Franz Wilhelm will be 80
Remscheid, 02 September 2005
Franz Wilhelm, Vaillant Partner, Managing Director from 1966 to 1989 and from 1989 to 1994 member of the Partners' Board of the Remscheid-based heating technology company, will be 80 on 4 October. Having graduated in business administration and worked in the family-owned tool-making factory, he joined Vaillant in 1955 as Assistant to the Management Board, led then by his father-in-law, Hans Vaillant.
Wilhelm gave important impetuses to the company, in particular in building up a modern sales system by strengthening cooperation with installers as competent sales partners. In addition, under his management many sales bases were opened in Germany and abroad and the central warehouse in Hilden, Westphalia, was established. In view of the company's rapid international growth he also initiated the expansion of production by opening new factories, such as the one in Roding, Bavaria.
Besides his work at Vaillant, Wilhelm engaged himself in leading bodies of the heating technology industry and trade. For instance, he was Chairman of the gas-water heaters section of the heating and cooking appliance industry association, President of the association of European manufacturers of instant and circulating gas water heaters (AFECI), and active in the central association of the electro-technical industry (ZVEI), the association of the German central heating industry (VDZ) and, in particular, in the central association of the sanitary, heating and air-conditioning industry (ZVSHK), where in 1985 he was the first to be awarded its Certificate of Honour. His work was also honoured by other awards, including the Bavarian Order of Merit.
During his time at Vaillant the company developed from having 900 employees and annual production of 240,000 appliances into an internationally present supplier with over 5,000 employees and production of more than one million units per year.
Franz Wilhelm always fostered personal contacts with the company's employees. Many of them still remember him well as a figure who put his stamp on the company.
Contact
Stefan Jakubik
Press Officer
Vaillant Group
42850 Remscheid
Germany
Phone: +49 2191 18-3731
Mobile: +49 171 9763231
Fax: +49 2191 18-2895
E-mail: stefan.jakubik@vaillant.de
www.vaillant-group.com
