As of January 1, 2019, FRITSCH Holding AG, one of the leading German manufacturers of bakery machines and lines, is headed by Alexander Schmitz as the new CEO. He has been succeeding Kirsten Lange, who had been temporarily leading the group since July 2018. She will now resume her position on the Supervisory Board as planned.
In Alexander Schmitz, FRITSCH has hired a proven expert with more than 20 years of leadership experience in mechanical engineering. Since 1998, the mechanical engineer has been with Bosch. During that time, he held responsibilities in the areas of process and packaging technology and automotive. For the past four years Schmitz lived in the USA, where he headed Bosch Packaging Technology, Inc. in New Richmond, Wisconsin. Before that, the 50 year old has gained extensive international experience during further international assignments in Spain and Switzerland and he fluently speaks English, French, and Spanish. “We're delighted to have Mr. Schmitz on board the FRITSCH Group”, says Klaus Fritsch, principal shareholder & chairman of the Supervisory Board of the FRITSCH Group. “We also thank Kirsten Lange very much for having temporarily assumed the responsibility of leading the company until the end of 2018. She accomplished a lot in a short time,” K. Fritsch stresses.
Under Kirsten Lange’s leadership important investments in the company´s future have been made. Examples include the FRITSCH Technology Center and FRITSCH`s Research and Development. Operative difficulties during the implementation of a new ERP system have also been overcome, meaning, in 2019, FRITSCH will return to its former dependability and supply reliability. With a clear concept for the future, FRITSCH is positioned excellently for the years to come. “The targeted investment in key areas was a very important step for the owner family in order to sustainably improve the company´s performance. Even if it has resulted in lower earnings in 2018, the company will benefit strongly in the long term,” Klaus Fritsch explains.
For the beginning of next year, FRITSCH plans a targeted assessment of the ongoing improvement program in order to evaluate what progress has been made and what measures might still be necessary. Also, Alexander Schmitz can build upon an excellent order backlog right from the start of the year. In particular, the orders received in connection with the iba 2018 show in Munich exceeded all expectations by far. “Thus the prerequisites for a successful work of Alexander Schmitz are given, and we wish him success in our family business,” says Klaus Fritsch.