Heinrich Nordhoff
Heinrich Nordhoff (
January 6 1899 –
April 12 1968) was a German engineer famous for his leadership of the
Volkswagen company as it was rebuilt after
World War II. He is usually referred to as
Heinz Nordhoff.
Nordhoff attended technical college in
Berlin and in
1927 began work for
BMW working on aircraft engines but soon went to work for
Opel where he gained experience of the automotive industry.
Following the war, he was appointed Managing Director of Volkswagen, assuming the position on
January 2,
1948.
Nordhoff became legendary from turning the
Volkswagen Beetle into a worldwide automotive phenomenon. He pioneered the idea of constant improvement - improving the car's underpinnings while keeping the styling the same. He gave liberal beneifts to VW workers and increased pay scales. Within six years after taking over Volkswagen, Nordhoff reduced the number of man-hours to produce a single car from 400 to 100, a 75 percent reduction. His commitment to improving the workmanship at VW made the Beetle famous for its bulletproof reliability.
While not questioning his ability to sell cars, though, some observers, including automotive analyst Maryann Keller, questioned whether it was wise for Nordhoff to build more of the same car rather than develop new models. By the late sixties, the Beetle was getting serious competition from Japanese, American, and other European models in different markets. Nonetheless, it remained a favorite car for many motorists throughout the world.
Nordhoff announced in
1967 that he would retire by the end of the following year, and the Dr.
Kurt Lotz would succeed him as managing director. Nordhoff suffered heart failure that summer, and returned to work in October. He died six months later.
"Offering people an honest value appealed to me more than being driven around by a bunch of hysterical stylists trying to sell people something they really don't want to have." -- Heinrich Nordhoff on his automotive philosophy, from the book
Volkswagen: Beetles, Buses and Beyond by James Flammang
