Prof. Dr. Rolf Gminder

Dr.   Gminder   was   born   in   1941   in   Reutlingen,   Germany,   into   an   old   established   family   of   Swiss   origin.   The Gminder   family   celebrated   its   700th   anniversary   in   2004.   His   mother’s   family,   Beutter,   produced   arms   in   the   19th century.   The   family   originally   came   from   Rosenfeld,   a   town   close   to   Oberndorf,   where   they   still   produce   small parts for the current Mauser (Rheinmetall Defence) military products. Dr.   Gminder’s   great   grandfather   was   the   founder   of   the   Ulrich   Gminder   textile   company   in   Reutlingen.   The Beutter and Mauser families were related to each other through the Denk family, also a textile producer. Rolf   started   at   Mauser-Werke   Oberndorf AG,   in   the   sales   department,   in   1969.   Originally   his   position   was   that   of assistant   sales   manager,   but   as   a   result   of   his   technical   insight   his   role   quickly   shifted   to   technical   developments at   Mauser.   He   registered   a   number   of   patents,   including   one   for   a   variable   recoil   spring   adjustment   for   the Parabellum   pistol   and   a   magazine   safety   for   repeating   rifles.   As   a   result   he   soon   became   involved   in   the development of the new Mauser Parabellum and HSc pistols.