The Busch Group announced the passing of its co-founder and co-owner Dr Karl Busch, who died on July 17, 2025, at the age of 96.
The engineer, inventor and entrepreneur was born on April 20, 1929, in Lörrach, Baden-Württemberg, and grew up in Zell im Wiesental. In 1949, he began his mechanical engineering studies at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). There, he met Ayhan Gökay, who would later become his wife. In 1960, he completed his doctorate on the topic of friction and wear in water-lubricated rotary compressors.
Dr Busch was not only a pioneer in the field of vacuum technology but also a deeply caring father, mentor, and role model. In 1963, together with his wife Ayhan Busch, he founded Busch Vacuum Solutions with just 5,000 Deutsche Mark and over the decades, built it into a global enterprise with more than 2 billion Dollars in revenue. Today, more than 8,000 people in 44 countries worldwide work for the Busch Group, which consists of the two well-known brands Busch Vacuum Solutions and Pfeiffer Vacuum+Fab Solutions.
His life’s work continues to shape vacuum innovation across industries around the world.
He combined visionary thinking with an engineer’s love of detail. His groundbreaking inventions, like the Huckepack and R5 vacuum pumps for food packaging, were not just technical achievements. They were expressions of his commitment to practical solutions and product excellence. The design of the R5 was revolutionary and became the most successful vacuum pump design in the world with millions sold.
Yet beyond his business legacy, Dr Busch was devoted to his family. Dr Karl and Ayhan Busch always worked together as a team of equals: as husband and wife for 62 years, parents, and business leaders. He was a father who truly listened with patience, curiosity, and trust and involved his children early in the company, sought their advice, and built a business culture rooted in family teamwork and shared purpose.
His personal motto, drawn from the Alemannic dialect, was “Nit luck lo!” – “Never give up!” This was a principle that guided his life, whether he was hiking in the Black Forest up to his mid-nineties, running a half marathon at age 87 or starting negotiations for the first German joint venture in China in 1978.
He was an adventurer and explorer at heart. He loved the world and its people. Whether cycling from Maulburg to Istanbul, climbing Kilimanjaro, or racing in 80 days around the world in an old-timer Mercedes in 2000 with his sons Kaya and Sami, he embraced life with energy and joy. Dr Karl Busch believed deeply in giving back, and he carried his values into everything he did, raising funds for humanitarian causes, supporting his community, and mentoring his children as the next generation to continue his life’s work in our company.
He participated in the most recent Managers’ Meeting in the Netherlands. The last business trip together took place less than a year ago, when the family visited the Bavaria region of Germany. Just two months ago, they celebrated his 96th birthday together in Italy, surrounded by children and grandchildren. Only days ago, he shared that he felt at peace with his life, a reflection of his ever-positive spirit.
Dr Busch’s legacy will continue to live on, in the company he built, in the innovations he inspired, our company culture and values, and most of all, in the people whose lives he touched.
He is survived by his wife Ayhan, his children Ayla, Sami and Kaya, their spouses, six grandchildren, and a global family of colleagues and friends who will miss him dearly.
