A Good Man Continues Doing Good

I remember well sitting in Dr. Frank Brinken’s office in Rorschacherberg, Switzerland, gazing out his window at beautiful Lake Constance. We were talking machine tools, and I truly enjoyed listening to Dr. Brinken, as I always have whenever we got together.

Earlier this year, Frank’s company, Starrag Group, announced he is stepping down as CEO of the group, effective April 2014, having reached the retirement age of 65. He is one of those memorable people that we editors get the privilege of meeting in our travels.

But Frank is not fading away. He will be proposed for a board position at the company’s April 2014 meeting. I think keeping his fingers in the machine tool industry that he has influenced positively for most of his career will be a good thing for Starrag.

Moreover, he has been appointed an honorary professor at the Technical University in Chemnitz, Germany. Many students have been beneficiaries of Dr. Brinken’s knowledge and experience in machine tools and manufacturing technology since he began his realistic lectures in 2005. Now they can call him Professor, Dr. Brinken.

You probably get the impression I really like the guy, and I do, but that affinity is shared by my colleagues and, I would venture to say, most people who have known Frank. I take comfort that rather than “just fading away,” this industry will reap the benefits of Dr. Brinken for many years to come. Dr. Brinken will be succeeded by industry veteran, Walter Borsch.