Trimet Aluminium mourns the loss of founder Heinz-Peter Schlüter

Heinz-Peter Schlüter, 1949-2015
Heinz-Peter Schlüter, founder and owner of Trimet Aluminium SE, based in Dusseldorf, Germany, died 29 November 2015, after a serious illness, at the age of 66.

Schlüter founded Trimet in 1985 as a metals trading company with three employees, and the company has grown continuously since then. In the 1990s, the company acquired an aluminum smelter in Essen and an aluminium recycling and production facility in Gelsenkirchen. Through further takeovers, Schlüter kept production facilities open, secured jobs there and proved that aluminum production and processing in Europe is sustainable, the company reports.

Today Trimet Aluminium SE operates four aluminum smelters, two recycling plants and a number of foundries at eight locations in Germany and France. With nearly 3,000 employees, the materials specialist has become a leading European aluminum producer.

The company reports that Schlüter’s entrepreneurial activity was always conducted with social commitment. Recently he established a training initiative through which 66 refugees will participate in an apprenticeship at the company that includes language courses and support measures on life in Germany, the company says.

Schlüter has also been honored for his dedication to preserving the self-image of Trimet as a family-owned company, given the company’s growth and diversification.