Gottfried Mehnert is among a select group of eight individuals who will be inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame in a festive ceremony on June 19, 2006, in connection with the National Plastics Exhibition (NPE) in Chicago, Illinois . 

Mr. Mehnert is a pioneer in the plastics industry and through his vision and ingenuity; he has played a significant role in the writing of blow molding technology history. In 1958, Mr. Mehnert established Bekum Maschinenfabriken GmbH in Berlin , Germany , and through his leadership, the company developed into a world leader in blow molding, with five production companies in four countries on three continents. 

At the age of 20, Mr. Mehnert designed his first blow molding machine and since that time, Bekum has shipped over 20,000 machines worldwide. As an industry innovator, Mr. Mehnert has been responsible for a countless number of technological developments which have resulted in more than 40 patents worldwide, including the first neck finish calibration (1959) and inside neck dimensioning, the first high output twin station blow molding machine (1963), six layer co-extrusion (1970), as well as numerous other innovations in extrusion blow molding over the past 48 years. 

Mr. Mehnerts dedication to simplicity of design, technological advancement and quality of machinery have made Bekum a benchmark for reliability and innovation, and has established Mr. Mehnert as a significant contributor to the plastics industry, worthy of being inducted into the prestigious Plastics Hall of Fame.
Berlin , 2006