Walter Knoll (engineer)
Walter Knoll (born March 21, 1928 in Völlkofen ; † September 30, 2012 in Ravensburg ) was a German engineer and entrepreneur . He founded Knoll Maschinenbau GmbH and later the Bad Saulgau community foundation.
Career
Walter Knoll was the youngest of three children of the master shoemaker Franz Knoll and his wife Berta. Shortly after the beginning of the Second World War, Knoll attended high school in Mengen . In 1944, the secondary school class dissolved immediately after secondary school leaving certificate, and the former students were to be used as flak helpers . Knoll escaped this because he was postponed because of his low body weight. He used the subsequent service obligation at Maybach-Motorenbau to begin an apprenticeship as a machine fitter, which he finished in 1948 with “very good with distinction”. The skilled worker training was the foundation for starting the mechanical engineering course at the engineering school in Konstanz . Despite the currency reform in 1948 and the unexpected death of his father, he completed this course in 1953.
Job and family
Two years after his first position at a machine factory in Basel, he joined the Allweiler company in Radolfzell on Lake Constance . There he went through a career from production engineer to operations manager to main department manager.
In 1957 Walter Knoll married his wife Hella, b. Senger from Rheinfelden . In 1958 the twins Matthias and Jürgen were born, in 1963 the daughter Bettina followed.
Knoll founded the company Knoll Maschinenbau GmbH on May 1st, 1970 in Saulgau . The first product, a cooling lubricant cleaning system for machine tools with a hydrocyclone separator , was manufactured as a one-man operation in a rented hall . The breakthrough came in 1972 after participating in an industrial fair in Stuttgart . At the end of 1974 the company with 6 employees moved into a new building at the current location. In 40 years Knoll developed his company from a small business to an important, medium-sized company with over 1,000 employees and around 57,000 m² of production space. He let his employees participate in the success of the company and placed great value on solid training.
Honors
On the occasion of his 75th birthday, the city of Bad Saulgau granted Walter Knoll honorary citizenship in 2003 in recognition and appreciation of his services to the city.
social commitment
Knoll's most important social project is the Bad Saulgau Community Foundation, which he founded in 2006. The non-profit organization supports projects in the fields of youth, family, education, culture, science, social affairs, health, nature and the environment. Sport was particularly important for Knoll. “For him, youth education, upbringing and sport belong together.” ( Walter Knoll : This is where the No. 1 speaks) In addition to handball, soccer and other sports, the Knoll Open tennis tournament is sponsored. The community foundation today has a foundation capital of over 1 million euros and has received the seal of approval from the Federal Association of German Foundations several times.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Obituary on the death of Walter Knoll ( Memento of the original from October 21, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed December 11, 2013.
- ↑ Article on Knoll's farewell party , accessed on December 11, 2013.
- ↑ Article on the award of honorary citizenship to Walter Knoll , accessed on December 11, 2013.
- ^ Page of the Bad Saulgau Community Foundation , accessed on December 11, 2013.
- ↑ Interview with Walter Knoll: This is where No. 1 speaks ( Memento of the original from March 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed March 1, 2014.
- ↑ A property makes the Bad Saulgau community foundation a millionaire. In: Schwäbische Zeitung. September 4, 2012, accessed November 22, 2015 .
- ↑ A seal of approval for the community foundation. (No longer available online.) In: Schwäbische Zeitung. November 14, 2015, archived from the original on November 23, 2015 ; accessed on November 22, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Knoll, Walter |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German engineer and entrepreneur |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 21, 1928 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Völlkofen |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 30, 2012 |
| Place of death | Ravensburg |