Electrosurgical technology on the international stage 1962-2003
In 1962, the first sales office was opened in Cologne, with more to follow in Munich, Hamburg, Krefeld, Hannover, Frankfurt and Nuremberg.
Helmut Erbe (1928-2023)
Helmut Erbe joined the family business in 1945 as an apprentice. In addition to managing the company, his father Otto was involved in politics on an honorary basis, as well as in the democratic reconstruction of the country during the post-war period. Helmut Erbe was involved in the responsibilities of the company at an early stage.
In 1962, when he assumed sole responsibility for managing the company, he focused on development and production in the field of electrical medical applications – and on establishing a nationwide sales network in Germany followed by an international sales network. In 1962, the first sales office was opened in Cologne, with more to follow in Munich, Hamburg, Krefeld, Hannover, Frankfurt and Nuremberg.
In 1968, the first foreign subsidiary was established in Vienna. During Helmut Erbe's reign, six further foreign subsidiaries were established in France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United States (in Georgia), Poland and the United Kingdom. As international success grew, so, too,
did the need for space - in 1985, the significant step was taken of moving to an industrial park on the outskirts of the city: Erbe established what is now the company headquarters in Waldhoernlestrasse, in the Tuebingen district of Derendingen.
Under his management, this medium-sized company set international benchmarks with its innovations. The close international collaboration with clinics, universities and third-level educational facilities ensured the necessary market edge. Erbe helped set the pace of the rapid developments in operating theaters and medical practices.
In 1996, Helmut Erbe incorporated the fifth generation into the management of the company in the shape of his son Christian Otto Erbe and son-in-law Reiner Thede. When the "senior member" finally retired from the management of the company in 2003, he had been active in the company for almost 60 years and had laid solid groundwork for the future of the family business.