Rutronik Elektronische Bauelemente bids a sad farewell to Helmut Rudel, Rutronik’s founder and president. He passed away at the age of 87 after a brief illness. His life’s work, which earned him the Baden-Württemberg Founder’s Prize in July 2025, continues to influence the company. He remained part of the Management team until the very end.
He was a visionary entrepreneur with extraordinary foresight, drive, and social responsibility. By founding Rutronik in 1973, he established what is now one of Europe’s leading distributors of electronic components. His life’s work is characterised by innovation, entrepreneurial courage, and an understanding of the needs of customers, partners, and employees.
In July, Helmut Rudel received the 2025 Baden-Württemberg Founder’s Prize from the Sparkassenverband Baden-Württemberg in recognition of his impressive lifetime achievements and lasting contributions to the economy.
Until recently, he was closely associated with Rutronik as a member of the Management and Advisory Boards and as a source of inspiration. In addition to Rutronik, he was committed to the region where the company is headquartered. He significantly shaped its economic strength as a large apprenticing company with social responsibility.
With his passing, we have lost an extraordinary entrepreneur and a person who shaped Rutronik like no other. His legacy will live on in the values he embodied, the structures he created, and the memories of those who knew and worked with him.
Rutronik’s thoughts are with his family and loved ones and will honour his memory.
