GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.  –Leitz Tooling announced the passing of its long-standing chairman of the company's management board and former CEO Dr. Dieter Brucklacher. Brucklacher passed away on September 27 after a short illness. He was 77.

 

Dr. Brucklacher is known for making Leitz the organization it is today.  He was the engineer of many advanced woodworking technologies as well as being instrumental in showing the organization how to utilize existing capabilities to succeed in other markets.

 

Originally from Oberkochen, Germany, the location of Leitz international headquarters, Dr. Brucklacher studied physics at the University of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe from 1959 to 1965. He began his career with Leitz in 1975 and became CEO in 1982. In addition to his management tasks, he earned a doctorate in engineering sciences at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Karlsruhe.  Along with his professional and academic accomplishments, Brucklacher served on the boards of several associations and was a great patron of the arts.

 

Leitz, with U.S. operations headquartered in Grand Rapids, and worldwide operations managed from Oberkochen, Germany, is a manufacturer of precision tooling and systems for machining wood, plastics and advanced composites.  In addition to Grand Rapids, the company has U.S. service centers in Archdale, NC, Garland, TX, San Bernardino, CA and Kent, WA.