Obituary: Oetiker Group founder Hans Oetiker (November 01, 2002)

Hans Oetiker, founder of the Oetiker Group, Horgen, Switzerland, died Sept. 12, 2002. A dynamic and extremely successful entrepreneur and inventor, he leaves behind a wide range of products. Products based on Oetiker patents are available today in all application ranges of industrial technology, but above all in connection with most brand names of the automotive industry.

In 1937, Mr. Oetiker completed his apprenticeship as machine fitter. In 1942, not even 24 years old, he established a mechanical workshop in Horgen, Switzerland, and thus laid the foundations for the Oetiker Group, which today has 10 production facilities in Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, Czech Republic, USA, Canada, Brazil and China; six trading companies in Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands and Great Britain; and a management company in Switzerland.

His talent led him to develop after 1947 a wide range of products in the sectors of connecting technology, surface technology, work and operational safety, and medical technology. The focal point of the applied connecting technology is the “ear clamp,” featuring its easy-to-handle design.