The structural changes to Linde AG that began in the 1960s focused in the 1970s on centralising corporate leadership and on developing management control instruments. The driving force behind these changes was
Dr. Hans Meinhardt, until 1970 still as a member of management in Aschaffenburg and assistant to the deputy speaker of the Executive Board, Dr. Johannes Simon, thereafter as an Executive Board member, later as its President and CEO (until 1997) and then chairman of the Supervisory Board (until 2003).
From 1959 to 1962, Meinhardt first set up management organization departments in the Güldner plant group, at the Wiesbaden headquarters and finally in the plants in Mainz- Kostheim, Sürth and Höllriegelskreuth. Meinhardt modelled these on American corporate structures.
Simon and Meinhardt also established a central market research department. It was based on the studies carried out in this department that the company decided to spin off its home refrigerator segment and to switch from diesel engines and tractors to industrial trucks and hydraulics.