine sales.
Hehl was instrumental in construction activities at the main plant and the gradually established Arburg subsidiaries worldwide. With foresight, he partially demolished buildings in Lossburg that were between two and four years old in 1966. This was to enable grid construction, which improved future expansion alternatives on the company premises. Many Arburg subsidiaries worldwide bear a resemblance to the headquarters in terms of exterior design, making them easily recognisable.
Eugen Hehl was highly respected in his hometown of Lossburg, at Arburg, and far beyond the region, both personally and professionally. Along with his brother Karl, Eugen Hehl was recognised for his strong social commitment. They established the Gebrüder Hehl Foundation in Lossburg, which officially started its work in 1999. The foundation operates a retirement home through Bruderhaus-Diakonie, a non-profit Christian diaconal foundation in Baden-Württemberg. This home offers assisted living, short-term care, and elderly care. Eugen Hehl was also involved in church activities, including the choir of the Lossburg parish.
In November 2000, Eugen Hehl was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit by the Federal Republic of Germany for his accomplishments. In 1990, the company was awarded the Baden-Württemberg Business Medal, followed by the Baden-Württemberg Competence Award for Innovation and Quality in 2015. Other accolades include honorary citizenship of the municipality of Lossburg in November 1997, the Global Master Craftsman’s Certificate in 2005, and the Business Management Award in 2007, presented by the American Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) to Eugen and Karl Hehl for their joint life’s work.
Eugen Hehl was also inducted into the ‘Plastics Hall of Fame’ in 2015. In 2020, he was awarded the Richard Vieweg Medal of Honour, the highest award of the Association of German Engineers (VDI).
The Managing Partners, in particular Juliane and Michael Hehl – Hehl’s two children – along with their cousin Renate Keinath, who collectively represent the third generation of management, will remember him with honour and gratitude. This sentiment, it was stated, is shared by all the Managing Directors and employees.
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