Frank Händle – 80 years
One character held in esteem in the ceramics industry worldwide celebrated his 80th birthday on 8 September: Frank Händle.
He headed the world-renowned Händle company for 30 years, during which he blazed new technical trails, gave impetus and food for thought and decisively shaped the development of brick plant technology. He attached great importance to working with scientific and academic institutions and even allowed himself the “luxury” of being a mid-range entrepreneur with a penchant for fundamental research. Then, at an age when others prefer to retire, Frank Händle took off on a new tangent. On leaving the Händle company in 2001, he took the “Technical Ceramics Division” with him and founded his ECT GmbH (Extrusion for Ceramic Technology) in 2002. By specializing in extrusion, backed by 35 years’ professional experience in the ceramic industry and related R&D, and with the support of the network he had built up over time, his new company ECT quickly developed into a success story.
With his “Extrusion in Ceramics” handbook, which he published in 2007, Frank Händle established a standard work of reference covering the entire field of ceramic extrusion technology. On top of this come his numerous other publications.
At 80 years of age, Frank Händle remains closely tied to the ceramics industry. We look forward to many more years together: Our best wishes for your birthday – dear Frank Händle – and above all good health!
