10.04.2013

Burtenbach, 10th April 2013

  • Profitable growth strategy with new business sectors
  • Genuine Kögel man Wolfgang Schuster is the new Managing Director Sales

Wolfgang Schuster will be joining the management team at the trailer manufacturer Kögel in Burtenbach as the Managing Director Sales. The company will therefore be continuing the successful and profitable growth that began with the takeover by the owner, Ulrich Humbaur. Together with the CEO Thomas Heckel, Jürgen Steinbacher, the Managing Director for Financial Resources, Controlling and Personnel, and Thomas Eschey, Managing Director Technology and Production, Wolfgang Schuster will continue to develop its successful journey as one of the largest trailer manufacturers in Europe.

Wolfgang Schuster, who started his career at Kögel as a trainee in 1989, brings with him more than 24 years of experience in the commercial vehicle sector to the board of Kögel. His knowledge of the trailer market was gained, not least, during his time as International Sales Manager at Kögel. In this position he proved his extraordinary sales skills.

This expansion of the management team releases resources to provide ongoing promotion of international and profitable growth and the strategically important business sectors for Kögel, and to extend their market position. This action will release CEO Thomas Heckel, who will, in addition to his management position in the Purchasing and Communication/Marketing departments, take on the responsibility for the build-up and expansion of the following departements: Licences/Internationalisation, After Market, Rental and Used Vehicles.

Improved Sales and Marketing Structure
In his new position, Mr. Schuster has already laid the foundations for the expansion and improvement of the Sales and Marketing structure at Kögel. In future, as a result, there will be separate Sales and Marketing Teams for the territories of Southern Germany and Southern Europe, and for the North German and Northern Europe territories. 

"In order to remain competetive in the future, I have declared some important business tasks to be management tasks, because it is one of my personal concerns to bring Kögel to the same level of visibility as the other two European companies in the market within the next few years", says Thomas Heckel, CEO at Kögel. "The appointment of Wolfgang Schuster to the board also reinforces our focus on customer orientation. I am handing this responsibility to Wolfgang Schuster in the secure knowledge that, through him, our customer's concerns will receive attention at board level even more quickly and directly."

"I am looking forward to taking over the Sales and Marketing resource, successfully guided by Thomas Heckel", says Wolfgang Schuster, Managing Director Sales and Marketing at Kögel. "I am approaching the task with the aim, even in economically challenging times, of continuously expanding Sales and Marketing on a global basis and I am already looking forward to developing strategies with our customers to enable us to act successfully, even on volatile European market."

Photo: Wolfgang Schuster, Managing Director Sales

Your contact for any questions about this press release:
Volker Seitz
Head of Communication 
Tel: + 49 82 85 88 - 12 3 06
Fax: + 49 82 85 88 - 12 4 24
volker.seitz (at) no spam pleasekoegel.com

Patrick Wanner
PR-Manager
Tel: + 49 82 85 88 - 12 3 01
Fax: + 49 82 85 88 - 12 2 84
patrick.wanner (at) no spam pleasekoegel.com

Kögel is one of the three leading trailer manufacturers in Europe. Since its foundation in 1934 it has produced more than 500,000 vehicles. With its commercial vehicles and solutions for the forwarding and construction industries, the company can offer all the benefits of 75 years' worth of engineering quality "made in Germany". Since that time it has maintained its passion for transport and innovation, thus enabling it to offer proven long-lasting added value for freight forwarders. The company headquarters and main production facility of Kögel Trailer GmbH & Co. KG are in the Bavarian town of Burtenbach. In addition Kögel also has plants and premises in Neu-Ulm (Germany), Duingen (Germany), Chocen (Czech Republic), Moscow (Russia), St. Petersburg (Russia) and Turkey. By the efforts of its approximately 1,000 employees, it achieved a sales figure of about €260 million in 2012.
www.koegel.com

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