Eugen Hehl, senior partner of German injection molding machine producer Arburg GmbH + Co KG and a member of the Plastics Hall of Fame, passed away on Dec. 12 at age 94.
Hehl, a master mechanic by training, spent more than 70 years working for the father-founded Arburg family business. According to a statement released by Arburg on December 14, Hehl “played a key role in the company’s global success.” The corporation stated that “in 1951, [he] began to build up his own, initially regional, sales structures by traveling extensively.”
He increased the company’s sales to a global level as early as 1957 by taking part in the inaugural trade show in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.and in order to increase machine sales even further, he visited the United States and Japan as early as 1962.
Hehl, who is 94 years old, was a member of the Plastics Hall of Fame and had a significant role in Arburg for over 70 years.
Collaborating with his brother Karl Hehl, who departed from this life in 2010, Eugen Hehl “provided the company with an unparalleled global recognition,” according to Arburg. As the “master builder of the company,” he was a management partner who was crucial to the family business’s success on a global scale.
Eugen Hehl oversaw the creation of Arburg subsidiaries all over the world in addition to carrying out construction projects at the company’s main factory in Lossburg, according to Arburg. Arburg stated, “With vision, he ordered the partial demolition of two- to four-year-old buildings in Lossburg in 1966 to allow for what is known as grid construction and thus improve future expansion alternatives on the company premises.”
“The external design of many Arburg subsidiaries worldwide is similar to that of the headquarters, making them easily identifiable.”
Eugen Hehl received the Federal Cross of Merit from the Federal Republic of Germany in November 2000 in recognition of his accomplishments. The Golden Master Craftsman’s Certificate in 2005 and honorary citizenship from the municipality of Lossburg in November 1997 are two further honors. In recognition of their collaborative life’s work, Eugen and Karl Hehl received the Business Management Award from the American Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) in 2007.
In recognition of his life’s effort, Eugen Hehl was admitted into the Plastics Hall of Fame in 2015. Additionally, he was given the Association of German Engineers’ highest honor, the Richard Vieweg Medal of Honour, in 2020.