"He had a full life and lived to a proud age, but I'm still deeply saddened," says a member of staff who supported Fritz Mayr in his everyday life, for example when getting out of the cab that took him to work every morning until the end. "He really did greet me with a smile every morning, even when he wasn't feeling well - every day."

"The appointments with him were not always pleasant. But more than once, while working on one of his new tasks, I asked myself why I hadn't thought of it myself. Actually, as someone so much younger, I should have made the suggestion, had the idea. Once again, he had his eye on the big picture and, without knowing it beforehand, had hit on the trend of the times. I learned so much from him," admits a colleague from the technical office.

When asked spontaneously, a colleague from production replied: "When I think of Mr. Fritz Mayr, I think first and foremost of the following: Mr. Mayr never saw me as a worker, but as a person; a person who achieved success together with him. Personal interaction was Mr. Mayr's top priority, mutual respect had the highest priority; this has certainly contributed to the fact that the Mayr company is what it is today. When I look back at the influence Mr. Mayr had on the global drive technology markets, on the development of the company and also on my personal development, he has earned my utmost respect and recognition. I personally enjoyed working for Mr. Mayr.

Philosophy of life: safety tolerates no compromises

Day after day, clutches and brakes from ^MayrMayr Antriebstechnik in Mauerstetten secure the movements in machines around the globe. This task does not allow any compromises in terms of quality. After all, safety brakes and clutches are components that must reliably ensure the protection and safety of people and materials in machines and systems. In other words, components that interrupt movements precisely and at lightning speed in an emergency, slow down to a standstill or hold certain positions with millimeter precision. Components that save lives in an emergency. They stand for safety that does not tolerate any compromises: Fritz Mayr's philosophy of life. "Tradition and innovation are the pillars that have guaranteed our stability for generations. In a world that is becoming increasingly fast-moving and uncertain, this means reliability and long-term security. Security for jobs on the one hand, but of course our products also embody security. Safety shapes us not only in our thinking, but also in our actions."

Fritz Mayr (born April 3, 1926) began studying mechanical engineering at the Technical University in Munich in 1948 after his return from Russian captivity as a prisoner of war (1947). He graduated in 1952 with a degree in engineering. After his early years as a young engineer at the Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik (WMF), he joined the family business in Kaufbeuren in 1956 as the third generation to do so. The company had been founded at the end of the 19th century as a millwright's workshop. And in the 1950s, the company continued to produce components for the drive technology of the time, such as flat belt pulleys. In the immediate post-war period, the Gablonz industry also brought a new customer group to the Mayr company. This was once based in the northern Bohemian town of Gablonz and was an important economic factor there. Its core products were jewelry, accessories and decorative elements made from a wide variety of materials such as glass, stone and base metals. There was a great need for industrial components after the majority of companies started from scratch. Mayr was able to help and supplied the companies with everything they needed: Grinding wheels for processing glass blocks, top and side piercing machines for manufacturing buttons, lever and spindle presses with up to 10 tons of pressure force, engraving balls and lamp pressure tongs. But the first pioneering innovations also emerged during this time. Fritz Mayr, the grandson of the company founder who was already managing the company alongside his father, automated the predominant manual injection molding process.

Hidden champion in the Allgäu

A breakthrough in the field of drive technology gave the company a decisive boost during this time: the development of the safety clutch. There were already torque limiting solutions on the market. However, these were not what Fritz Mayr imagined a high-quality clutch to be. Safety clutches, as they are commonly used today, did not exist - this is where Fritz Mayr recognized his opportunity for his own, qualitatively superior solutions. Mayr made a successful debut in this field with safety clutches for housing fans. In 1963, EAS safety clutches were launched on the market and quickly became the company's strongest sales driver. In 1965, Fritz Mayr officially took over the management of the company from his father and was part of the management team until the end.

The starting base in Kaufbeuren was soon too cramped due to the steady growth in the post-war period: the company headquarters in Kaufbeuren, which the company had used since its foundation in 1897, only had 1,400 square meters of space. In 1972, the company finally moved to Mauerstetten, where it is still based today. The company premises now cover an area of around 33,000 square meters. Around 750 employees work here.

Mayr has been internationally oriented since the 1960s. Agencies and subsidiaries in more and more countries ensured a presence in the markets. With the founding of a plant in Poland in 1994 and another in China ten years later, production also became international. The company repeatedly used its global presence to conquer new areas with technical innovations. In 1997, for example, the company ventured into the elevator sector and has remained the market leader in elevator brakes to this day.

Today, networking and digitalization are the big issues, also in drive technology. Mayr is meeting these challenges with innovative solutions. For example, with electronic modules that make safety brakes capable of communicating and controlling them without any additional sensors.

Focus on stability

Stability was the most important component of Fritz Mayr's company philosophy. This principle has characterized the company from the very beginning and runs through all areas: From the product to the delivery, the service, the innovations and generally the adaptability and consistency of the company. And the jobs are also stable. Even in times of recession, the company has always been able to maintain all jobs and has never had to lay off staff. Stability is the top priority. This is also demonstrated by the founding of the investment company "Mayr Familien KG" in 2015, which created a solid basis for the future shareholder structure. As part of this, Ferdinand Mayr, Fritz Mayr's grandson, took over the company and finally joined the management team in 2018. In 2022, Ferdinand Mayr took over the role of CEO from Günther Klingler, who retired.

The special thing about Mayr Antriebstechnik is its orientation as a family business. The Mayr family has been behind the company since it was founded. "We consider our company and all our employees to be a Mayr family that has grown over the years," explains Ferdinand Mayr. Accordingly, many colleagues and companions of Fritz Mayr, especially those who have been with the company for many years, are now saddened and the sympathy is great. The funeral will take place on Tuesday at the cemetery in Mauerstetten.