July 2021
Anton Gromer: Senior manager of HEINZMANN celebrates 90th birthday.
On July 11, 2021, Anton Gromer will celebrate his 90th birthday.The former head of the HEINZMANN Group, based in Schönau in the Black Forest, is one of the most influential entrepreneurs in Baden-Württemberg. The family business, now run by his son Markus Gromer, was founded in 1897 in Radebeul near Dresden and is now one of the world's leading system suppliers for engine management, electric drives and control technology, with production sites in Europe, Asia and Australia, as well as an extensive international dealer network.
Anton Gromer started working for the company in 1959, which at the time had around 30 employees. In 1967, he joined the management after the death of Fritz Heinzmann. In 1987 Anton Gromer took over the HEINZMANN company and expanded the portfolio in the area of engine and turbine management. Under his leadership, the company moved from Albershausen near Göppingen to his home town of Schönau in 1992 . Since then, all production areas have been concentrated in the new plant in the Black Forest community. In 1999, his son Markus Gromer joined the company management. Today, he successfully continues the family business in the fourth generation and drives the international expansion of the company. Today, the HEINZMANN Group has 400 employees worldwide, 280 of whom work at the Schönau site.
"Anton Gromer has played a key role in shaping the rise of the HEINZMANN Group from a specialist in control technology to a leading global system provider for engine management and electric drives. His great strength has always been to foster the innovative power and commitment of each and every employee, thus constantly developing new, forward-looking solutions for our customers all over the world. We benefit every day from his inventive spirit and his tireless drive to become even better," explains Markus Gromer, CEO of HEINZMANN. "My father laid the foundation for the fact that today we can make an important contribution to a better climate with our innovations. This is because our technology reduces the consumption and pollutant emissions of engines, and our powerful electric drives run completely emission-free. We are also aiming to manufacture our products in a CO2-neutral way in the medium term. To this day, my father has stood by us as an advisor and source of ideas - on behalf of all our employees, I offer my heartfelt congratulations!"
As a family businessman, Anton Gromer is appreciated far beyond the borders of the Black Forest. In November 2008, Mayor Bernhard Seger awarded him the town's Citizen's Medal for his commitment to Schönau as a business location and his social responsibility and commitment to training and employment, as well as the entrepreneur's dedication to the town. In July 2013, Anton Gromer was made an honorary citizen of the town of Schönau. Anton Gromer had left deep traces in the economic and cultural life of the town as an entrepreneur as well as a promoter of art, sports and science, explained Mayor Peter Schelshorn in his laudation. The honorary citizen certificate states, "With energy, creativity, risk-taking and foresight, he has built up a modern industrial company to this day, creating valuable jobs in the process." In November 2019, Minister of Economic Affairs Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut awarded the HEINZMANN Group the Economic Medal of the State of Baden-Württemberg for outstanding entrepreneurial achievements and in gratitude for special services.
About the HEINZMANN Group – Thinking in Drive and Control
HEINZMANN is a globally active, family-owned company founded in 1897 and headquartered in Schönau in the Black Forest. Today, HEINZMANN is one of the leading suppliers of components and systems in the field of Engine Management for industrial combustion engines, generators and turbines. In the division Electric Drives, HEINZMANN demonstrates at the same time innovative strength and development expertise in engine technologies of the future. The company has also established itself as a reliable partner and system provider for electric drive systems. The synergetic interaction with more than 40 globally active subsidiaries and sales companies characterizes the spirit within the HEINZMANN group of companies and makes us a reliable partner.
Portrait Anton Gromer
(Source: Heinzmann GmbH & Co. KG)
Anton and Markus Gromer in conversation
(Source: Heinzmann GmbH & Co. KG)