Helmut Bacher, co-founder of Austrian plastics recycling machine manufacturer Erema and former managing partner, died Sept. 20 at the age of 81, according to the Ansfelden, Austria, company.
After training as a fitter and completing his schooling as a mechanical engineer, Bacher worked in various technical positions before moving to a mechanical engineering company for plastics processing in the early 1970s.
He and colleagues Georg Wendelin and Helmuth Schulz shared a commitment to developing cost-effective recycling solutions, and together they founded Erema in 1983. At first, the company produced orders out of two small workshops and a double garage. Today, the company’s equipment is responsible for recycling almost 28 million tons of plastics a year.
Though he retired from company management in 2004, Bacher remained closely associated with Erema until his death.
With Wendelin and Schulz, he received the Golden Award of Honour from the Province of Upper Austria in 2008.
