As the youngest of four sons, Heinz Pöttinger was born on 18 August 1924. During his childhood, he and his brothers already showed an interest in agricultural technology. After finishing school, he started an apprenticeship at the factory located in Aistersheim. At the headquarters in Grieskirchen, he completed his apprenticeship as fitter. During this period, the company manufactured mills and fruit presses. Due to the necessity of processing a wide range of brass alloys, the company obtained a foundry, which became a fascination for Heinz Pöttinger. Between the wars, the company opened a new branch specialising in plumbing and water pipe construction. After returning from the Second World War, Heinz Pöttinger continued to follow ambitious goals and managed to complete three master apprenticeships within a few years: Master craftsman for fitting, gas and water gave him comprehensive technical knowledge. He continued with further education and training to provide important input for modern production control and planning. With his unswerving quality awareness and his skill, he understood the importance of bringing together quality and productivity.
In 1956, the brothers Heinz, Hans and Alois took over management of the company from their father as the third generation and contributed greatly to the rapid development of the company from that moment onwards. During this era, the company worked on the series production of hay loaders and rakes. In the 1960s, the Pöttinger brothers set major milestones in the development of the company with the hay conveyor rake, the flywheel maize harvester and the loader wagon. These developments made a significant contribution to the mechanisation and rationalisation of agriculture. The MEX flywheel harvester revolutionised maize harvesting. The young Pöttingers were pioneers in the development of the loader wagon, which continued successful development over the next 50 years and more. Thanks to this achievement, the company is today the world leader in loader wagons. Courage and vision were the driving forces: the acquisition of the Bavarian plough factory in Landsberg am Lech in 1975 saw the next daring step into the German market, setting an important step towards internationalisation and expansion of the product range to include tillage implements.
Following the death of his brother Alois, Heinz Pöttinger took on responsibility for engineering and sales, as well as production. Building on the company´s roots together with his brothers, the full-blooded engineer formed a company culture that is based on integrity, dedication and innovation. His philosophy was to provide innovative agricultural engineering technology to contribute to increasing productivity in farming production. In the industry, he was appreciated as a hard but fair business partner with an endearing personality.
The Pöttinger family continued to grow at home as well, with his children Heinz, Klaus, Ulrike and Karin. Family and business were intensively involved in one another and Heinz Pöttinger enjoyed leading the company. He motivated his sons Heinz, as commercial expert, and Klaus, as engineer, to jointly take over management of the company. In 1991, he handed over control of the company to the fourth generation. As Chairman of the Supervisory Board, KR Heinz Pöttinger continued to leave his mark on the company. By the time he handed over his seat on the board in 2012, he had been working at the company for more than 70 years.
In 1998, Heinz Pöttinger had to suffer the death of his wife Gerlinde.
As a young man, Heinz Pöttinger was a true athlete with a passion for light athletics, handball, tennis, fistball and football. He won several regional titles and was a very successful athlete. Even in his eighties, he remained a true sportsman through golf and hunting and he continued to enjoy travelling, an interest he shared with his second wife Maria. His love of painting and art accompanied him throughout his life. He also dedicated much of his time to society events, which earned him top accolades from the provincial and national government.
Together with his friends, he founded the Grieskirchen Rotary Club, of which he became president. The Viktor-Kaplan medal and the Crystal Pegasus are just two of the many awards that he accrued over the years as the dedicated owner of a family business.
The family, management and employees at the PÖTTINGER Group have bid farewell to an outstanding personality with a heart and feel for people as well as immense tenacity and ambition. They will continue his life´s work and follow his vision to ensure the successful international development of the company.
