Werner Ricardo Voigt
"In our personal and professional life, honesty is always in first place. We never try to profit by jeopardizing someone."
Descendant of German immigrants coming from the region of Düsseldorf, Werner Ricardo Voigt was born on September 8, 1930. Since he was a boy, electricity had always been a passion. Werner also learned very early to enjoy reading through of his grandfather, Leo Schulz, a constructor and teacher, who received many technical magazines from Germany. The electrician and musician Purnhagen was another master that greatly influenced Werner.
Whilst still an adolescent, he moved to the city of Joinville, where he studied at SENAI school and worked at the repair shop of Werner Strohmeyer. At age 18, he was called up to serve in the armed forces in the city of Curitiba. After military service, he was one of just two soldiers selected to study at the Federal Technical School, where he specialized in radiotelegraphy and electronics.
In September 1953, Werner established a small repair shop downtown in Jaraguá do Sul. The small business, which rendered general services and maintained two dozen motorized vehicles that ran in Jaraguá do Sul and surroundings, expanded, proving the entrepreneurial spirit of the youngster who, later, would use his talent to start one of the largest companies of the world: WEG.
Werner Ricardo Voigt conceived the prototype of a motor that became the original product of WEG. A visionary, fond of innovation, he directed the technology used in the factory. His technical leadership was unquestionable, and his attitude focused on evolution led WEG to always choose modernity when the subject was technique. In October 1988, when Décio da Silva took over as president, Werner started integrating the board of directors and stopped performing executive functions at the company. In 2008, he established the Educational and Technical Training Center Werner Ricardo Voigt in the city of Schroeder (State of Santa Catarina), providing learning opportunities for young people of the region.
In June, 2016 at age 85, Werner Ricardo Voigt passed away of natural causes in Jaraguá do Sul/SC. Until the last days of his life, Werner was a regular presence at WEG manufacturing plants. Sharing his experience with the just graduated engineers or already experienced ones with the same pleasure as always. Asking, looking, listening, discovering and talking, Werner divided all of his large experience in production and troubleshooting.
Eggon João da Silva
“Men motivated by an idea are the foundation of success”
Eggon João da Silva was born on October 17, 1929, where the city of Schroeder is located today. Son of Emílio da Silva and Magdalena da Silva, Eggon was deeply inspired by his father. Emílio was a teacher, photographer, carpenter, musician, trader, among other jobs. He wrote the book "Jaraguá do Sul - A Povoação do Vale do Itapocu", a reference to many scholars of the history of the State of Santa Catarina.
Eggon started working early, at the age of 13, as an auxiliary at a notary office in Jaraguá do Sul and soon gained experience in administration. In 1957, after fourteen years in the main bank of the state, he became partner of João Wiest & Cia., a company specialized in the production of car exhaust pipes, with eight employees then.
Cuatro años después, Eggon deja la empresa, que ya contaba con 150 funcionarios, para enfrentar o mayor desafío de su carrera. En septiembre de 1961, junto a Werner y Geraldo, funda WEG. Hasta 1989, Eggon fue presidente de la compañía y participó directamente de los destinos de la empresa, conduciéndola a figurar entre las mayores del sector, con participación destacada en el mercado nacional e internacional. En ese mismo año, cedió el cargo a Décio de la Silva.
La trayectoria de Eggon no está ligada solamente a WEG. El empresario hizo parte de los consejos de cuatro grandes empresas: Oxford, Tigre, Marisol y Perdigão. En esta última, inclusive, ejerció la función de director presidente entre 1994 y 1995, momento en que cumplió la dura misión de recuperación financiera de la empresa.
En septiembre de 2015, a los 85 años, Eggon João de la Silva fallece de causas naturales en un hospital de Jaraguá do Sul/SC.
Geraldo Werninghaus
Nosotros crecimos porque desde el inicio pensamos en grande
Natural de Rio do Sul/SC, Geraldo Werninghaus nasceu em 26 de novembro de 1932. Ele começou sua carreira profissional na Werninghaus & Filhos, oficina de seu pai em Joinville. Aos 14 anos, quando iniciou seu aprendizado como mecânico, o universo de tornos e fresadoras, graxas e estopas já estava impregnado em seu cotidiano.
Geraldo deixou a Werninghaus & Filhos em 1961, aos 29 anos, aceitou o convite de sociedade para fundar a WEG em Jaraguá do Sul, junto com Werner e Eggon. Seus conhecimentos em mecânica e sua criatividade para solucionar problemas somados às habilidades dos colegas serviram para tornar a empresa uma referência no Brasil.
Na fábrica, Werninghaus se encarregava da produção propriamente dita. Era tido como um líder com foco na produção e nas equipes de trabalho.
Pessoa dedicada ao trabalho e à comunidade, ao deixar as atividades executivas diretas na WEG para o Conselho de Administração em 1989, iniciou a nova e promissora carreira pública.
Foi vereador, deputado estadual e prefeito de Jaraguá do Sul, com mandato que se encerraria em 31 de dezembro do ano 2000. Porém, em 10 de fevereiro de 1999, um acidente de trânsito encerrou precocemente a carreira e vida de Geraldo Werninghaus.