Topic: Kurt Reichert; 1945-2008. An Obituary
Kurt Reichert; 1945-2008. An Obituary
Totally unexpectedly, Kurt Reichert, Managing Director and co-owner of Leuze Publishing, died suddenly on the 23rd of October. Under his leadership, Leuze Publishing had grown to become a leader in book and magazine publication in the fields of surface finishing and engineering as well as printed circuit board technology and associated electronics, not just in German-speaking countries, but beyond. In his passing, is lost not only a most remarkable entrepreneurial businessman, but a good friend to many.
Following the sudden death of Heinz Leuze in 1983, Kurt Reichert, his son-in-law, took over the management of Eugen G Leuze Publishing. Under his committed leadership as Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, the magazine Galvanotechnik grew and thrived to its present state. Printed circuit board technology had a long-established place in the editorial content of the magazine. Towards the end of the 1990’s, at a time when this industry was under significant economic pressure in Europe, Kurt Reichert made the courageous decision to launch a new magazine title, to allow a better and more comprehensive coverage of this important industry and so PLUS (the German acronym for Production of Printed Circuit Boards and Systems) was born. Its success soon justified that decision, and today it is one of the leading magazines in this field. No less important, was the re-location, under Kurt Reichert’s guidance, of the business to new, fully-modernised premises, which they occupy today. Without question, Leuze Publishing as it is today, bears the stamp of the inspired decisions that Kurt Reichert made.
Apart from a love of hunting, the publishing of technical books lay close to Kurt Reichert’s heart and he invested enormous enthusiasm into the recruitment of authoritative authors, from industry and academia. These he encouraged and supported, with a far-sighted aim of providing coverage, in book form, of all that those in the metal finishing industry might require. The task was not an easy one, sometimes calling for considerable powers of persuasion. But in most cases, he was successful and nothing gave him greater pleasure than to be able to add a new title to those already published. Today, it is virtually impossible for those in the industry, not to have one, or more often, several, of these books on their desks or bookshelves, and Leuze Publishing is today among the world-leading sources of such information.
Whether it was a book or a new journal title, once a decision to go ahead had been made, Kurt Reichert felt himself committed. In an era blighted by short-termism, his horizons were long-term. A new magazine title such as PLUS can take years to “come good”, but now in its tenth year, it can be said without hesitation that PLUS is a success. Not only was Kurt Reichert a man with long-term vision, but he was also in some ways a contrarian. Thus, at a time when many publishers have walked away from technical book publishing, on account of their relatively small print runs, he believed that, tightly managed, there was a worthwhile business here, recognising that state-of-art printing technology could work in his favour. More recently, Leuze Publishing acquired the long-established but somewhat ailing Jahrbuch Oberflaechentechnik (Surface Finishing Yearbook). Once again, backed by his enthusiasm, this was rejuvenated, and after several years in his stewardship, has again become an important (and bilingual) component in the technical literature. His latest “child”, not even one year old, was the scientific Journal for Electrochemistry and Plating , launched as an international publication and with recognition from key citation authorities.
Kurt Reichert’s colleagues and the many authors he recruited, are committed to continuing with his work and his ideas, and by so doing, honouring his memory. For them, and countless, he was so much more than a manager or business associate – he was a friend. Our deepest sympathies are owed, at this most difficult time, to his family.
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Last edited by Finishing Talk News (11/08/2008 - 08:55 PM)
