The death of Ron Ehrhardt on January 25, after a two-year struggle with cancer has brought memories flooding back for colleagues and customers around the world.

He was 61.

Most recently sales director at DCOS Automation, he was remembered by chief executive Mattias Andersson as a “driven and appreciated salesman and manager”.

“Ron did his best not to let the cancer dictate his last time, and together with his wife and friends they took a boat cruise through Europe in August last year,” says Andersson. He loved to travel and explore, play golf and watch sports.

“Two weeks ago he wanted to join me on a sales tour in US – he saw no limits. He spent four years trying to teach me the rules of baseball and American football, I still don’t fully get it.”

Ehrhardt joined Swedish-owned DCOS in 2018 after a career committed to the newspaper and web-offset printing market in the US.

He had joined Japanese press maker Mitsubishi as national sales manager in 1992, and after four-and-a-half years with them and almost eight with George R. Hall Contracting, he joined local single-width press maker Dauphin Graphic Machines (DGM) in August 2004.

His was a key contribution, and when Indian press maker Manugraph spent US$19.2 million (A$26.9 million) two years later to buy a foothold in the US market, acquiring DGM with its manufacturing and sales office in Elizabethville, Pennsylvania, Ehrhardt was appointed sales vice president of Manugraph Americas.

After Manugraph pulled the plug on its US outpost in 2017, Ehrhardt spent almost a year with North Carolina-based Pressline Services, before joining DCOS and its recent press manufacturing acquisition, Tensor, where Mike Pavone described him today (on LinkedIn) as “one of the great people I was fortunate enough to know in this industry”.

Baynard Printing Group president Mark Lundberg – who worked with him on projects at their Williamsport plant – described him as “a trusted source of information who truly cared that he did what was best for his customers”. Müller Martini North America director Gary Owen said he was a long-time industry friend “who would light up any room that he would walk into with his smile, laugh or some fun antic or story”.

ImPressions Worldwide president Tom Loesch said Ehrhardt’s true personality really shone through in the recent months. “He had an unbelievably positive attitude through the most difficult of times. He laughed when you might think it would be impossible, and he showed no fear, setting a great example for us all.”

Others posting tributes included former QuadTech president Karl Fritchen, Washington Post production vice president James Coley, Tolerans sales and technology vice president Tomas Annerstedt, and Perretta global sales director Jean Laird.

Of the cancer fight, Mattias Andersson said cancer “suddenly hit him two years ago, with all its cruelty and power”.

“Ron gave it a hard fight, without complaining he stayed positive and his humour was present until the end. He will be missed by many.

“Ron always impressed me with his social skills, he had a fantastic presence and ability to build confidence between us and our customers and I have learnt a lot from him. Endless hours together on the road have grown a friendship that I will always carry with me.

“My thoughts go to Ron’s wife and daughters, who have lost a caring and proud husband and father.”

Peter Coleman

Pictured: Ron Ehrhardt (third from right) with DCOS colleagues and associates at the Ifra World Publishing Expo in Berlin in 2019 (picture GXpress).