Steel organizations mourn for Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter Ameling
by Hans Diederichs
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter Ameling, from 1998-2008 Executive Board Member of the Steel Institute VDEh and from 2000-2008 also Chairman of the Steel Institute VDEh and President of the German Steel Association, died on September 4, 2020. He turned 79 years old.
With the death of Dieter Ameling, the steel industry in Germany loses a personality who was recognized in business and politics, who directed the work of the steel organizations for many years and represented the political interests of the industry. When he began working for the organizations in Düsseldorf at the turn of the millennium, Ameling could already look back on a long career in the German steel industry. After studying metallurgy and materials science at the Technical University of Clausthal, which was followed by a doctorate, he began his career at the Bous tube works in Saarland. He then took up management positions at the Hamburg steel mills, Thyssen Niederrhein, Saarstahl and finally Krupp VDM. In 1997 the TU appointed Clausthal Ameling as honorary professor.
Dieter Ameling not only had extensive knowledge of the steel industry, but also had the talent to explain complicated technical issues in a simple and clear way. This made him a sought-after discussion partner in politics and among journalists. He was particularly keen to communicate the industry's achievements in the fields of innovation and sustainable development. He warned early on about the risks associated with a one-sided burden on the steel industry and instead emphasized the central importance of technological progress for climate and environmental protection. His achievements also include his commitment to steel research, thanks to which the Max Planck Institute for Iron Research (MPIE) is now a world leader in the field of materials research.
The Steel Institute VDEh, of which Ameling had been a personal member since 1964 and whose Executive Board he had been a member since 1994, appointed him an honorary member in 2010. He has supported the technical-scientific joint work of the iron and steel workers with great personal commitment, developed initiatives to give more attention to technical issues in industrial policy debates, and has made a sustained commitment to the promotion of young talent.
Source: WV Stahl Photo: bbr