Herbert Werner Quandt (June 22, 1910- June 2, 1982), was a German industrialist who saved BMW when it was on the point of bankruptcy and made another fortune in the process. Jump to: navigation, search June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 192 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1910 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 2 June is the 153rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (154th in leap years), with 212 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search BMW AG (an abbreviation for Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, or in English, Bavarian Motor Works), is a German company and manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. ...

Herbert Quandt

Herbert Quandt was born on 22 June 1910 in Pritzwalk, the second son of Günther Quandt (1881-1954) and Antoine ‘Toni’ Quandt (née Ewald). Antoine died of the Spanish flu in 1918. Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Herbert_quandt. ... Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Herbert_quandt. ... Günther Quandt (28 July, 1881 - 30 December, 1954) was an German industrialist who founded an industrial empire that today includes BMW, Altana (pharmaceuticals) and Varta (batteries). ... Jump to: navigation, search The Spanish Flu Pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza Pandemic, the 1918 Flu Epidemic and La Grippe, was an unusually severe and deadly strain of avian influenza, a viral infectious disease, that killed some 25 million to 50 million people worldwide in 1918 and 1919. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...

The Quandts are descendents of a Dutch rope-making family who had settled in Wittstock and Pritzwalk, between Berlin and Schwerin, in the 1700s. Günther's father, Emil Quandt, married the daughter of a rich textile manufacturer and took charge of the company in 1883. During World War I, with Günther in charge, the Quandts supplied the German army with uniforms, building up a larger fortune that Günther would use after the war to acquire Accumulatorenfabrik AG (AFA), a battery manufacturer in Hagen; a potash mine; and metal fabricators including IWKA in 1928). Berlin ( ♫), IPA: , is the capital of Germany and its largest city; down from 4. ... Schwerin is a town in northern Germany. ... 1883 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machineguns, and poison gas. ... Map of Germany showing Hagen Hagen is the 37th largest city in Germany, located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Herbert was afflicted with a retinal disease that left scars, and he was nearly blind from the age of nine. Consequently he had to be educated at home. After extensive training at the family's companies at home and abroad, Herbert Quandt became a member of the executive board of AFA, later Varta AG, in 1940. Forced labour was used at many of the Quandt factories during the World War II and conditions were brutal. What Herbert knew of these events was never clear. VARTA Automotive is the largest manufacturer of car batteries in Europe, and with its large range of products it offers the right battery for each vehicle. ... Jump to: navigation, search World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that...

He gained greater responsibility for companies which his father had acquired and after 1945, he rebuilt them. He developed a business philosophy of decentralised organisation which gave executives wide powers for decision-making and allowed employees to participate in their company's success.

When Günther died in 1954, the Quandt group was a conglomerate of about 200 businesses including the battery manufacturer, several metal fabrication companies, textile companies and chemical companies (including Altana AG). It also owned about 10% of car company Daimler-Benz and about 30% of BMW. After Günther's death, the conglomerate was divided between his two sons: Herbert and Harald Quandt who was Herbert's half brother. Altana AG is a German chemical and pharmaceutical company based in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe. ... Daimler-Benz AG was founded on May 1, 1924 by the merger of Benz & Cie. ... -1...

BMW was an ailing company and in 1959 its management suggested selling the whole concern to Daimler Benz. Herbert Quandt was close to agreeing such a deal, but changed his mind at the last minute because of opposition from the workforce and trade unions. Instead he increased his share in BMW to 50% against the advice of his bankers, risking much of his wealth. He was instrumental in turning the company around. Daimler-Benz AG was founded on May 1, 1924 by the merger of Benz & Cie. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers...

BMW was already planning its BMW 1500 model when Quandt took control. It was launched in 1962 and established a new segment in the car market: the quality production saloon. It occupied a position between the mass production car and the craftsman-built output of the luxury producers. BMW's sophisticated technical skills put it in a strong position to fill this niche. It was this model that put BMW on the path to success. BMW logo The BMW New Class was a line of compact sedans launched with the 1962 1500. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

When Harald died in 1967 in an air crash, Herbert's received more shares in BMW, Varta and IWKA. In 1974 Herbert and Harald's widow, Inge, sold their stake in Daimler Benz to the Government of Kuwait.

He divorced his first wife, Ursel Münstermann, in 1940. He married his second wife Lieselotte Blobelt in 1950 and divorced her in 1959. Herbert's first marriage produced a daughter, Silvia (b 1937), and his second marriage produced Sonja (b 1951), Sabina (b 1953) and Sven (b 1956). Silvia Quandt is now an artist who lives in Munich. Sven Quandt became the manager of the Mitsubishi rally team. He and Sonja Quandt-Wolf are still involved with Varta. Jump to: navigation, search 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Mitsubishi companies, or the Mitsubishi Group of Companies or the Mitsubishi Group is a large group (keiretsu) of independently operated Japanese companies which share the Mitsubishi brand name. ...

Herbert married his third wife Johanna Bruhn in 1960. She had been a secretary in his office in the 1950s and eventually became his personal assistant. She now lives quietly in Bad Homburg and still owns 16.7% of BMW. The current board members at BMW include Herbert and Johanna's two children: Stefan Quandt, holder of 17.4% of the shares in BMW and Susanne Klatten, a 12.5% shareholder. They joined the board in May 1997. Widow of industrialist Herbert Quandt, who resurrected BMW AG from bankruptcy. ... Bad Homburg is the capital city of the Hochtaunuskreis, Hessen, Germany, on the southern slope of the Taunus, bordering among others Frankfurt and Oberursel. ... Jump to: navigation, search BMW AG (an abbreviation for Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, or in English, Bavarian Motor Works), is a German company and manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. ... Stefan Quandt (born 1966 in Bad Homburg) is a shareholder of BMW (ca. ... Susanne Klatten (born 1962) is heir to her fathers 50. ...

Herbert ensured that the shares in his companies were not thinly spread and so to avoid family disputes the children of the previous marriages received large shares in other Quandt family companies. Silvia Quandt, the oldest child, received extensive investments and property in the 1970s. Later the three children from the second marriage were given the majority of the shares of Varta Battery AG. Susanne also received his shares in Altana AG, while Stefan also received shares in a holding company called Delton with interests in medical products and power supplies, which has since expanded. Delton is the name of three places in the United States: Delton Township in Minnesota, City of Lake Delton in Wisconsin. ...

Herbert Quandt died in 2 June 1982 in Kiel. Jump to: navigation, search Statistics State: Schleswig-Holstein District: Independent city Area: 113. ...

Today the Quandts are multi-billionaires, although it is difficult to put an exact figure on their wealth. They do not give interviews and are very publicity shy. Quandt foundations give money to charities for former forced labourers and their families.

Further reading

• Rüdiger Jungbluth: Die Quandts: Ihr leiser Aufstieg zur mächtigsten Wirtschaftsdynastie Deutschlands. Campus 2002 (ISBN 3593369400)