Franz Grimme turned the grand old age of 80 yesterday, a perfect time to reflect on 46 years at the helm of the successful German family business.
Grimme was founded in 1861 as a forge in Damme (Germany). Franz took over the management of the factory from his father in 1980. In 1985, he married his wife Christine, and their two sons Christoph and Philip were born in 1988 and 1990, respectively.
Milestones under his leadership included the founding of the first foreign subsidiary in the USA in 1985. Internorm, a specialist in plastics technology, was founded in 1987, followed by Ricon, a company for the production of webs and conveying equipment, in 1995.
Mr Grimme’s focus was very much on internationalisation and broadening the product range. This was evident with the acquisitions of US potato technology manufacturer Spudnik in 2003 and Danish vegetable technology specialist Asa-Lift in 2013,
The fourth and fifth generation of the Grimme family: Philipp, Christine (who has been responsible for public relations at the company since 2003, Franz and Christoph.
At the same time, Grimme subsidiaries and service agencies were established in numerous core markets such as the UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Russia, Denmark, Turkey, Poland, South Africa, Canada, Brazil, and the German locations in Uelzen (Lower Saxony) and Langquaid (Bavaria).
The group of companies is now present in over 120 countries and operates from 37 locations worldwide, including seven production facilities. Under Franz Grimme’s leadership, the product range has been expanded to over 180 models in potato, sugar beet and vegetable technology, and the workforce has grown from around 300 in 1980 to over 3,300 today.
Even at the age of 80, Franz Grimme is still present at the company every day. As chairman of the supervisory board of Grimme Holding, he and his wife Christine support their sons Christoph and Philipp, who are the fifth generation to run the group of companies.
“My wife and I are very proud that our sons Christoph and Philipp have taken on full responsibility for the companies and that we can both support them with advice and assistance,” says Franz. “It is a very comforting feeling to know that everything is in good hands. I am inspired by the large Grimme team; we have achieved a considerable degree of progress together and still have a lot to accomplish. I am celebrating my 80th birthday with great joy and gratitude.”
Happy Birthday Mr Grimme.
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