Albrecht Schwab with his daughter Kimberly and grandson Graham
A graduate of the early days looks back on an impressive international career
Born in 1939 and raised in Freiburg, Albrecht Schwab completed an apprenticeship as a toolmaker in 1959. Driven by a desire to grow and develop, his path led him to the former State Engineering School for Precision Engineering in Furtwangen – now known as Furtwangen University (HFU). He graduated on July 28, 1962, using a slide rule rather than a calculator, as calculators had only just come into use and were not yet permitted.
His professional career began in Stuttgart, where he developed telephone circuits using mechanical relays – at a time when transistor and semiconductor technology was still in its infancy. In 1964, aiming to improve his career prospects, he decided to emigrate to Canada to learn English. In London, Ontario, he initially designed and manufactured lenses to improve volt and amp meters, as well as rapid inflation devices for sonar buoys used in submarine detection. It was there that he met his wife and found not only a professional but also a personal home.
Over the following ten years, he worked for a petrochemical company, where he took on technical responsibility for doubling the output of a polystyrene plant from 25,000 to 50,000 tonnes per year. He then went on to lead a manufacturing team of around 300 employees for over two decades, producing high-precision connectors for aerospace and deep-sea applications. Toward the end of his career, he advised companies in the automotive industry.
On April 24 of this year, he traveled with his daughter and grandson from Canada to Furtwangen – an emotional visit to the place where his professional journey had begun. Proudly, he showed his family the training institution that had paved the way for his future. The tour was made possible by Jenny Henninger, who has received the visit. Dr. Dirk Hölscher accompanied the small group and enriched the tour with technical expertise and fascinating insights into current developments at the university. The fascination with technology has clearly carried through the generations: his grandson is deeply involved in artificial intelligence, continuing the family’s tradition of technical curiosity into the digital future.
Looking back, he regards his education in Furtwangen as the foundation of his professional success:
“Throughout my entire professional life, I found the solid engineering education I received to be invaluable. I wish all graduates of HFU every success.” - Albrecht Schwab
