Heinrich Fehrer

Heinrich Fehrer (born March 22, 1880 , † 1956 ) was a German entrepreneur.

Career

Fehrer was the eldest son of the entrepreneur Friedrich Sigmund Fehrer (1851–1903), who founded the first Kitzinger steam horsehair spinning mill in Kitzingen in 1875 . After his father's death, he took over management of the company and initiated its modernization. In 1912 he acquired a patent for the preparation of coconut fibers, which he made look like horsehair by coloring. In the 1920s, he expanded production to include quick-padding mats and began to supply automotive companies such as Daimler-Benz , Opel , Renault and Citroën . In 1931 the production of rubber hair was added and a subsidiary was founded in London. In 1937 around 350 employees produced 3,000 kilograms of horsehair webs and 2,000 kilograms of rubber hair pads.

Towards the end of the Second World War , production came to a standstill and the British subsidiary was confiscated. In 1948 production was resumed in Kitzingen. Fehrer quickly positioned itself again as a supplier for the emerging automotive industry. In 1950 his company had 450 employees.

The social company facilities that Fehrer created were considered exemplary, such as the establishment of a pension and benefit fund, the conclusion of additional life insurance contracts, the granting of fixed allowances for statutory social insurance and the provision of benefits for the widows of employees. He supported charitable and artistic purposes with considerable donations.

Honors

• 1955: Cross of Merit (Steckkreuz) of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Name of Heinrich-Fehrer-Straße in Kitzingen

literature

• Torsten Groth, Markus Plate, Volker Ackermann, Arist Von Schlippe: Large German family businesses: Generational succession, family strategy and corporate development . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2011