Эрвин Юнкер

Портрет Erwin Junker

Erwin Junker (15 апреля 1930 года - 13 июля 2024 года) был немецким производителем, который был владельцем и основателем группы Junker .

Ранняя жизнь и образование

Erwin Junker родился 15 апреля 1930 года в Блэк Фордж городке Норрах , недалеко от Оффенбурга , Германия, чтобы писать владельцев мельницы Zäzilia и Ludwig Junker в качестве самых старых из пяти детей. После посещения начальной школы в округе Колони он три года работал в компании своих родителей. Однако вместо того, чтобы захватить бизнес своих родителей, как и традиция, Эрвин Юнкер выбрал карьеру в области машиностроения. В 1947 году он начал ученичество в компании HAAS. Через год он перешел на прототип компании в Zell Am Harmersbach , где он работал с 1948 по 1962 год. Начиная с работы в качестве ученика, он прошел путь, чтобы стать помощником инженера -механика, прежде чем продолжить свое образование, чтобы получить степень магистра. Полем Впоследствии он переехал в отдел машиностроения, где он был ответственным или обучающим учеником в течение 10 лет. Это было здесь, где он также изобрел полностью автоматизированную машину для шлифования кончиков машинного прививки. Он был назначен в начальник департамента и вскоре также назначил вновь созданный отдел шлифовальной машины. После некоторых разногласий с руководством он подал в отставку и основал свою собственную компанию.

Manufacturer

Grain mill in Nordrach, Germany

In 1962, after receiving his master craftsman’s diploma at the age of 28, and backed by a 15,000 DM guarantee from his father and 8,000 DM of his own savings, Erwin Junker founded the company “Erwin Junker Maschinen- und Apparatebau” in Nordrach. He threw all his energy into his business, which was based in a former grain mill, sometimes working up to twenty hours a day and spending up to 250 days a year on business trips. On these trips, Erwin Junker formed many connections which helped him to expand his business abroad. He also maintained trade relations with China and the Soviet Union as one of the first businesses to do so. In the following years, the company premises around the mill continued to grow and the business expanded internationally. In 1992, Erwin Junker decided to take over three Czech grinding machine manufacturers. In 1995, LTA Lufttechnik GmbH, a manufacturer of filtration systems, became part of the Junker Group. And finally, Brazilian grinding machine manufacturer ZEMA Zselics Ltda. also joined the company group in 2015. In August 2016, the entrepreneur founded the Erwin Junker Manufacturer Foundation. In doing so, Erwin Junker paved the way for maintaining the current structure of the JUNKER Group, ensuring that it does not end up fragmented and in third-party hands and will instead be able to continue to operate successfully on the global market. As of 2018, the JUNKER Group has over 1500 employees at 14 sites.

Innovations

Machine with Quickpoint

Even as a child, Erwin Junker had an exceptional talent for invention. Growing up in Nordrach, where, for example, replacement parts for his gramophone were not readily available, he simply built the parts himself. As of 2018, the Junker Group has filed over 80 patents, including groundbreaking technology for the grinding industry. Erwin Junker also holds the rights to his Quickpoint technology, invented in 1984, which aligns the abrasive wheel to the tool axis. With this new point grinding, it was possible to handle all possible contours in one setup in just a single clamping operation. The computer-controlled grinding wheel moves along the programmed contour with pinpoint accuracy and machines almost any material from plastic to carbide.

Political, social and cultural activities

Erwin Junker had a strong connection to his home community. At the age of 24, he started running the local Horex motorcycle club, and at 29, became the head of the volunteer fire brigade. He also was involved in organizing the preservation and renovation of the local church. In 1962, Erwin Junker was elected into the town council and received more votes than any other candidate in Nordrach before him. For the following decade, he was the acting mayor. He was also elected to the supervisory board for the Volksbank in Zell and was a member of the advisory board for a trade association. Furthermore, in 1968, Erwin Junker was named an honorary commander of the voluntary fire brigade in Nordrach, in recognition of his exceptional contributions. In 1987, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit. Ultimately, he sent this back, as a response to his disappointment in the German state. In 1990, he was named an honorary citizen of Nordrach in recognition of his efforts.

Social involvement

Windeck castle

In 2018, Erwin Junker purchased the late-romantic Windeck castle in Bühl, Baden, thereby preserving this historic monument. He also owned the Finkenzeller Hof in Nordrach.

Miscellaneous

The Junker Group own several company helicopters and aircraft so that they can, for example, quickly take customers and spare parts from A to B and be rapidly available at the Czech and German sites.

Personal life and death

Junker married Marlies Junker (née Marlies Nennker, born 1942) in 1997. He had a daughter, Ingeborg Junker (born 1959), and a son, Manfred Junker (1960–2023), both from his first marriage.

Junker died on 13 July 2024, at the age of 94.

Writings

• Erwin Junker: Erwin Junker – The Manufacturer: My Life Story Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2018, ISBN 978-3-7528-7994-0
• Burg Windeck

External links

• Website of the JUNKER Group