Heinrich Weiss, entrepreneur and long-standing CEO of SMS group, dies at 83

Jochen Burg, CEO of SMS group: “Heinrich Weiss was a true role model. An extraordinary entrepreneur, he transformed a mid‑sized Siegerland company into a global market leader in machine and plant engineering for the steel industry. Our thoughts are with his family, and he will be greatly missed.”

Johannes Frauendörfer, Chairman of the Weiss Family Foundation Board: “Heinrich Weiss was not only a significant entrepreneur but also a person of clarity, integrity, and passion. His life’s work is inextricably linked to SMS. As the Foundation Board, we will carry forward his legacy responsibly, with future generations in mind.”

Georg Weiss, son of Heinrich Weiss and board member of the Weiss Family Foundation: “My father dedicated his life to the company. For our family, it is a matter of great importance to preserve his legacy and to lead SMS into the future in his spirit.”

Heinrich Weiss remained closely involved in the company’s development until recently. For more than five decades, he led the family business as its fourth‑generation head. The company’s origins trace back to his great‑grandfather, Carl Eberhard Weiss, who opened a forge in Siegerland in 1871 that eventually became Siemag (Siegener Maschinenbau) AG. After completing engineering studies in Munich, Heinrich Weiss joined the company in 1968 and was appointed Chairman of the Managing Board in 1971. Under his leadership, the company entered a period of strong growth and global expansion. 1973 marked the company’s merger with Schloemann, based in Düsseldorf. The company’s further development was shaped by major acquisitions, notably Mannesmann Demag in 1999 and Luxembourg‑based Paul Wurth in 2021.

Until 2024, Heinrich Weiss served as the sole chairman of the Family Foundation and carefully prepared the generational transition.

Beyond his dedication to the company, Heinrich Weiss also served for decades on economic policy bodies, leading the China Working Group of the Asia‑Pacific Committee of German Business from 1982 to 1997, acting as Federal Chairman of the CDU Economic Council from 1983 to 1988, and presiding over the Federation of German Industries (BDI) from 1991 to 1992. Among other appointments, he served on the supervisory boards of Deutsche Bahn, Commerzbank and Bertelsmann, and on the Board of Directors of Bombardier.