Obituary: Werner Doppstadt

Werner Doppstadt founded the Doppstadt Group in 1965 and was CEO until 2012. Photo courtesy of Doppstadt

In nearly five decades as the company’s CEO, Werner Doppstadt led the family enterprise, which was established in 1965, to international success.

Born in Homberg, Germany, he first transformed his parents‘ farm into an agricultural contracting business together with his wife Hedwig and his brother Josef.

In 1970 he developed the Puma cleaning machine and laid the foundation for Doppstadt’s rise to a global specialist in environmental and recycling technology.

Today the group, which has been managed by Werner’s son Ferdinand since 2012, employs around 700 employees worldwide.

The company said: “Doppstadt Group employees will remember Werner Doppstadt as a passionate developer and CEO.

“As a mechanical engineer, he could mainly be characterised by his curiosity, his innovative spirit and his foresight as regards the customers’ needs and the market.”