Heinrich Nordhoff
Encyclopedia
Heinz Heinrich Nordhoff (born 6 January 1899 in Hildesheim
, died in Wolfsburg
) was a German
engineer
famous for his leadership of the Volkswagen
company as it was rebuilt after World War II
.
Nordhoff attended technical college in Berlin
, where he became a member of the Roman Catholic fraternity Askania-Burgundia, and in 1927, began work for BMW
working on aircraft engines.
In 1929 he went to work for Opel
where he gained experience of the automotive industry
and rapid promotion. In 1936 he was the Commercial-Technical director who presented the company's innovative new small car, the Kadett to the public. In 1942, with passenger car production much diminished on account of the war, he took over as Production Director at the company's flagship truck plant
at Brandenburg.
Following the war he obtained a job as a service manager at a Hamburg
garage. Hamburg was a central location for the British Military Government who recruited him for the position of Managing Director of the badly damaged Volkswagen plant at Wolfsburg. He assumed the position on 2 January 1948 from British Army
Major
Ivan Hirst
(REME
). During his first year in post Nordhoff doubled production to 19,244 cars. By the end of 1961 annual production exceeded a million vehicles.
Nordhoff became legendary from turning the Volkswagen Beetle
into a worldwide automotive phenomenon. He pioneered the idea of constant improvement - improving the car's underpinnings while keeping the styling the same. He gave liberal benefits to Volkswagen workers and increased pay scales. Within six years after taking over Volkswagen, Nordhoff reduced the number of man-hours to produce a single car from 400 to 100, a 75 percent reduction. His commitment to improving the workmanship at Volkswagen made the Beetle famous for its bulletproof reliability.
While not questioning his ability to sell cars, though, some observers, including automotive analyst Maryann Keller, questioned whether it was wise for Nordhoff to build more of the same car rather than develop new models. By the late sixties, the Beetle was getting serious competition from Japan
ese, American
, and other Europe
an models in different markets. Nonetheless, it remained a favourite car for many motorists throughout the world.
Nordhoff announced in 1967 that he would retire by the end of the following year, and that Dr. Kurt Lotz
would succeed him as managing director. Nordhoff suffered heart failure that summer, and returned to work in October. He died six months later.
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
, died in Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the River Aller northeast of Braunschweig , and is mainly notable as the headquarters of Volkswagen AG...
) was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
famous for his leadership of the Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
company as it was rebuilt after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Nordhoff attended technical college in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he became a member of the Roman Catholic fraternity Askania-Burgundia, and in 1927, began work for BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
working on aircraft engines.
In 1929 he went to work for Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
where he gained experience of the automotive industry
Automotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
and rapid promotion. In 1936 he was the Commercial-Technical director who presented the company's innovative new small car, the Kadett to the public. In 1942, with passenger car production much diminished on account of the war, he took over as Production Director at the company's flagship truck plant
Opelwerk Brandenburg
The Opelwerk Brandenburg was built, with impressive speed, in 1935 on the initiative of the government in order to ensure supplies of Opel trucks for the army...
at Brandenburg.
Following the war he obtained a job as a service manager at a Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
garage. Hamburg was a central location for the British Military Government who recruited him for the position of Managing Director of the badly damaged Volkswagen plant at Wolfsburg. He assumed the position on 2 January 1948 from British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Ivan Hirst
Ivan Hirst
Major Ivan Hirst , was a British Army officer and engineer who was instrumental in reviving Volkswagen from a single factory in Wolfsburg, Germany, into a major postwar automotive manufacturer.-Education:...
(REME
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is a corps of the British Army that has responsibility for the maintenance, servicing and inspection of almost every electrical and mechanical piece of equipment within the British Army from Challenger II main battle tanks and WAH64 Apache...
). During his first year in post Nordhoff doubled production to 19,244 cars. By the end of 1961 annual production exceeded a million vehicles.
Nordhoff became legendary from turning the Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
into a worldwide automotive phenomenon. He pioneered the idea of constant improvement - improving the car's underpinnings while keeping the styling the same. He gave liberal benefits to Volkswagen workers and increased pay scales. Within six years after taking over Volkswagen, Nordhoff reduced the number of man-hours to produce a single car from 400 to 100, a 75 percent reduction. His commitment to improving the workmanship at Volkswagen made the Beetle famous for its bulletproof reliability.
While not questioning his ability to sell cars, though, some observers, including automotive analyst Maryann Keller, questioned whether it was wise for Nordhoff to build more of the same car rather than develop new models. By the late sixties, the Beetle was getting serious competition from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese, American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and other Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an models in different markets. Nonetheless, it remained a favourite car for many motorists throughout the world.
Nordhoff announced in 1967 that he would retire by the end of the following year, and that Dr. Kurt Lotz
Kurt Lotz
Dr. Kurt Lotz was the second post-war Chief executive officer of the Volkswagen automobile company in Germany. He was nominated in April 1967 to succeed the legendary Heinrich Nordhoff at the end of December 1968. Sadly, promotion arrived early when Nordhoff died in April 1968.Lotz was the son...
would succeed him as managing director. Nordhoff suffered heart failure that summer, and returned to work in October. He died six months later.