Extrusion International 6-2024-USA

20 Extrusion International 6/2024 INDUSTRY NEWS Operational Management Taken Over Josef Hochreiter, shareholder and CEO of the NEXT GENERATION GROUP, is assuming the role of Managing Director of Next Genera- tion Recyclingmaschinen (NGR), a key member of the group, effective immediately. Hochreiter has previ- ously led the company and is now returning to its operational man- agement. He takes over the position from Gerhard Ohler, who has led NGR in recent years and will be leav- ing the Feldkirchen-based recycling machinery manufacturer. Josef Hochreiter stated, "I would like to thank Gerhard Ohler for his dedication and contributions to NGR. Diverging perspectives on the company’s future direction have led to this decision. I will now take responsibility and, together with our strong team, help shape NGR’s future. Our mission to develop in- novative plastic recycling solutions for a sustainable future remains un- changed." Josef Hochreiter will continue in his role as CEO of the NEXT GENERATION GROUP, overseeing both the strategic direction of the entire group and the operational management of NGR. Next Generation Holding GmbH www.ngr-world.com Josef Hochreiter, new CEO at Next Generation Recyclingmaschinen Founder has Died The EREMA Group mourns the loss of Helmut Bacher. The co-founder of Austrian plastics recycling machine manufacturer EREMA and former managing partner, passed away on 20 September at the age of 81. Helmut Bacher is regarded as a pioneer of plastics recycling. Together with his two colleagues Georg Wendelin and Helmuth Schulz, Helmut Bacher founded EREMA Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen Ges.m.b.H. in Linz, Austria, in 1983. Their life’s work was acknowledged in 2008 when the three founders re- ceived the Golden Award of Honour from the Province of Upper Austria. Helmut Bacher displayed visionary foresight and open mind in playing a key role in shaping the plastics recycling industry. Following his training as a fitter and completing his schooling as a mechanical engineer, he worked in various technical positions before moving to a mechanical engineering company for plastics process- ing in the early 1970s. Helmut Bacher shared with his two colleagues a belief in the potential of plastics recy- cling. During countless trials, he searched for the right solution - until he found it. Despite initial adversity, the three founders remained convinced of the idea of a cost effective recycling machine for plastic waste and started up their own company in 1983. At the K trade fair in Düsseldorf in 1983, EREMA pre- sented a simple, robust, reliable and economical recycling system, signalling the start of a success story. The young company produced its first orders in modest premises in Leonding with two small workshops and a double ga- rage. Today, the plants and components supplied by the EREMA Group achieve recycling capacities of over 25 mil- lion tonnes of plastic per year worldwide. Up until his retirement from company management in 2004, Helmut Bacher was a driving force behind the company and remained closely associated with the EREMA Group until his death. His technical ability, cou- pled with solution-orientated thinking and genuine ap- preciation of his employees, have left a lasting impres- sion and continue to shape the company to this day. EREMA Group www.erema.com The EREMA Group mourns the loss of co-founder Helmut Bacher, who passed away at the age of 81 (Photo credit: EREMA Group)