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The visionary company founder, long-standing managing director and advisory board member of puren gmbh passed away at the beginning of August at the age of almost 87.
(Ueberlingen) Hans Bommer, company founder, long-standing managing director and in recent years advisory board member of Ueberlingen-based puren gmbh, passed away on 8 August 2025, shortly before his 87th birthday. The Bommer and Heilig shareholder families, the advisory board, the management team and all employees, as well as the subsidiary companies Aprithan Schaumstoff GmbH, Bomat Energiesysteme GmbH, Pro-Innova Daemmtechnik GmbH and puren s.r.o., are mourning with the family of Hans Bommer.
"Hans Bommer was one of the pioneers of the rigid polyurethane foam industry. From the moment he and his father discovered this material by coincidence, which was still new in the 1960s, they were convinced it could be used to develop high-quality, energy-efficient insulation materials,” said Dr Andreas Huther, Managing Director of puren,“ and that was at a time when no one was talking about energy conservation and climate protection. With his perseverance, his unique innovative and creative power, and his visionary foresight, Hans Bommer created one of Europe's leading companies in the PU industry. For this, we are all infinitely grateful to him."
Son of an entrepreneurial family from Ueberlingen
Hans Bommer, born on August 23, 1938, in Ueberlingen, grew up with two brothers in an family of entrepreneurs, who had been active and dedicated since 1910 on Lake Constance. He completed a commercial apprenticeship, volunteered at the Kloeckner Group, and then studied business administration at the University of Mannheim. After completing his studies, he put his dissertation plans on hold and instead seized the opportunity to follow his father's advice and, as a young business graduate, founded puren in 1968, at that time still a two-man company in a rented garage.
Initially, the goal was to gain fundamental chemical knowledge of the new material, to rapidly improve the still-nascent manufacturing technology, and at the same time to find new markets for the product previously completely unknown in Europe. Hans Bommer acquired comprehensive theoretical knowledge about the new material at Bayer AG (now Covestro AG) in Leverkusen. With the financial support from his father, the first prototype facility was purchased. This laid the foundation for another company owned by the successful entrepreneurial families Bommer and Heilig from Überlingen.
Gradually, the first series-ready blocks and panels made of rigid PU foam were developed, however, their application still had to be established in the construction industry for the insulation of pitched roofs, flat roofs, façades and ceilings. Hans Bommer demonstrated exceptional foresight in this regard, as he recognised the enormous energy-saving potential in the building sector through the use of high-performance insulation materials long before government energy-saving regulations were incorporated into building regulations.
The constant drive for innovation of a true pioneer relentlessly motivated Hans Bommer to seek out further fields of application. He found these in vehicle construction, among many other industrial sectors such as model making, window and door manufacturing, and even specialized applications in shipbuilding. This led to the development of extremely temperature-resistant and flame-retardant foams, as well as specially 'relaxed' insulation boards—which were considered exceptional innovations at the time. In 1980, Europe’s biggest production line for large blocks went into operation in Ueberlingen. Over the following 10 years, the puren Group experienced significant growth through the integration of other rigid PU foam manufacturers, such as Aprithan Schaumstoff GmbH in Abtsgmuend, Endele Kunststoff GmbH in Obermarchtal, and Pro-Innova Daemmtechnik GmbH in Neuenhagen near Berlin. International sales activities were also expanded, and in 2020 a subsidiary was established in the Czech Republic, increasing the total number of employees to over 300.
Milestones, Commitments, and Awards
Among the outstanding projects Hans Bommer was able to win for the use of PU materials, two stand out to this day as unforgettable—not only for the company founder himself:
Firstly, the production of molded parts made from highly pressure-resistant rigid PU foams for the 136-meter-high “Montjuic Communications Tower” in Barcelona, designed by architect Santiago Calatrava for the 1992 Olympic Games. Without the elements foamed in Ueberlingen, the filigree lightweight construction of this tower for the worldwide transmission of the sporting competitions would not have been possible.
Secondly, Hans Bommer was particularly proud of the newly designed vehicle fleet of the Deutsche Post (now DHL), introduced in the mid-1990s. There are now likely to be tens of thousands of vehicles with a PU core made in Überlingen delivering parcels nationwide, which, due to their comparatively low superstructure weight, are saving energy and thus contributing to a better climate.
Hans Bommer also achieved an acoustic highlight with puren panels: together with Siemens, he developed so-called surface loudspeakers that could be integrated invisibly in walls and ceilings (including, of course, in his own home) delivering a fascinating sound experience. The company purSonic GmbH, founded specifically for this purpose, now belongs to Revox Deutschland GmbH, based in Villingen-Schwenningen.
In addition to his work at his own company, Hans Bommer was actively involved with the Industrial Association for Rigid Polyurethane Foam (IVPU) for over 36 years. He was one of its founding members in 1974, served as chairman of the board from 1988 to 2002, and remained a board member until 2010. Hans Bommer was also involved for a number of years in the Rigid Foam Quality Assurance Association (GSH), in the technical committee “foam material” and on the advisory board of Sparkasse Bodensee.
puren and Hans Bommer received numerous awards and prizes for product innovations and for their services in the field of energy conservation and environmental protection. For his services to the state's economy, Hans Bommer was awarded the Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2007, and the Economic Medal in Gold of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg in 2010.
A Special Appreciation for Employees and Family
Hans Bommer always held a deep appreciation for all employees and his family, as he expressed during his acceptance speech at the award presentation of the Economic Medal in 2012:"This award above all belongs to the puren workforce, who stood by me loyally through all the ups and downs, and to my wife, who supported me for nearly 45 years and endured many deprivations.”
A Remarkable and Noble Personality
Hans Bommer was an extraordinary and distinguished personality. He had a gift of always expressing his wishes and convictions with a special kindness. He exemplified success is not measured by numbers alone, but by attitude, reliability, and the courage to pursue new, and at times uncomfortable paths, time and again. He was a role model to puren employees, combining entrepreneurial spirit with humanity, showing great things can only be achieved together.
Environmental protection and reuse
Having grown up in the blessed by nature landscape around Lake Constance, Hans Bommer developed a strong sensitivity for sustainable entrepreneurship.
Waste prevention was always a top priority for him, and it motivated Hans Bommer to begin developing concepts and technologies for the reuse of production remnants soon after founding the company. The result was the creation of the recyclable PU functional material purenit®, which has become established in a wide range of applications. Today, puren operates a dedicated facility on the edge of the Swabian Alb, where not only the company’s own production remnants are reused, but in cooperation with numerous other PU processors from across Europe the principles of a true circular economy are actively put into practice.
Company succession secured
In 2012, Hans Bommer stepped down from the company management and joined the advisory board, where he remained active until 2024. Since 2012, Dr Andreas Huther has been the company’s sole managing director. To ensure the long-term future of the family business, the next generation took on shareholder responsibility several years ago.
His professional commitments, left Hans Bommer with little time for his private life. Nevertheless, Hans Bommer was actively involved with the huntsmen of Baden for nearly four decades. He is survived by his wife, two children, and one grandchild.
The public memorial service took place on Thursday, August 21, 2025, at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Ueberlingen, with the burial taking place at a later date in a private ceremony with his closest family.