Helmut Ehmann in memoriam

Kraiburg has announced the sudden passing of “friend and former colleague” Helmut Ehmann. Ehmann died suddenly and unexpectedly on Wednesday 28 October 2015 at the age of 74 due to “the debilitating effects following a critical illness”.

As a member of the sales team, Helmut was in very close contact with customers, and his relationship with Kraiburg lasted for more than 40 years, continuing beyond his retirement. He played a major part in the successful positioning of Kraiburg in the European retreading markets, initially in Bavaria and Austria, then in north-west Germany, Denmark and Benelux. After the fall of the “Iron Curtain”, Helmut was one of the first to stand up and embrace the opportunities arising with the opening of the former GDR, Poland, the Baltic States and south-east Europe.

Writing in an obituary for their friend and colleague, Kraiburg representatives said: “We respectfully mourn the passing of a ‘Kraiburg institution’ who was an active source of support and counsel to us right until the very end and who did not merely work in the retreading business but put his heart and soul into it and helped to shape the industry with his enthusiasm and passion. Grieve for a friend who set an example to all of us, modelling the values of loyalty, generosity, dependability and fairness – virtues which are generally felt to be in short supply nowadays. We miss you Helmut.”