The person is at the center

Dorothee Bürkert (2005) (Image source: Andreas Bürkert)

Awarding of the Baden-Württemberg State Merit Medal to Dorothee Bürkert by MP Erwin Teuffel (1996) (Image source: Stuttgart City Archive, Rights: Baden-Württemberg State Archive, Main State Archive Stuttgart, NL Hüdig)

Dorothee Bürkert at a company celebration (1974) (Source: Bürkert Company Archive)

On August 19, 2026, entrepreneur and benefactor Dorothee Bürkert would have turned 100 years old. She continued the Ingelfingen family business Bürkert Fluid Control Systems after the accidental death of her husband, shaped it over three decades with a new employee culture – and created a legacy with her foundation that continues to this day.

Ingelfingen, 03.08. – When founder Christian Bürkert died in a plane crash in October 1971, many gave the medium-sized company little chance of survival: The country was in recession, and there were almost no reserves. But for Dorothee Bürkert, the decision was clear – she continued the company instead of selling it. "A characteristic trait of Dore was loyalty," says her brother Ulrich Gauss, former mayor of Waiblingen and now 94, about his sister. "For her, it was practically unthinkable to say: I give up because it gets difficult."

Dorothee Bürkert also acted with foresight within the company. Under her leadership, the rather patriarchally influenced company transformed into a cooperative organization. As early as 1984, she established leadership principles that put people at the center – long before employee orientation became an economic buzzword. She expressed her attitude unambiguously: "If management can't think of anything better than moving to low-wage countries for cost reasons, then it should be the management that is replaced, not the employees." Instead of relocating production abroad as many companies did in the 1990s, Bürkert created flexible structures in the region – without layoffs.

The work of the trained pharmacist extended far beyond the factory gates. As early as 1978, Dorothee Bürkert founded a charitable foundation, realizing her husband's idea of using the company's profits for the public good. This legacy is still being continued today: In 2024, the "Christian and Dorothee Bürkert Foundation" was established, to which the company's stake was transferred. Since then, the foundation has also borne her name.

For her successful entrepreneurial actions, Dorothee Bürkert was honored in 1996 with the Medal of Merit of the state of Baden-Württemberg. The city of Ingelfingen appointed her as an honorary citizen. Throughout all this, she remained remarkably modest and never sought the spotlight. Her attention was directed toward people: She knew the names of apprentices, greeted everyone with a personal "How are you?", and set up a "Joy and Sorrow Fund" from which employees in need received support.

Dorothee Bürkert died on July 19, 2012, one month before her 86th birthday.

About the Christian and Dorothee Bürkert Foundation

The charitable Christian and Dorothee Bürkert Foundation, based in Ingelfingen, traces back to the Christian Bürkert Foundation founded by Dorothee Bürkert in 1978. It promotes young talents, advocates for fair educational opportunities, and supports research projects. In the vicinity of the company's locations, it is committed to social and cultural projects.

About Bürkert Fluid Control Systems

Bürkert Fluid Control Systems, based in Ingelfingen, is one of the world's leading providers of measurement, control, and regulation technology for liquids and gases. The family business, founded by Christian Bürkert in 1946, employs more than 3,700 people worldwide and has production sites in Germany, France, China, the USA, and India.