Joachim Zahn
Encyclopedia
Professor Joachim Zahn was the chairman of Daimler Benz AG
between 1971 and 1979.
Zahn was the youngest of four sons of a Wuppertal Lawyer. He himself studied law at Tübingen
and later obtained a doctorate at Cologne
based on a study on the limits of credit insurance. During the Second World War he served as an army officer in Russia and Italy. His career in commerce and industry began in 1947, and in 1958 he joined Daimler Benz as Financial Director. In 1965 he was appointed speaker of the management board, and became chairman of the main board in 1971. His time at the top was noteworthy, among other things, for the building of Europe's largest truck factory, at Wörth
(between Karlsruhe
and the frontier with France at Wissembourg
). Although he took over the company's chairmanship shortly before the economic crisis triggered by the 1973 oil shortages, the second part of his chairmanship coincided with a continuing period of profitable growth for the company which was able to accumulate substantial financial reserves: these would play an important part in the company's progress under subsequent leaders. Zahn himself remained actively involved with the business until his death, during his final years as an advisor to Jürgen Schrempp.
Zahn's period at the helm was one of growth for Daimler-Benz. Between 1967 and 1976 passenger car output more than doubled, with an average annual growth rate of 6.9% during a decade when the overall growth rate of the German auto-industry was 2.3%. The company's growth in the bus and truck sector outran that of the industry as a whole by an even greater margin.
In 1973 he was awarded an honorary professorship by the regional government of Baden-Württemberg
, giving rise to the misguided impression in English speaking countries that Germany's leading manufacturer of trucks and luxury cars was being led by an academic. He is better thought of as an expert in finance and taxation with a formidable and clear intellect, and a capacity to inspire affection and respect in colleagues.
Remarkably, all four of the Zahn brothers from Wuppertal became captains of industry. This prompted banker Hermann Josef Abs
to quip that there were so many teeth in the German economy that it was reasonable to speak of a complete bite. ('Zahn' is the German word for 'tooth'.)
Daimler-Benz
Daimler-Benz AG was a German manufacturer of automobiles, motor vehicles, and internal combustion engines; founded in 1926. An Agreement of Mutual Interest - which was valid until year 2000 - was signed on 1 May 1924 between Karl Benz's Benz & Cie., and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, which had...
between 1971 and 1979.
Zahn was the youngest of four sons of a Wuppertal Lawyer. He himself studied law at Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
and later obtained a doctorate at Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
based on a study on the limits of credit insurance. During the Second World War he served as an army officer in Russia and Italy. His career in commerce and industry began in 1947, and in 1958 he joined Daimler Benz as Financial Director. In 1965 he was appointed speaker of the management board, and became chairman of the main board in 1971. His time at the top was noteworthy, among other things, for the building of Europe's largest truck factory, at Wörth
Wörth
Wörth may refer to:*places in Germany:**Wörth am Main, Miltenberg district, Bavaria**Wörth am Rhein, Germersheim district, Rhineland-Palatinate**Wörth an der Donau, Regensburg district, Bavaria**Wörth an der Isar, Landshut district, Bavaria...
(between Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
and the frontier with France at Wissembourg
Wissembourg
Wissembourg is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in northeastern France.It is situated on the little River Lauter close to the border between France and Germany approximately north of Strasbourg and west of Karlsruhe. Wissembourg is a sub-prefecture of the department...
). Although he took over the company's chairmanship shortly before the economic crisis triggered by the 1973 oil shortages, the second part of his chairmanship coincided with a continuing period of profitable growth for the company which was able to accumulate substantial financial reserves: these would play an important part in the company's progress under subsequent leaders. Zahn himself remained actively involved with the business until his death, during his final years as an advisor to Jürgen Schrempp.
Zahn's period at the helm was one of growth for Daimler-Benz. Between 1967 and 1976 passenger car output more than doubled, with an average annual growth rate of 6.9% during a decade when the overall growth rate of the German auto-industry was 2.3%. The company's growth in the bus and truck sector outran that of the industry as a whole by an even greater margin.
In 1973 he was awarded an honorary professorship by the regional government of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, giving rise to the misguided impression in English speaking countries that Germany's leading manufacturer of trucks and luxury cars was being led by an academic. He is better thought of as an expert in finance and taxation with a formidable and clear intellect, and a capacity to inspire affection and respect in colleagues.
Remarkably, all four of the Zahn brothers from Wuppertal became captains of industry. This prompted banker Hermann Josef Abs
Hermann Josef Abs
Hermann Josef Abs was a German banker. He was a member of the board of directors of Deutsche Bank from 1938 - 1945...
to quip that there were so many teeth in the German economy that it was reasonable to speak of a complete bite. ('Zahn' is the German word for 'tooth'.)