ARRI legend Max Welz has passed away at the age of 95. He began his first day at ARRI on 1 August 1945, as the company’s 50th employee since its inception. Welz remained true to ARRI for the next 62 years and still holds the company record for years of service.
After starting as a lathe operator, when the company was outsourced to Brannenburg am Inn, he quickly became a master lathe operator and milling operator. From 1948 onwards, he held numerous positions at ARRI in Munich,
managing several departments and establishing new ones. In 1986, Welz was granted general power of attorney as Division Manager for Production Engineering. In 1991, he took over responsibility for the entire production of camera and lighting equipment as Technical Manager of Apparatus Engineering.
In 1992, he was appointed to the management team of Cine Technik; he decided to step down from management in 2001 after many successful years. At the end of his career, he led ARRI’s Casting Technology department in Stephanskirchen back into the black as Managing Director.
Welz grew with ARRI and aided the company’s development through his various functions with drive and enormous commitment. “Max Welz, the longest-serving ARRI employee has passed away. A true member of the ARRI family, rough edges and all, who was always interested in the success and struggles of ARRI. For him, only two things were important in life: his family and ARRI,” explains Prof. Franz Kraus, longtime Executive Board Member responsible for technology, most recently a member of the Supervisory Board and now an advisor to ARRI. “The bond with ARRI has continued through generations. For example, his brother Georg Welz was a longtime ARRI employee, and his grandson Hans-Peter Welz has also been with the company for many years.”
“Our sincere sympathy and heartfelt condolences go out to the family of Max Welz. He shaped generations of ARRI employees. We now mourn the loss of a cherished companion and look back with gratitude on decades of successful
cooperation,” adds ARRI Executive Board Member Markus Zeiler on behalf of the shareholders, the Supervisory Board, the Management Board, and all the ARRI colleagues.
Not long ago, Welz took part in ARRI’s video interview series Filmmaker´s View and attended the company’s 100th-anniversary celebrations in 2017. Most recently, in October 2020, Welz visited ARRI’s new headquarters in Munich, met former colleagues, and learned about the company’s current products and challenges. ARRI will continue to honour the life of Max Welz and cherish his memory.
