A Very Special Man

Longtime mayr CEO Fritz Mayer passes away at age 96.

by Simone Dauer

At age 96 and after more than half a century as CEO of mayr® power transmission, Fritz Mayr passed away peacefully on January 18, 2023 surrounded by his nearest and dearest. The family business mourns the loss of its highly esteemed former boss. The female employee who assisted Mayr in his daily life said he always greeted her with a smile. “He certainly led a fulfilled life and lived to a proud age, yet I am deeply saddened,” she said.

A colleague from the mayr technical office observed:

“Appointments with him were not always pleasant. But, more than once, while working on one of the new assignments he had given me, I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it myself. I should have been the one to make the suggestion, to come up with the idea, being so much younger. But he, once again, had the bigger picture in mind and, perhaps without knowing it beforehand, recognized the latest trend. I am so grateful that I was able to learn so much from him.”

Besides his enduring ability to generate ideas, Mayr is also remembered for showing respect to all company workers and promoting a family atmosphere that persists to this day. “Mr. Mayr never saw me as (just) a worker, but as a person — a person who succeeds together with him,” a production worker said. That worker says Mayr not only influenced the global power transmission market, but also the personal development of employees such as himself. 

Life Philosophy: Safety Does Not Allow for Compromises

Day after day, clutches, couplings and brakes from mayr power transmission in Mauerstetten, Germany, secure the movements in machines around the globe. This task allows zero compromise in quality. After all, safety brakes and clutches are components that must reliably ensure the protection and safety of people (and also material) in machines and systems. In other words, these components must precisely and instantly interrupt movements in an emergency, brake to a standstill or maintain specific positions with millimeter precision. In an emergency, these components can save lives. They thus stand for safety that does not tolerate compromise, and this was precisely Mayr’s life philosophy. He once said: 

“Tradition and innovation are the supporting pillars which have guaranteed our stability for generations. In a world that is becoming increasingly fast-moving and uncertain, this means reliability and long-term security. Secure workplaces on the one hand — but, of course, our products — also stand for safety and reliability. So, in other words, the topic of safety shapes not only our thinking, but also our actions.”

“Tradition and innovation are the supporting pillars which have guaranteed our stability for generations.” 

— former mayr CEO Fritz Mayr

Fritz Mayr: 1926-2023

Fritz Mayr was born on April 3, 1926. After his return to Germany from Russian captivity in 1947, he began studying mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Munich in 1948. He graduated in 1952 with a degree in engineering (Diplom-Ingenieur). After working as a young engineer at Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik, he joined the family business in Kaufbeuren in 1956, representing the third generation.

The company was founded at the end of the 19th century as a millwright’s workshop. In the 1950s, it continued to produce components for the drive technology of the time such as flat belt pulleys. In the years directly following World War II, a new clientele emerged for the mayr company with the Gablonz (German-Czech craft) industry. Before the war, this industry was located in Gablonz in northern Bohemia and represented an important economic sector there. Core products were jewelry, accessories and decorative elements made of various materials such as glass, stone or base metals. The need for industrial components was substantial, as the majority of companies had to start from scratch in Germany.

The mayr company was able to help, and supplied companies with everything they needed: grinding wheels for cutting glass pieces, top and side piercing machines for the production of buttons, lever and screw presses with up to 10 mT of compression force, engraving balls and lamp pliers. But it was also during this time that the first pioneering innovations were developed. For example, Mayr, grandson of the company founder, who was already managing the company alongside his father at the time, automated the predominant hand-injection molding process.

A “Hidden Champion” in Germany’s Allgäu Region

A breakthrough in power transmission technology provided the company with a decisive impetus during this period: the development of the torque limiter. Torque limitation solutions were already available on the market; however, they were not what Mayr envisioned in terms of a high-quality clutch. Torque limiters, which are common today, did not yet exist, and Mayr recognized his opportunity for his own, qualitatively superior solutions. By offering torque limiters for housing fans, Mayr made a successful debut in this field. EAS® torque limiters were launched in the market in 1963 and quickly became the company’s top-selling product. In 1965, Mayr officially took over management of the company from his father. Mayr was part of the management team until he passed away. 

The company’s premises in Kaufbeuren soon became too cramped due to the steady growth in the post-war period. The headquarters in Kaufbeuren, which the company had used since its foundation in 1897, had an area of only 1,400 m2. In 1972, the company finally moved to Mauerstetten, where it is still located today. Company premises cover an area of around 33,000 m² where more than 750 employees work.

mayr has been active on the international market since the 1960s. Representative offices and subsidiaries in more and more countries ensured the company’s presence in different markets. Production also finally became international with the establishment of a plant in Poland in 1994 and another in China 10 years later. The company has repeatedly used its global presence to establish new branches for its technical innovations. In 1997, for example, the company ventured into the elevator market and, to date, has achieved market leadership in the area of elevator brakes.

Today, networking and digitalization are the big topics, including in the power transmission industry. mayr meets these challenges with innovative solutions. For example, electronic modules enable communication and control of safety brakes without additional sensors.

Focus on Stability

For Mayr, the most important element of the company’s philosophy was stability. This principle has been a characteristic of the company from the very beginning and applies to all areas: From product development to delivery and service, to the innovations and, generally, the adaptability and consistency of the company. Jobs are also stable. Even in times of recession, the company has always been able to maintain all jobs and never had to lay off staff. Stability comes first. This guiding principle is also reflected in the foundation in 2015 of the holding company mayr Familien KG, which created a solid basis for future shareholder structure. During this process, Ferdinand Mayr, the grandson of Fritz Mayr, took over the company and in 2018 joined the Executive Board. In 2022, Ferdinand Mayr took over as CEO from Günther Klingler, who retired.

Stronger Together

The special thing about mayr power transmission is its orientation as a family-run company. Since its foundation, the Mayr family has backed the company. “We consider our company, with all its employees, to be a grown Mayr family,” Ferdinand Mayr says. So, of course, many, especially long-time colleagues and companions of Fritz Mayr, are very sad about his passing and expressed their heartfelt sympathy at the death of the former CEO. A funeral took place on January 24.