Page 15 - Jubiläumsbuch 50 Jahre AHP EN

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A TECHIE WHO KNOWS exactly what needs
to be done – that’s how employees describe him.
But how did Gerhard Merkle become an entre-
preneur?
From today’s perspective, one would expect
a degree in engineering and a solid financial ba-
sis. He had neither. Born in 1941, raised as a post-
war child by his mother, aunt, and grandmother
– his father was killed in the war – Gerhard had to
work hard for his future. As a trained machinist,
“My husband was known for his tenacity.
he expanded his knowledge at a technical school
If you threw him out the front door, he would
and eventually left his job as a design manager to
come right back in through the back.”
start his own business. Not because his environ-
Renate Merkle
ment encouraged him to do so, but because he
believed in his idea and because he was a doer.
His wife Renate supported him – and ac-
Bee Tamer cepted that he worked as a cab driver or street
cleaner in the early years in order to earn extra
money to feed the family. From the year of its
A Boss That’s Down to Earth
founding in 1973, his company sold hydraulic
cylinders. They were initially manufactured ex-
ternally, but from 1977 onwards they were pro-
duced in his garage at home.
Over the years, AHP Merkle developed into
a medium-sized company with international
“He had a great instinct for technology,
cus tomers. This success was built on the CEO’s
personally worked on product development,
skills as a technician – and on his intuition and
and helped us with implementation. But
appreciation for others. His passion for tech-
he never presented himself as the boss –
nology started with the cylinder and extended
he was always part of the whole.”
to the machinery, the drafting computers, and,
Paul Gutmann
last but not least, the technical finesse of his
chicken coop and beehives.
Gerhard Merkle passed away in 2017 after
a short severe illness.

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