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VAT puts in place a new organization to support new business growth and operational improvements

To support VAT’s new growth and operational excellence initiatives the company has reorganized. The new organization, which is effective from mid-March, aims to strengthen the regional sales organizations and focus resources and management attention on the new areas of business growth: Global Services, Modules, and Bellows.

The newly created sales regions: Asia, the Americas, and Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) will report directly to Dr. Reto Loepfe, the group CEO.

Also reporting to Dr. Loepfe are the members of VAT’s new Management Board:

Dr. Stefan Pleier leads the product management and development group for valves, which is responsible for continued development of the core vacuum valve business. Dr. Pleier has been with the company for 2 years and holds a masters degree in mechanical engineering from the Technical University of Darmstadt (TUD) and a PhD in materials sciences from the Technical University of Clausthal (TUC).

The newly formed Modules group is the responsibility of Gebhard Lutz. Mr. Lutz has been with VAT for 14 years and was previously heading the multi valve modules product group. Mr. Lutz is a graduate in systems engineering from the Interstate University of Applied Sciences in Buchs (NTB).

Global Services, also a new business unit, is led by Ronald Pschenitschnigg a graduate in electrical engineering from HTL Rankweil and a MBA in international Management from the University of Applied Sciences in Dornbirn (FHV). Mr. Pschenitschnigg has been with the company 12 years.

Egon Haemmerle has responsibility for the Operations group, consisting of the company’s global manufacturing facilities, global sourcing and supply chain management. This is a position Mr. Haemmerle has held for the past 2 years. Mr. Haemmerle is a graduate of electronics engineering from the University of Applied Sciences in  Buchs (NTB) and has been with VAT for 2 years.

The responsibility for identifying and developing new areas of business, which leverage and build on the company’s core competencies, will be with the newly formed Corporate Development and Innovation team. The company is currently searching for a leader for this new group.

Joining the company shortly as CFO is Andreas Leutenegger. In addition to the finance and controlling functions, Mr. Leutenegger will also be responsible for human resources, IT, and the group’s legal activities. Mr. Leutenegger joins VAT from Holcim AG where he was Head of Group Controlling.

COMVAT, our successful bellows business will continue as a separate business unit, led by René Pahud reporting to the CFO. Mr. Pahud is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from the University of Applied Sciences in Buchs and holds an Executive MBA from the University of St. Gallen. Mr. Pahud has been with COMVAT for 21 years.

Our global corporate quality team will continue to be led by Dr. Andreas Scheibe. Dr. Scheibe holds a PhD in in Material Science from the university of Applied Sciences in Dresden (TUD) and has been with VAT for 11 years.