Senator h. c. Peter Schaufler, CEO and owner of the Bitzer Group, passed away unexpectedly in Salzburg, Austria, at the age of 74.

Schaufler took charge of The Bitzer Group in 1979. The company now has 3,400 employees in more than 90 countries and has a turnover of 657 million euros, making it 50 times the size it was when Schaufler took over. Schaufler successfully introduced compressor technologies to the market, such as screw compressors in 1983 and scroll compressors in 2002.

Schaufler founded The Schaufler Foundation in 2005 with a focus on bringing together entrepreneurship, science, research, and art. The foundation is the main sponsor of the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences’ Valerius Füner Prize, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of mechanical engineering students in the areas of refrigeration, air conditioning, and environmental technology.

Schaufler and his wife, Christiane Schaufler-Münch, made donations to welfare institutions and gave the public access to their extensive art collection comprising more than 3,000 pieces at the SCHAUWERK Sindelfingen from 2010 on. The SCHAUWERK Sindelfingen will continue to serve as a place where contemporary art is discussed.

Publication date: 9/7/2015