The long-standing operations manager and owner of Elaskon, Günther Gedecke, has passed away at the age of 95. The inventor of the company name "Elaskon" shaped the company for decades and guided it safely through the turnaround.
A visionary entrepreneur with a heart
The Elaskon workforce mourns the loss of Günther Gedecke, the former manager and owner of the company. Gedecke, who passed away at the age of 95, was not only the face of Elaskon for over 34 years, but also the creative mind behind the brand name. The term "Elaskon" is made up of "elastic" and "preserving" and describes the company's patented specialty lubricants.
Managing Director Tobias Schwald paid tribute to Gedecke's commitment: "We are bidding farewell to a committed and visionary person. Even in his old age, he showed great interest in the company and contributed valuable ideas. He affectionately called everyone in the team 'Elaskoner'. He himself was an 'Elaskoner' through and through, and we will miss him."
A life for Elaskon
Günther Gedecke was born in Dresden in 1929 and began his career after completing a commercial apprenticeship at the Pirna mineral oil plant. In 1957, he moved to the former company Richter & Co. as Technical Manager, which later became known as Elaskon. He took over as Managing Director in 1958 and led the company through the difficult period of nationalization in 1972.
Gedecke recognized the importance of uniform standards early on and developed TGL 11877 in 1961, which was considered the standard for rope lubricants in the GDR. He also enjoyed a high international reputation and was a sought-after speaker at specialist conferences.
Successful management into the market economy
In the early 1980s, Gedecke was appointed director of the VEB Kombinat Elaskon, which consisted of 12 chemical-technical companies with around 1,500 employees. After reunification, he succeeded in having the Elaskon plant transferred back to the Treuhand in 1992 and worked to ensure that the company had stable prospects in the market economy.
In 1993, Gedecke sold the company to the Präg Group from Kempten. Karl Schwald, father of the current Managing Director Tobias Schwald, took over the management. Elaskon remained a family business even after the sale and continues to develop successfully to this day.
An unforgettable part of Elaskon's history
Tobias Schwald emphasizes that Günther Gedecke will always remain a part of Elaskon: "He developed Elaskon into an internationally respected brand under difficult conditions and laid the foundations for its launch into the market economy. We have great respect for his life's work."
Gedecke will be remembered as a visionary entrepreneur and a person with a big heart. His contribution to Elaskon's success story will live on - in the products, in the corporate philosophy and in the memories of the "Elaskoners".
