PEOPLE WATCH
Changes to SMS Group Managing Board
The SMS Group is implementing a strategic generational change at the top level of management . On 1 October 2023 , Jochen Burg ( 43 ), currently Executive Vice President Technical Service , will become CEO and Chair of the SMS Managing Board . He will be taking over the position from Burkhard Dahmen , who has been with the company for more than 33 years , twenty of them on the Managing Board and eleven years as its Chair . Jochen Burg has been with SMS since 2008 and has successfully established and expanded the global service business over recent years .
In addition , Fabíola Fernandez ( 46 ) will join the company on 10 October 2023 and will assume the role of CFO on the Managing Board on 1 January 2024 . She is taking over from Torsten Heising , who has held various management functions at SMS since 2006 and was appointed CFO in 2017 . Fabíola Fernandez will join from Gegenbauer SE & Co . KG , a facility management service company where she currently serves as Chief Financial Officer and co-CEO .
Burkhard Dahmen and Torsten Heising will assist the handover until March 2024 to ensure
Jochen Burg . Fabíola Fernandez . Burkhard Dahmen . Torsten Heising .
seamless transition of all projects .
Chair of the Supervisory Board of SMS Group , Edwin Eichler , said : “ Burkhard Dahmen and Torsten Heising have made a major contribution to gearing SMS Group towards the future . In view of the good market situation , now is the ideal time to actively shape this generational change and to usher in a new era . Jochen Burg and Fabíola Fernandez are the ideal fit for this . Together , we intend to focus on the systematic expansion of our service business , the further technological development of our plant and equipment , and the optimisation of our performance .
“ My sincere thanks go to Burkhard Dahmen and Torsten Heising who have devoted their professional lives to SMS Group . They have played a tremendous role in successfully shaping and growing the company , which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year . I wish them all the very best for the future .”
SMS Group offers future-oriented technologies and service for the global metals industry . It generates worldwide sales of around 3.1 billion euros . Paving the way for a carbon-neutral and sustainable metals industry is the company ’ s stated goal . As a global player with German roots , SMS has 14,400 employees . n
www . sms-group . com
Zapp appoints production veteran as operations director
Zapp Electric Vehicles Group Limited , which is in the process of launching its UK-based , two-wheel electric vehicle brand in Europe , confirmed that Thodsapol Kaewamorn has joined Zapp as operations director to lead its team overseeing engineering and outsourced production . Mr . Kaewamorn has more than twenty years of experience in the automotive industry with a track record of launching new production lines and setting up new plants to manufacture vehicles and automotive products .
For the last five years , he has served as advanced manufacturing engineer and country manager for Thailand at Adient plc , the world ’ s largest automotive seat manufacturer . In that role , he oversaw production operations in Thailand for all Adient ’ s product groups and launched many other projects for the company . Prior to his tenure at Adient , he was an assistant general manager for Nissan Motor overseeing quality assurance and body assembly engineering . Before that , he worked for twelve years at Summit Group , which is Zapp ’ s contract manufacturer , as a project manager and
Above : The Zapp i300 Carbon won the ‘ Excellent Product Design ’ award at the 2023 German Design Awards , as well as the prestigious Red Dot Product Design Award this year .
process engineering manager for planning and launching new models .
Swin Chatsuwan , Founder and Chief Executive Officer , Zapp , commented : “ Thodsapol brings a long and proven track record of new product launches and quality assurance from his experience at Adient , Nissan and Summit . This will strengthen our team ’ s capabilities and ensure the premium quality and timely delivery of Zapp ’ s products for customers as we establish the i300 as the preferred method of electrified personal urban mobility . We look forward to the successful rollout of the i300 in key markets in Europe on the way towards expansion globally .”
Mr . Kaewamorn added : “ Electrification in the powered two-wheeler space is inevitable and I believe Zapp is poised to become a major player in this sector . It is an incredible opportunity to be a part of the Zapp team in executing its vision for the conversion of urban mobility to electric vehicles globally .” Zapp ’ s principal operating affiliate is a British company , run by a team of specialists from the mobility industry on a mission to redefine the electric two-wheeler segment . Zapp ’ s debut product , the i300 , is an urban electric two-wheeler capable of traditional motorcycle levels of performance in a stepthrough format . The i300 is the first in a suite of electric two-wheelers that Zapp plans to bring to market .
To achieve this , Zapp ’ s design team created a distinctive ‘ Z ’ -shaped exoskeleton architecture designed to lower the i300 ’ s weight and centre of gravity for better on-road performance and handling ( fewer assembly components , reducing weight , maximising efficiency and boosting battery range ). Another key innovation is the i300 ’ s portable double battery system . n
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14 | ismr . net | ISMR September 2023