Arthur Handtman passed away
Biberach, April 16.04.2018, 14 – Arthur Handtmann, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Handtmann Group, died on April 2018, 91 at the age of XNUMX surrounded by his family. Open to new things, curious and open to people – this is how many confidants describe Arthur Handtmann's personality. Assuming social responsibility as an entrepreneur was not only a matter of course for him, it was also decisive for the economic success of his company. For him, humanity always went hand in hand with determination and straightforwardness. As the son of a Swabian father and an English mother, he was both close to his homeland and cosmopolitan. Arthur Handtmann enjoyed great respect from local and immigrant employees, from business partners at home and abroad and from many people who were in contact with him. With his death, the Handtmann family and the Handtmann group of companies lost their head, the towns of Biberach and Annaberg-Buchholz lost their honorary citizen and the Upper Swabia region lost one of the last great entrepreneurs of the post-war period.
Arthur Handtmann was born in Biberach in 1927. After being drafted and becoming a prisoner of war, he joined his parents' company in 1947. In the third generation, the mechanical engineer develops the Handtmann company from a small brass foundry into an international group of companies. His powers of judgement, his intuition and his farsightedness were decisive. During his management from 1950 to 1998, the workforce increased from 56 to 1.500 employees. Sales increased from DM 350.000 to DM 250 million. Building was his passion: new plants and buildings were erected under his leadership, first in Birkenallee in Biberach, which was later renamed Arthur-Handtmann-Straße, then in Annaberg in Saxony and in Biberach-Aspach. Arthur Handtmann focused on diversity in the business areas. Today, the Handtmann Group is active in the business areas of light metal casting, system technology, filling and portioning systems, plant technology and plastics technology. In 1998 Arthur Handtmann handed over management of the group of companies to his son Thomas. Even after that, Arthur Handtmann remained Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Handtmann Group and experienced the further development of his life's work: In 2018 Handtmann is the market leader in many areas, employs 3.600 people at 13 locations worldwide and recorded sales of 880 million euros in the past financial year.
Arthur Handtmann has received numerous awards for his social and entrepreneurial commitment. Among other things, he was an honorary citizen of the cities of Biberach an der Riss and Annaberg-Buchholz, where the group of companies has large production sites. In 2015 he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1st class, for outstanding achievements in the entrepreneurial sector and for the common good.
The funeral service for Arthur Handtmann will take place on April 27, 2018 at 13 p.m. in the Friedenskirche in Biberach an der Riss. Most of the seats will be reserved for invited guests. For the employees and pensioners of the Handtmann Group, the funeral service will be broadcast in suitable premises in the plants.
Arthur Handtmann (*February 27, 1927, † April 14, 2018) (Source: Handtmann)
