Founding years and social responsibility

Christian Bürkert was born on 4th May 1915. He spent his childhood on his parents’ farm, the “Bühlhof”, near Ingelfingen, Baden-Württemberg. After attending the local primary school, he continued his education at the Robert Mayer Grammar School in Heilbronn. Following the premature death of his father, he completed an electrical engineering degree at the Gauß School of Engineering, and went on to work for the device manufacturer Schaub Lorenz. During the Second World War, the company made the decision to relocate its production facility to Czechoslovakia for safety reasons, but after the war had ended, Christian Bürkert managed to return to the family farm.

Because of the high demand for poultry from the US occupying troops, Christian Bürkert’s mother asked her son to repair an incubator on the farm. From the wreckage of a crashed aeroplane, he produced a sensitive bi-metal temperature controller that would keep the temperature constant up to 1/10 °C. Building on this success and spurred on by the high demand, Christian Bürkert then started to produce incubation devices and hotplates in the basement of his parents’ home.

While his own manpower and a cellar at the Bühlhof were enough to kickstart his business, Christian Bürkert took on his first employee soon afterwards, renting rooms in the castle and the “mint” in Ingelfingen. A short time later, with the energetic support of all 36 employees, the company’s first building for business, training and housing purposes was constructed by the railway line in Ingelfingen, with everything being built in-house, right down to the bricks. Even back then, high value was placed on training, and the newly erected company building featured a training workshop that not only met the company’s own needs but also offered career opportunities to school leavers outside of agriculture and effectively guaranteed them a job for life.

Housing was in short supply at this time, and Christian Bürkert needed to urgently attract management staff from outside the region. To tackle this problem, an apartment block was built for employees – the first of several which followed later.

Capitalising on the early experience with the production of incubators, the manufacturing and distribution of temperature controllers had became well established, making the change from handmade goods to industrial production a necessity. This step led to membership in the Heilbronn Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and an entry in the commercial register.

After the currency reform in 1948, the demand for incubators and hotplates steadily declined. Christian Bürkert shifted the production focus towards temperature controllers for use in ovens, amongst other things. The increase in controller production led once again to the need for extra space, which was provided by the initial construction phase of what is now the company headquarters.

Even then, the focus was firmly on the employees. Christian Bürkert understood early on that in Germany’s fast-growing job market, companies could only attract and retain talented staff if they provided not just training and career development, but also affordable and appealing housing close to the workplace. In the same vein, the company also introduced a comprehensive pension plan. A regular shuttle service transported local farmers to the factory for part-time work each day, providing a significant advantage in the competition to attract the best talent.

For Christian Bürkert, flying was not only a symbol of his passion for technology that pushes the boundaries of physics but also indispensable for the company’s expanding international presence. On the evening of 21st October 1971, in stormy weather, Christian Bürkert’s carefully planned solo North Atlantic flight ended in disaster. Barely two hours before the planned landing, he lost radio contact, and the plane suddenly disappeared without trace from the radar screen. A search lasting several days proved fruitless. With this unexpected, tragic event, Bürkert lost its founder and idea generator.

In the hour of need, Christian’s wife Dorothee Bürkert took over the management of the company, together with Gerhard Hettinger, a longstanding, trusted employee. Christian Bürkert’s legacy continues to thrive, thanks to his family members and many competent and committed colleagues.

Even after the founder’s passing, the values of humanity and appreciation for staff remain deeply ingrained in the organization.

The first steps towards the process organisation that Bürkert is today began in 1993 with the introduction of project and group-based work and process-oriented structures. Other key elements of the company’s culture began to emerge in the flat hierarchies, minimal interfaces, and a strong focus on goals in everyday work. Even back then, the company placed high value on integrating employee expertise across the boundaries – across processes, levels, and departments – to execute complex tasks and projects in a holistic way.

Bürkert’s Managing Director, Gerhard Hettinger, retired and passed the baton to Heribert Rohrbeck, who had been with the company since 1993.

A family company itself, Bürkert receives its first certificate from the non-profit organisation “berufundfamilie” recognising family- and life-phase-conscious HR policies. On top of the company’s efforts to make careers and childcare compatible, it began also to recognise the need for compatibility between career and family caregiving duties. Even today, people are at the heart of the Bürkert corporate culture, with an emphasis not only on qualifications and professional development, but also on health promotion and an above-average commitment to social projects.

Dorothee Bürkert had, together with Gerhard Hettinger, tirelessly moulded the “human face” of the expanding company for almost three decades in her role as Managing Director and spokesperson.

Another priority that aligns with the Bürkert ethos is actively supporting the integration of refugees. This commitment gave rise in 2017 to the qualifications initiative “Qualification, Integration, Prospects” (QIP), with a primary focus on providing a solid theoretical and practical foundation in the fields of metalwork and electrical engineering. The initiative also includes business and job-related German lessons. Most graduates of the programme are successfully placed with companies, temporary employment agencies, or into vocational training programs.

The establishment of the Bürkert Academy as part of the organisation further enhanced the culture of lifelong learning, offering specialised internal training programs, team development initiatives, coaching, and competency management.

Faster, more agile, more digital – these are the buzzwords that are increasingly clamouring for companies’ attention. In 2019, the company-wide programme of transformation dubbed “Bürkert Next” was initiated. Numerous internal projects focussing on key areas like digitalisation, customisation, flexibility, and short delivery times, all aimed at preparing the company to meet future customer needs effectively.

Heribert Rohrbeck’s career at Bürkert spanned almost three decades – including 18 years as CEO. At the end of 2022 he retired from the company and handed over to his successor, Georg Stawowy, who took on the role of CEO from April 2023.

The Bürkert Museum was established in the former training workshop and “birthplace” of the company, dedicated to Bürkert’s history. Today, employees and partners from all over the world have the opportunity to explore the company’s rich history on the Museum’s two floors.