Werner Doppstadt, founder and long-time CEO of the Doppstadt Group, based in Velbert, Germany, died on 20th April at the age of 77. In the course of nearly five decades as the company’s CEO, he led the family enterprise, which was established in 1965, to international success. Born in Homberg, Germany, he first transformed his parents’ farm into an agricultural contracting business together with his wife Hedwig and his brother Josef. In 1970 Werner Doppstadt developed the PUMA cleaning machine and laid the foundation for the rise of the company to a globally operating specialist for environmental and recycling technology. Today the group with around 700 employees is one of the world's leading machine manufacturers in the field of recycling and environmental technology and resource recovery. In 2012 Mr Doppstadt passed on the management of the firm to his son Ferdinand.

Doppstadt Group employees will remember Werner Doppstadt as a passionate developer and CEO. He was a man who always tackled projects with great courage and completed them with strong support of his wife and his brother. As a mechanical engineer, Werner Doppstadt could mainly be characterised by his curiosity, his innovative spirit and his foresight as regards customers’ needs and the market. Keeping an attentive, analytical eye on his environment, he led the group of enterprises to success. He always focused on possibilities, not on problems, and invested his whole energy and financial resources in the further development of the enterprise.

Thanks to his courage and entrepreneurial spirit, Werner Doppstadt was held in high esteem by employees and enjoyed their confidence. His customers and suppliers always valued him as a competent partner. With his sense of humour and pragmatism he was a well liked employer and provided valuable support to his team. www.doppstadt.de
 

The late Werner Doppstadt, founder and long-time CEO of the Doppstadt Group.

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