We have received the sad news that Dirk Kelp, a former chief engineer at Mannesmann Demag, and chief executive of Gottwald Port Technology – now part of Konecranes — and a non-executive director of Demag cranes in the UK in 2001/2002, has died.
He passed away on May 6th at the age of 86 and leaves behind his son Tim and daughter Ulla, along with five grandchildren.
Dr Kelp worked with Demag throughout the late 1970s and through the 1980s. In 1988, he was given the challenging job of integrating the Gottwald acquisition into the Demag fold.
In 1994, he moved to Gottwald Port Technology, where he was appointed chief executive. The business was sold to private equity firm KKR in 2002, with Kelp remaining at the helm until his retirement at the end of 2004, some five months after reaching the age of 65. Afterwards, cared for his wife, who was seriously unwell until she passed away earlier this year.
Dirk Kelp in his Gottwald days A past colleague at Mannesmann Demag said: “Dr Dirk Kelp was a polite and approachable chief, always accepting new ideas and interested in future things and developments.
“He had a keen ear for new concepts from Demag customers and headed up the development of iconic lattice boom cranes such as the CC 2800, TC 4000, TC 2800, PC 9600, 1,250 tonne CC8800 and then there was the 1,600 tonne CC 12600, which was truly a product of the future, initially built in 1996 as a special one off crane for Van Seumeren - now Mammoet, (it followed the CC12000 built for DevriTras - part of Italian heavy lift group De Vizia).
He and his team were at the forefront of heavy lift cranes and led the market for many years.”
The ‘one off’ 1,600 tonne CC 12600 in 1996 Another former colleague, Barry Barnes, added: “My personal memory was meeting him for the first time in 1979. I was standing on the outrigger of the TC 4000 that we sold to J D White, while it was on test at the plant in Benrath, Düsseldorf.”
“I had just joined the company, and from that day on, we became good friends. He was always there for a chat and willing to share his knowledge. He had a great respect for crane rental companies worldwide and was always interested to hear what the market wanted and often visited customers with me to show our latest developments.”
David Morton, who ran Grayston White and Sparrow in the early 1980s, remembers Dirk very well and how they cooperated with Demag to design and deliver the PC 9600, which led to similar cranes since. He remembers him with admiration as “a listener and someone who delivered.”
Yet another colleague said: “Unusually for an engineer, he would rarely if ever say no. If you asked for a change or new development, he would typically say: “I think that this is possible. He was honest as the day and totally reliable, while having a wonderful sense of humour which he never lost.”
Gottwald Port Technology is now Konecranes. It published the following tribute to its former chief executive:
Dr. Dirk Kelp
Our long-time Managing Director of Konecranes GmbH, formerly Gottwald Port Technology GmbH, passed away at the age of 86.Until his retirement in 2004, he played a key role in shaping and influencing the development and career of our company.
Dr. Kelp was distinguished by his high level of expertise, his integrity, and his energy, and embodied the image of a leader in the best possible way. He was a role model within the company.
The further development of the Gottwald brand was always close to his heart, which he continued to pursue even after his retirement.
We will cherish his memory and his heart.
The Management and Employees of Konecranes
Bright days, don't cry when they are over, Smile that they happened.
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