Austrian industry loses a visionary with Hellmut Longin

Austrian industry loses a visionary with Hellmut Longin

The Austrian industry mourns the loss of Hellmut Longin, who died at the age of 90. He made a name for himself when he as managing director acquired Austrian Magnesit AG (ÖAMAG) from the US group Grefko. This transaction was an important coup in industrial history that secured Longin a place in the heart of the Austrian economy.

1973 Longin came to the service of Grefko, where he headed the company Europa-Werke. Already in 1985 he planned to buy the works in Radenthein and Hochfilzen. In his review, he described the event as a "strange undertaking" because, while he was looking for shillings after the required price of 525 million, he often bumped into a lack of understanding. "I felt like a teacher at school," he remembered that time. In addition, the Central Sparkasse ultimately withdrew its promise, which initially caused the entire deal to fail. Despite these setbacks, Longin managed to secure the financing for the purchase and ultimately acquired 10.5 percent of the stocks.

influential takeovers

Another milestone in Longin's career was the takeover of Veitscher Magnesit AG in 1991. Here he was able to acquire 51 percent of Karl Kahane's shares for 3.2 billion Schilling. This step led to the foundation of the Radex, which is now the cornerstone of RHI Magnesita AG - a company that works worldwide at almost 50 locations with around 20,000 employees. Under Longin's leadership, the company expanded and acquired Didier from Germany and Dolomiti Franchi in Italy.

After his resignation in 1995, Longin increasingly withdrew from business and most recently lived in Wolfsberg. His family, especially his wife Gitte and the two children, are now the focus of compassion that is shown to him and his life.

The meaning of Longin's work for today's industry cannot be assessed highly enough; RHI Magnesita AG owes its place as one of the leading providers in the industry to its innovative way of working. This is also a strong will of his ability to transform challenges into opportunities.

Longin's career and his inheritance will remain deeply anchored in the Austrian industrial history, and his successes will serve as inspiration for future generations.