Hanover, 1 July 2011 – Forbo Movement Systems, the belting division of the Swiss company Forbo International S.A., has strengthened its management team as part of a new global organisational structure.
Since 1 July Juan Serrano-Mannsfeld has been given overall responsibility for European sales and the 16 companies in different countries. In conjunction with Dr. Neele Neelen he will also act as Managing Director of Forbo Siegling GmbH (Germany), replacing Reinhold Mühlbeyer who left the position at the end of 2010. Serrano-Mannsfeld (41) has both German and Spanish nationality. After completing his business studies degree in Muenster and gaining an MBA, he started his career as an in-house consultant in the chemical industry. He has extensive experience in the paper industry and his last position was as Vice President at Voith Paper in Heidenheim.
New European head and new global operations head at Forbo Movement Systems
In the newly created role of Head of Global Operations, Erik James Powell (40) is in charge of all production units. As a result, Powell is taking over responsibility for factories in Germany, Switzerland and Denmark, as well as in the US, China and Japan. Erik James Powell is an American citizen and studied mechanical engineering at Montana State University. He also has an MBA from Tulane University, New Orleans. He can draw on in-depth experience in making special films and plastics.
Forbo Movement Systems (formerly called Siegling) employs more than 1,800 people globally in eight production sites and 25 international companies. Forbo conveyor and power transmission belts are used in nearly all industries, but also in the retail and services sectors. Key competencies are the food and packaging industries, logistics and airports, as well as paper, print and raw materials industries. The company was founded in 1919 in Hanover. Since 1994 the company has belonged to the Swiss company Forbo International. The products have been marketed since 2007 under the master brand "Forbo Movement Systems".