Heinrich Ehrhardt sees the light of day in the community of Zella St. Blasii (nowadays Zella-Mehlis) in the district of Thuringia, Germany, on November 17, 1840. He completes an apprenticeship as a mechanic under his uncle and, thereafter, sets up his own business as a mechanic in his home town of Zella in 1866. In 1871, the 31-old, who has been spending his free time continuing to educate himself, takes over the agency of a steel castings factory near Witten, where the next year he is offered a well-paid position as a works manager. Ehrhardt succeeds in building new and high-quality railroad axles superior to those of competition. Within a few years Ehrhardt acquires outstanding theoretical and practical knowledge of technical matters.
In 1878 he launches out once again on his own and sets up a small machine-tool factory in Zella. Soon, in the forest of Thuringia this is becoming a source of sophisticated developments winning the engineer, Ehrhardt, an outstanding reputation as a designer and entrepreneur.
Ehrhardt's career as an inventor, engineer and self-employed entrepreneur eventually takes him to Düsseldorf in 1873, where he sets up business as self-employed civil engineer. As such, he carries out development contracts, i.e. for Krupp and Borsig. His activities bring him into contact with managers in companies at home and abroad, e.g. with Joseph Massenez, CEO of Hörder Bergwerks- und Hüttenverein, who in 1889 passes on to Ehrhardt the ammunition project decisive in the foundation of Rheinmetall.
Well into a ripe old age, Heinrich Ehrhardt applies his engineering creativity to developing artillery technology. Only 1921 at the age of 81 does he resign from the Supervisory Board to go into retirement in his Thuringia homeland. Ehrhardt passes away on November 20, at the age of 88.
Heinrich Ehrhardt sees the light of day in the community of Zella St. Blasii (nowadays Zella-Mehlis) in the district of Thuringia, Germany, on November 17, 1840. He completes an apprenticeship as a mechanic under his uncle and, thereafter, sets up his own business as a mechanic in his home town of Zella in 1866. In 1871, the 31-old, who has been spending his free time continuing to educate himself, takes over the agency of a steel castings factory near Witten, where the next year he is offered a well-paid position as a works manager. Ehrhardt succeeds in building new and high-quality railroad axles superior to those of competition. Within a few years Ehrhardt acquires outstanding theoretical and practical knowledge of technical matters.
Ehrhardt's career as an inventor, engineer and self-employed entrepreneur eventually takes him to Düsseldorf in 1873, where he sets up business as self-employed civil engineer. As such, he carries out development contracts, i.e. for Krupp and Borsig. His activities bring him into contact with managers in companies at home and abroad, e.g. with Joseph Massenez, CEO of Hörder Bergwerks- und Hüttenverein, who in 1889 passes on to Ehrhardt the ammunition project decisive in the foundation of Rheinmetall.