D. Erich Boersch (1940 – 2017)

by Susan Gibson, JSJ Productions, Inc.

Erich Boersch was active in the plastics industry for nearly a half century. His experience spanned injection molding, vacuum forming, polyurethane casting, EPS foaming, and rotational molding. Erich became active in the rotational molding industry in 1972. He held positions with leading European rotomolding companies Low and Bonar and Rhein Bonar before forming his own company, Rota Consult GmbH, in 1994. Through his consultancy, Erich applied his years’ of rotomolding experience and vast industry knowledge toward global developments, strategic and technical issues, and assisting with new company startups. Erich was well-known for his keen insights in the areas of market research and future industry trends. He will be long remembered for his multitude of contributions to the rotational molding industry. Erich Boersch passed away on February 21, 2017, after a period of illness.

Erich was a member of the Association Rotational Molders (ARM) and was inducted into the ARM Hall of Fame in 1999. The ARM Hall of Fame is dedicated to the recognition of rotational molders, suppliers, and professional members. The award is the highest honor the Association of Rotational Molders (ARM) bestows on an individual for outstanding service, accomplishments, and contributions to further the growth of the rotational molding industry. He was a member of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). He was founder and President of the Association Rotational Moulding – Central Europe e.V. (ARM-CE), and was a representative on behalf of the German Plastics Industry to the Federal Association of German Industry (BDI), the voice of Germany industry. Erich was one of the first initiators of The Affiliation of Rotational Moulding Organizations (ARMO) which brought world-wide rotational molding organizations under one umbrella. Erich gave numerous presentations over the years through ARM and ARMO. He served on the ARM International and Membership Committees. He was Contributing Editor to Rotation and RotoWorld® magazines until his retirement.

(Detlef) Erich Boersch was born on February 28, 1940 in Fischbeck, Sachsen Anhalt Germany. His father went missing during the 2nd world war, therefore he was raised by his widowed mother. After achieving his secondary school degrees, Erich moved to Paris to study English, French, and German language and literature at the famous Sorbonne University. It was there that he decided to drop his first name “Detlef” as many of his foreign friends had found the name a real jawbreaker and had started calling him by his second first name “Erich”, which was how he was known in the rotational molding industry.

Upon completion of his studies and earning a diploma in simultaneous translation, Erich started to work for Philippine in Konstanz, Germany, a plastic moulder for automotive products. This position started him in the direction of his business career in plastics. It was also during this time that Erich met his wife Ingrid and the two were married in 1966 in Lahnstein. In 1968, they were blessed with the birth of their daughter Birgit.

After working for different plastic processing companies, Erich finally landed in Hockenheim where he became General Manager of Rhein-Chemie. In the early 60’s, Rhein-Chemie was
one of the first industrial rotomoulders in Germany, which today is part of the RPC Promens Group. With his great enthusiasm for the rotational molding industry, Erich became a driving force for continuously widening the field of applications – making the facility in Hockenheim one of the pioneers for making technical plastics parts.

In the following years, besides developing the company, Erich’s great passion was to strive to increase the awareness of rotomoulding and enlarge his own global network by traveling the world giving presentations on rotomoulding topics.

After retiring from Rhein-Bonar, Erich decided to use his wide knowledge and global contacts as an independent contractor, to serve the industry as Rota Consult. While staying connected with the industry, he had realized that for many companies it was essential to establish a better networking within the global industry – where language was a big issue. 

Remembering Erich Boersch

“Erich began pushing his clients and ex-colleagues to consider the formation of a German speaking rotomoulding organization. It was with his initiative and efforts that ARM-CE e.V. was formed and registered in June 1998. Erich served as Chairman of the ARM-CE until November 2007, when he handed the chair over to me. Not only did he establish the German speaking association, he was also one of the initiators of ARMO, having the vision to achieve a truly globally connected industry. When I first entered the global rotomoulding family at an ARM meeting in Vienna in 1996, Erich became my mentor. I am grateful for the introduction he gave me to the industry and for all that I learned from him over the time we worked together. I believe Erich has left long-lasting footprints in our industry,
and he will be sorely missed by all of his colleagues and friends.”
— Oliver Wandres, MAUS and Chairman ARM-CE

“My first recollection of Erich Boersch was as a regular attendee at ARM Spring and Fall Conferences where he seemed to know everyone. I did not get to know Erich until ARM’s first truly International October 1989 Conference at the Cumberlin Hotel in London, England.

Erich sought me out during that meeting. That started a business friendship that deepened over the years. I never knew what attracted Erich’s attention. At that time, he was Managing Director of Rhein Bonar, a major innovative German rotational molding company. I was a product designer and plastics technology seminar instructor. The link may have been that Erich felt strongly about the importance of designing for the molding process being used and the industry’s responsibility to educate the next generation of practioners.

Over the years, various proponents of a single international association of rotational molders came and went. However, Erich was the one constant voice suggesting that ARM take a leadership role in promoting mutually beneficial cooperation between the small rotational molding groups evolving in Europe, Scandinavia, South Africa, India, Australia, etc. Erich was a long-time Chairman of the German group ARM-CE. From that base, he organized at least two well attended international technical conferences.

