The late Winfried Heger.

Winfried Heger, managing director of Hubtex Maschinenbau GmbH & Co KG, has died just before the company celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Heger, 56, died of a heart failure on July 24. The qualified engineer will be succeeded by Ralf Jestädt and Jϋrgen Keller, who will be joint managing directors.

In a eulogy presented to Hubtex's 240 employees, Jestädt called Heger a "godsend for the company", whose "far-reaching vision" and commitment contributed to the German company's global success.

Jestädt said Hubtex's 25th anniversary celebrations on August 26 would not be cancelled.

"We know Winfried Heger, whose motto was 'keep moving forward', would have wanted it this way," he said. "[But] it will now be a more subdued celebration."

Hubtex, headquartered in Fulda, manufactures sideloaders and forklifts with load capacities up to 80 tons. About 70 per cent of its products are exported. It has four sales and service branches in Stuttgart, Hamburg, Fulda and Dortmund. Turnover in 2005 was almost EUR80 million (USD102.6 million).