Consumables
ContiTech Realigns Business Units for the Future
Friday 06. May 2011 - Matthias Schönberg takes charge at ContiTech Fluid Technology Hannes Friederichsen to head ContiTech Air Spring Systems
ContiTech is strengthening two of its most important business units and has made changes in the executive staff. In the future, the Fluid Technology business unit (1,120 million in sales, 13,000 employees) headquartered in Karben in the German state of Hesse, will be headed by Matthias Schönberg (43), currently Chief Executive Officer of Continental Tire the Americas. He succeeds Hannes Friederichsen (49), who will assume management of the Air Spring Systems business unit, Hanover, (233 million in sales, 1,400 employees).
Effective October 1, 2011, Friederichsen is filling the position of Dr. Thomas Johannsen, who is retiring. Johannsen turned this unit from an air spring manufacturer located in Hanover into an international supplier of air spring systems with plants in six countries. “Both of these positions are of major strategic significance for ContiTech,” said ContiTech CEO Heinz-Gerhard Wente. “We are thus strengthening two business units that will be experiencing above-average growth in the future and that are already very well positioned at the international level. We are delighted that we have been able to win over these two accomplished and internationally experienced managers for these positions, thus guaranteeing and expanding the successful development of both business units in the future.”
In recent years, Matthias Schönberg brought Continental Tire the Americas on track for success and sustainably positioned the brands in the markets of North and South America. In the future, he will strengthen the Fluid Technology business unit, which produces hose line systems for the automotive industry, machine and systems construction, as well as oil extraction. Schönberg has held various management positions at Continental since 1998.
Hannes Friederichsen is an experienced manager who has been with Continental since 1991. The former head of Continentals tire plant in Stöcken joined ContiTech in 2003 and has since played a successfully active role in the Fluid Technology business unit. Most recently, he headed the largest segment – Heating, Cooling and Charge-Air – before temporarily taking on the position of general manager of ContiTech Fluid Technology early in February. ContiTech Air Spring Systems manufactures air spring systems for commercial vehicles, the rail transport sector and other key industries and is world market leader with many of its products.