View HUB-4 Magazine Now Click to view Hillhead 2010 Product Focus

Follow Hub4com on Twitter

Keep up to date with our email newsletter
Our Partners
Materials Handling Engineer Association
  • ShowplaceShowplace

    Showplace, established in 1987, is a leading European provider of hospitality, exhibition and event management services. Based in Stratford upon Avon,...

    Showplace
 
HUB Magazine

HUB-4 publishes a brand new magazine for the Materials Handling, Recycling & Quarrying Industries.

View HUB-4 Magazine Now Download PDF Version
 
0845 680 0024

HeidelbergCement mourns for Dr. Adolf Merckle

HeidelbergCement mourns for Dr. Adolf Merckle

Dr Adolf Merkle, 74, founder and head of the conglomerate that includes Heidelberg Cement, and one of Germany's wealthiest men, took his own life on January 5th. Heidelberg, which took over Hanson in 2007, also controls Castle Cement, recycling company SRM and Minerals Resource Management.

Creditors closed in on Dr Merkle's empire after it had suffered from a chain of factors including the current economic conditions, combined with losing out when betting on a VW share fall after which it emerged Porsche had cornered three quarters of VW's stock, which sent share prices soaring.

In an official announcement, Heidelberg said: "It is with great shock that we have learned about the death of Dr. Adolf Merckle. As a shareholder and member of the Supervisory Board he had very close ties with our company for many decades. Dr. Merckle actively accompanied and marked the dynamic development of HeidelbergCement from a medium sized southern German cement company to one on of the world's largest building materials producers. We owe him a lot of respect and thanks. Our deepest sympathies go to his family."