Mourning for Dr.-Ing. Gustav Theodor Wuppermann

Mourning for Dr.-Ing. Gustav Theodor Wuppermann

Dr.-Ing. Gustav Theodor Wuppermann passed away on 20 January 2022 at his home in Leverkusen-Schlebusch. He was 92 years old.

Leverkusen, 25 January 2022 | Dr.-Ing. Gustav Theodor Wuppermann was closely associated with the Wuppermann family business for more than 60 years. For two and a half decades he was managing director of Theodor Wuppermann GmbH in Leverkusen: The rolling mill in Schlebusch was the second largest employer in Leverkusen until the mid-1980s with up to 2,500 employees. He then managed Wuppermann GmbH and became its advisory board chairman in 1995. After the transformation into a stock corporation, he became chairman of the supervisory board in 2000 and honorary chairman of the supervisory board of Wuppermann AG in 2010. He remained so until his death.

After completing a degree in engineering at the Technical University of Karlsruhe, the University of Cambridge and the Rhenish-Westphalian Technical University (RWTH) in Aachen, a subsequent commercial apprenticeship and stays abroad in Belgium, France, the USA and Canada with work in various steel companies, Dr.-Ing. Wuppermann took over the development department of the Leverkusen rolling mill Theodor Wuppermann GmbH in 1957. In 1960 he was appointed managing director and led the company as a fourth-generation family member for 25 years through turbulent times in the steel industry. In 1982 he received his doctorate in engineering from the RWTH Aachen.

After the sale of the rolling mill to Krupp Stahl AG and the subsequent closure of the plant, the graduate engineer took on further management positions in the remaining Wuppermann companies until 1994. After his active work, he remained closely associated with the family business as Chairman of the Supervisory Board and later as Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board until his death.

“We mourn the loss of Dr.-Ing. Gustav Theodor Wuppermann with his family members. He left a lasting mark on the development of the Wuppermann Group: for more than 60 years, the preservation and success of the Wuppermann Group were at the centre of his actions. We will always remember his personal commitment, his helpfulness and his personal dedication to both the employees and the owning family of the Wuppermann Group, which went far beyond the matter at hand,” said Johannes Nonn, Spokesman of the Executive Board of Wuppermann AG.

In addition to his entrepreneurial activities, Dr.-Ing. Theodor Wuppermann was represented in various committees of the steel industry in Germany. For more than 30 years he was involved in the voluntary fire brigade of Leverkusen and the youth education centre Theodor Wuppermann e.V./Juist. He has received numerous awards for his social commitment: the Grand Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of Lower Saxony in 1976, the Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1992 and the Gold Decoration of Merit of the State of Upper Austria in 1997.