A strategist with a heart of gold
With his strong entrepreneurial spirit and boundless energy, Rainer Winter drove forward the uvex company and brand over the course of 60 years with great success: an extraordinary achievement. The visionary family entrepreneur passed away on Sunday, January 12th.
Aged just 20, Rainer Winter gained his first commercial experience at his parents’ company. It was during this time that “Philipp M. Winter Optische Industrieanstalt” developed its first safety goggles, which in those days were still elaborately crafted by hand, at Salzstraße in Fürth. This location was the birthplace of the present-day uvex group.
Gabriele Grau and Michael Winter, who in 1999 became the third generation of the Winter family to manage the uvex group, explain: "For our father, joining his father's company without being able to make his own mark was simply out of the question. He wanted to earn his own stripes and so, in 1955, he travelled to the USA to complete a study abroad programme and apprenticeship.” After 12 months on the other side of the Atlantic, he brought back a key insight: in order to be successful, a consumer product needs a striking brand and consistent brand management. Because of this, one of his first achievements as Managing Partner was coming up with the brand name "uvex", the abbreviated form of the quality seal "UltraViolet EXcluded". This represented a significant milestone in the company history and the start of an extraordinary success story.
Rainer Winter's stay in the USA taught him to recognise growth potential on the global market and so, during the 1970s, he began to drive forward the diversification and internationalisation of the uvex group. During the international expansion process, Rainer Winter was bold and visionary in equal measures. Moreover, he constantly upheld the company vision, which he himself developed: "protecting people". And with huge success: today, the company sells products which protect people in sport, at work and in their leisure pursuits across 49 subsidiaries in 23 countries around the world.
Rainer Winter was not only an extraordinarily successful entrepreneur, he also had a huge heart for children. In 1980, he founded the Rainer Winter Foundation, which seeks to cut through bureaucracy to provide rapid help to sick, needy and disabled children and young people. The focus of the Foundation's work is where Rainer Winter grew up: Fürth and the Nuremberg area. Funding for the foundation mostly comes from the management family, in addition to uvex group employees and partners.
Despite battling ill health, Rainer Winter repeatedly visited the company headquarters in Fürth and, in his capacity as Shareholder and ‘background moderator’ of the uvex group, advised and supported key company decisions. In his forward-thinking manner and in agreement with his family, Rainer Winter previously set the course for a long-term company succession in advance. His son Michael Winter, who has followed in his father's footsteps as Managing Partner since 1999, is today responsible for sales totalling EUR 666 million (FY 2023/24) and 3100 colleagues around the world. In her role as shareholder, Gabriele Grau took on management responsibilities and acts as Chair of the Rainer Winter Foundation. As a result, the life's work and social commitment of the late Rainer Winter will be continued.
Michael Winter: "We are bidding farewell to a wonderful person who was an experienced and reliable advisor for us until the very end. He was always available to listen to the concerns and needs of his employees, and his team spirit, down to earth nature and humour helped him to create a corporate culture of values and mutual trust. For this legacy, we are deeply grateful."
Awards
Over the course of his life, Rainer Winter was the recipient of many awards, including the First Class Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Entrepreneur Award 2003, the Nuremberg Chamber of Industry and Commerce medal of honour and a gold “Citizens Medal” from the city of Fürth.