Dr Roland Loroch passes on the baton 2023-12-08

An era spanning 33 years in the history of Loroch GmbH, a specialist for saw blade sharpening machines, came to an end on 30th November 2023. This was when Dr Roland Loroch, who in 1990 became the fourth generation of his family to manage the company, retired. The machine manufacturer from Mörlenbach, which is part of the Biberach-based VOLLMER Group, will now be led by Hartmut Kälberer as sole CEO.

"On the occasion of my departure, I would like to give my sincere thanks to all members of staff at Loroch, as well as to our customers, for always having complete confidence in me," says Dr Roland Loroch, who is stepping down as CEO of Loroch GmbH. "I'm also grateful that the future of Loroch GmbH is in good hands as I pass the baton on to Hartmut Kälberer." 

A small ceremony was held on 1st December 2023 at the company building in Mörlenbach to say farewell to Dr Roland Loroch as he entered retirement. In addition to the Loroch staff, Mayor of Mörlenbach Erik Kadesch and VOLLMER CEOs Dr Stefan Brand and Jürgen Hauger were also present. In his speech, Dr Stefan Brand praised Dr Roland Loroch's many accomplishments: After completing an engineering degree in Darmstadt, Dr Roland Loroch began his professional career at the European headquarters of DuPont de Nemours in Neu-Isenburg. In 1990, he took over as CEO of Loroch from his father Gerhard Loroch, making him the fourth generation of the family to manage the company. His great-grandfather Josef Loroch founded the company in 1899 in Heidelberg. With Dr Roland Loroch at the helm, it was integrated into the VOLLMER Group in 2006. Since then, Loroch saw blade sharpening machines have been available in addition to the range of automated grinding, eroding and laser machines from Biberach-based sharpening specialist VOLLMER as a full-line supplier. 

Hartmut Kälberer joined the Loroch management team in early 2023 and led the company alongside Dr Roland Loroch over the course of the year. This collaboration lasting almost a year allowed Loroch to thoroughly prepare its customers, partners and staff for a seamless change in management. Since 1st December 2023, Hartmut Kälberer has been the sole CEO of Loroch GmbH, making him the first one in the company's history who is not a member of the Loroch family.