Shredder hammer producer Bruno Mayer passed away  

With deep sorrow, Germany’s Stahlwerke Bochum GmbH bid farewell to its former managing director and majority shareholder. Bruno Mayer passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on 3 December 2025.

Mayer began his professional career after completing his studies in metallurgy and foundry engineering at the central laboratory of Georg Fischer AG in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Further stages of his career included serving as technical plant manager at the production sites Gussstahlwerk Gelsenkirchen and Bergische Stahlindustrie, both belonging to Thyssen Guss.

Global leader

In 1988, Mayer took over the management of Stahlwerke Bochum, which at that time operated under the umbrella of Thyssen AG as SWB Stahlformgussgesellschaft mbH. Under his leadership, the iron foundry developed into a globally leading manufacturer of wear-resistant tools and components for shredder technology.

Since 2006, as a wholly owned subsidiary of SWB Holding GmbH, the company has been a family-owned enterprise. Mayer served as the sole managing director of Stahlwerke Bochum until 2023. From 2006 until his death, he was the majority shareholder and chairman of the management board of the SWB holding.

Full commitment

‘Stahlwerke Bochum and SWB Holding owe Mr. Bruno Mayer a great debt of gratitude for his far-sighted entrepreneurial leadership and his wide-ranging commitment’, the companies state.