Germany-based packaging machinery manufacturer Kiefel has appointed Matthias Sieverding as its new CEO. He replaces Thomas Halletz, who held the position for the past 30 years.
Sieverding was previously president of the US platform company of the Brückner Group, Kiefel’s parent company. Kiefel described the management change as a push to its ‘internationalisation course’.
“Under the leadership of Matthias Sieverding, Kiefel plans to expand its global presence and secure market leadership through a consistent customer focus,” said Dr. Axel von Wiedersperg, CEO of the Brückner Group. “The innovative power of the product portfolio is to be strengthened through agile processes and procedures and the rapid integration of digital technologies in order to continue to set industry standards into the future,” he added.
Sieverding has more than 25 years of experience in the international plastics and mechanical engineering industries. He started his career in Germany at KraussMaffei and has since held US-based leadership positions for almost 20 years at Pöppelmann Plastics USA, KraussMaffei, and most recently at Brückner Group.
Kiefel joins other German machinery manufacturers announcing plans to further internationalise their operations. Arburg, for example, recently announced it would for the first time assemble machines outside of Germany, emphasising the ‘huge importance’ of the US market for the company.