Manfred Roth: A life for the family business
Dautphetal entrepreneur dies at the age of 85
Entrepreneur Manfred Roth passed away on January 3, 2025, at the age of 85, surrounded by his family. Just a few days earlier, he had publicly announced the establishment of the Manfred Roth Foundation and celebrated the anniversary of the Roth site in Wolfgruben. “This sudden death is very painful. At the same time, we are very grateful that Manfred Roth was in our midst until the end,” said the closest family members.
Manfred Roth set the course for the continuation of the family business at an early stage and gradually transferred responsibility to his children. They had already gained many years of management experience in important functions within the company and were eventually appointed to the management of Roth Industries, headquartered at in Dautphetal-Buchenau. Manfred Roth then retired from management in 2019. He continued to be present in the family business as a consultant and remained a member of the Executive Board in this capacity.
Review and vision
At the age of 21, Manfred Roth joined his father Heinrich Roth’s company in 1961 when he fell seriously ill and took over entrepreneurial responsibility. The first product program was boiler stoves with handcrafted production in Silberg and Mornshausen. When he joined his father’s company, Manfred Roth was already convinced that the monostructure had to be overcome in order to secure the company’s long-term future. He had the idea of developing the family business, founded in 1947, into a dynamic industrial company with several technology and market-leading business areas. He was convinced that a balanced, diversified company would offer greater crisis resistance and growth opportunities.
Study close to the company
When Manfred Roth joined the family business, he had to interrupt his mechanical engineering studies at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) in Aachen and later even give up altogether. This ensured the continuation of the business. Nevertheless, he did not abandon his plan to study. When his father’s health improved, he decided to study economics at the Philipps University in Marburg in 1963 and was thus close to the company. He graduated with a degree in economics in 1968.
From craft business to global market leader
Manfred Roth consistently realized his vision: he developed his father Heinrich Roth’s artisan business into an internationally active company. Under the motto ‘one brand – many strengths’, the family business is now represented worldwide with various companies, around 1400 employees and 28 production and sales companies. With its various divisions, Roth Industries is one of the most innovative companies in building and industrial technology. With its cross-divisional areas of expertise in energy, water and plastics, the manufacturer has a high level of performance.
Diversification enables the utilization of synergies and the expansion of innovation leadership. Roth was recognized as the global market leader in the segments of energy storage systems, surface heating and cooling systems and composite technologies when it was entered in the Langenscheidt “Lexicon of German Global Market Leaders.”
Responsible for the environment, economy and society
Manfred Roth was committed to the economy, society and the environment. Environmentally friendly products and production were increasingly the focus of the company’s own environmental management system. Roth received numerous important awards for this.
From 1990 to 2001, Manfred Roth was President of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Dillenburg and promoted the development of the local economy with his work at. In 2007, Manfred Roth was awarded the Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Federal Republic of Germany by the Federal President for his many voluntary and social commitments. Roth supports social organizations, cultural projects, regional club life, projects in connection with training and further education and is strongly committed to cooperation between the business community and schools, colleges and universities. Since his studies, Manfred Roth has felt a particular affinity with the Philipps University in Marburg.
Manfred Roth has recorded the history of his family and the family business in three books. In recent months, he has devoted himself to a series of books dedicated to the history of the Hinterland and entrepreneurship in the region. Two of the volumes, “From Hinterland to Vorderland”, have already been published.
A book of condolence for Manfred Roth is available in the atrium of Roth-Werke (Am Seerain 2) in Buchenau and is open to the public during the company’s business hours.
Learn more at www.roth-industries.de.