The rapid growth of the industry in the 1990’s attracted the attention of the Society of Plastics Engineers. I will always remember Erich’s stabilizing influence during the contentious period while SPE was forming their Rotational Molding Division. Erich was in favor of any activity that promoted the Rotational Molding Industry. He also saw the advantage of cooperating with a purely Technical Society that provided cutting edge conferences with peer reviewed technical papers. Erich was an exofficio member of SPE’s Rotational Molding Division’s first Board of Directors. He presented technical papers and faithfully attended the Division’s Conferences until declining health made international travel difficult.

Like many Europeans, Erich started his day with a big breakfast. He could normally be found in the hotel restaurant shortly after it opened. We developed an unofficial agreement to meet for breakfast. He would ask and I would tell him what little bit I knew about the people and the Industry in North America. Erich would then tell me what was or should be happening in the rest of the world. That included more gossip about North America than I knew.

A fond memory of Erich was that breakfast was always corn beef hash with two poached eggs. The waiter would insist that hash came with fried or scrambled eggs. This only got the waiter a detailed lecture on how to prepare poached eggs.

That was Erich Boersch, and I will miss him.”
— Glenn L. Beall, Glenn Beall Engineering

“I first met Erich in 1998, not too long after I started with ARMA. By that time he was one of the most well-known names in the industry, particularly in Europe and the US. Immediately upon meeting him he became a very generous mentor to me and remained so until he retired. Like so many leaders, he was a controversial person who could be difficult and challenging but his passion for rotomoulding was unquestionable. Erich had a vision of the global industry working together that he realized and which continues today. I consider him the founder of ARMO and I know without his drive the global industry conversation that we all benefit from wouldn’t have happened. We will miss him but continue to feel his influence for a long time.”
— Leisa Donlan, ARMA CEO

“I had the privilege of calling Erich my friend for over 25 years. I first encountered him as a firebrand German on stage encouraging a large multi-national audience to be prepared for upcoming European market changes at the epic ARMO conference in Barcelona in 1990. Firebrand because he was never afraid to give his opinion when he believed in something and epic because he helped organize the conference dinner in a vineyard with 3 million bottles in their cellars! Before long we would meet regularly at conferences and on occasion when he came to The Queen’s University to support our work in Belfast. His success in business was a combination of entrepreneurial drive and vision of the industry. It was this vision that I sought regularly as he helped guide me at critical moments in my own path. Always willing to listen and encourage, I remember sitting with him in Bali in the late 90s and charting a possible future path as a travelling consultant and then 20 years later in Germany reflecting on the next steps beyond consulting. He always gave me a clear picture of where I stood and encouraged me to create my own niche in the rotomolding world. That was Erich Boersch. A mentor.

Erich was a strong supporter of rotomolding worldwide and it was again his drive and vision that pushed the development of many of the European associations in supporting their local molders during the 1990s. He saw this development as a benefit to the industry overall moving as it did to the umbrella group ARMO connecting all groups worldwide. And despite the rumblings this process caused between molder groups, he was always immensely proud of his place in the ARM Hall of Fame and had many friends on both sides of the Atlantic; even those he bumped heads with on association matters had tremendous respect for him on a personal level. I had the privilege of presenting him an Honorary Service award from ARMO at their conference in Berlin in 2006. It wasn’t quite a roast and German’s are not famous for their sense of humor (sorry Germany!) but he took some rib-poking and the embarrassment of some old polaroids in good stead. That was Erich Boersch. Industry icon.

He also had a soft side and I remember the gleam in his eye when he scrambled to find the winning plate at our conference table in Florida for a Disney toy for his grand-daughter. And while his health in recent years was not good, Orla and I visited him and his wife Ingrid at their home in Bad Schönborn in Rheinland on several occasions. Despite his physical challenges, he was always in good spirits and our memories are of beef stews, strong beers (courtesy of Ingrid), and good company right up until very recently. Stubborn to the end, he never could quite let go of his one vice of an occasional cigarette insisting that if he gave them up then he wouldn’t enjoy living. That was Erich Boersch. My Friend.”
— Paul Nugent, industry consultant

“In the early days of ARM, Eric Boersch was one of the first European rotomolders to express interest in the association. Eric visited Formed Plastics’ facility in New York and I toured his factory in Germany. He was very active in ARM’s International Committee creating a framework for non North American members of ARM.”
— Pat Long, Formed Plastics

Erich was a consummate entrepreneur and a gentleman. He had a big personality that filled the room. He had great passion for life and career and rarely hesitated to speak his mind. He was a stalwart for the rotational molding industry and most who knew him would agree that through his passion and energy, the industry today is more connected on a global level. He will be fondly remembered and appreciated by the industry he loved.

from an article at RotoWorld®
https://rotoworldmag.com/d-erich-boersch-1940-2017/