Professor Weule passed away on March 19, 2026, at the age of 85.

The wbk Institute for Production Engineering mourns the loss of its long-time director and academic mentor, Prof. em. Dr.-Ing. Hartmut Weule.

With the passing of Hartmut Weule, the wbk loses an outstanding figure who shaped the institute over decades and played a decisive role in its further development. As director of the institute since 1982, he transformed the wbk into a center for production engineering and set new standards in research and teaching as well as in the exchange between academia and industry. 

Born on October 1, 1940, in Bitterfeld, Hartmut Weule studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Braunschweig, where he earned his doctorate with a thesis titled “Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Digital Hydraulic Positioning Drives.” His professional career was marked by an extraordinary interplay between industry and academia: After his early years in research and development, he joined Daimler-Benz AG in 1973, where he made key contributions to automation and the use of industrial robots in production. 

In 1982, he accepted a position at the Technical University of Karlsruhe (TH) and took over as director of the Institute for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (now: wbk). There, he developed the Production Technology Laboratory (PTL) as an innovative, industry-oriented teaching and research environment, thereby shaping generations of students. He was also a formative leader for the staff at wbk. He created space for their own ideas, encouraged personal responsibility, and approached new ideas with openness and trust. His work was characterized by reliability, clarity, and a calm, approachable manner that had a lasting impact on the institute’s operations.
He consistently pursued the goal of building bridges between science and industrial practice. This philosophy was particularly reflected in his role as Executive Board Member for Research and Technology at Daimler-Benz AG in the 1990s, during which he significantly advanced the international orientation of research and established new forms of cooperation. 

After returning to the wbk Institute for Production Engineering, he continued to pursue his vision of integrated production engineering and was particularly committed to the internationalization of education. By establishing English-language degree programs and co-founding the International Department, he made a lasting contribution to KIT’s global orientation. 

Even after his retirement, Hartmut Weule remained closely connected to the wbk. With great personal dedication, he always stood by the institute, offering advice and support. 

He received numerous awards for his outstanding contributions to science, teaching, and industry, including the Cross of Merit, First Class, of the Federal Republic of Germany and the title of Honorary Academic Citizen of KIT. 

With the passing of Hartmut Weule, we lose a visionary engineer, a passionate university professor, and a defining figure of the wbk. His legacy will have a lasting impact on the institute and many generations of scientists.

Our thoughts are with his family and all those who were close to him.

The wbk will honor his memory.