Prof. Dr.-Ing. Udo Ungeheuer retires

The chairman of the board of SCHOTT AG, Prof. Dr. Udo Ungeheuer (62), will retire as planned as of 28 February 2013. 



He had announced his impending retirement last year.

Ungeheuer joined SCHOTT in 1994 as a member of the management group and in the following year was called to sit on the board. He became the chairman in 2004. In addition to his positions in other companies, Ungeheuer is the President of Federal Association of the German Glass Industry (Bundesverband Glasindustrie e.V.) and has been the President of the Association of German Engineers (Verein deutscher Ingenieure) since 1 January 2013. With nearly 150,000 members, it is the largest engineers’ association in Europe. 

Under Ungeheuer’s leadership, SCHOTT developed into a successful technology group with a great potential for innovation and an international presence. Today, the company achieves 86 percent of its profits from foreign markets. In important growth markets such as China, India, and Russia, the company built manufacturing plants. The hopes connected to the entry into photovoltaics in 2001 were not realized although the SCHOTT solar subsidiary developed extremely well for a while. Over-capacity and changed global conditions led to a pull-out from multicrystalline photovoltaics in 2012.



“For almost two decades, Udo Ungeheuer led SCHOTT with a great amount of commitment and business skills. By so doing, he gave the company independent and long-term prospects and prepared it for the challenges of the 21st century,” the chairman of SCHOTT AG’s supervisory board, Dieter Kurz, emphasized.



The supervisory board will decide near term on the successor for the position of chairman of the board. The members of the board Dr. Hans-Joachim Konz and Klaus Rübenthaler will handle board affairs in the interim.



Prof. Dr.-Ing. Udo Ungeheuer’s background



After almost two decades of service to the company SCHOTT, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Udo Ungeheuer will retire at the end of February 2013 at the age of 62. Udo Ungeheuer was born in Bonn-Bad Godesberg. He studied mechanical engineering at the RWTH Aachen and completed his studies in 1979 with the title of Diplom-Ingenieur. In 1985 he completed his doctoral degree with the title of Dr.-Ing. In his dissertation, he dealt with the problems of developing complex product and production structures for the machine tool industry and plant construction. In 2006, Dr. Ungeheuer was named an honorary professor of the University of Applied Science in Mainz. 



Ungeheuer’s first stop in the private sector was in 1986 with BMW AG. In 1994 he began with SCHOTT as a member of the management group. Only one year later he was called to serve on the board. Since 2004, he has been at the head of the company as Chairman of the Board and Industrial Relations Director. On the board, he is responsible for the business Pharmaceutical Systems as well as the group functions Corporate Strategy I Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Human Resources, Corporate Compliance & Legal, Corporate Public Relations, Corporate Auditing und Corporate Marketing. In addition, he is responsible for the business of SCHOTT North America.



Under Ungeheuer’s leadership, SCHOTT went through a comprehensive process of modernization. That included in particular the change from a group of mid-sized companies to an international technology group as well as strengthening research and development and the increasing presence in growth markets such as China, India, and Russia with its own manufacturing plants. With the targeted development of strong core businesses, SCHOTT has taken on a leading position in many areas. These include Ceran® glass ceramic cooktops, pharmaceutical packaging, ultra-thin glass for cover and touch applications, and electronic components.



Under the leadership of Udo Ungeheuer, SCHOTT strengthened its activities in social areas. Internally, the emphasis lies on the compatibility of career and family as well as exemplary health management for its employees. Externally, the company aims for the support and education of youth via many different social, athletic, and cultural activities. Among other positions, Ungeheuer oversees the benefit run “Run for Children” held by SCHOTT to support disabled children in the region, and he initiated a project which is unique in Germany: “Children make music with Justus Frantz.”



SCHOTT is an international technology group with more than 125 years of experience in the areas of specialized glass, specialized materials, and cutting edge technology. Many of SCHOTT’s products are worldwide market leaders. Key markets are the branches of the household appliance industry, pharmaceuticals, electronics, optics, solar energy, transportation, and architecture. The company has the clearly defined standard of contributing to the success of its clients by providing high quality products and intelligent solutions, and using these to make SCHOTT an important component in every person’s life. SCHOTT professes sustainable business development and actively stands up for its employees, society, and the environment. In 40 countries, the SCHOTT group is represented close to the customers with manufacturing and selling sites. In the business year 2010/2011, 17,000 employees created a total world revenue of around 2.9 billion Euros. With its headquarters in Mainz, SCHOTT AG is a company of the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung.