Granite sink manufacturer SCHOCK is reorganising to keep the business primed for continued successful expansion of its operations globally. The company, whose sales have more than doubled since 2006 through organic growth alone, already operates in over 70 countries around the world and is continually extending its international distribution network. SCHOCK entered seven new markets last year alone and plans are in place to move into more new markets and increase existing market shares in the course of 2014.
A strong second level of management will support the company's continuous growth on the organisational side in future. This middle management team will take over leadership of the business divisions, freeing up top management to concentrate on strategic projects. The company is also gearing up for change at the very top: Josef Preuss (62), one of the two Managing Directors with Ralf Boberg (40), will be leaving the company in the medium term as he heads into retirement. Under the plans for his eventual succession, Dr. Marc Werkmeister (41), who was previously head of Finance and latterly Production, is moving up to the post of Deputy Managing Director with effect February 12, 2014.
Dr. Marc Werkmeister has the optimum background for the new professional challenge facing him. A doctor of economics, he began his career at SCHOCK in 2006 after three years as head of sales for a major German trading company. In his first role at SCHOCK he was instrumental in the company's very successful efforts to narrow its focus onto the sink segment. Dr. Werkmeister became Commercial Manager one year later, before taking up the position of Production Manager in 2011. "Naturally, taking a leading role in continuing the success story of recent years is a big responsibility, but an exciting one," says Dr. Werkmeister, delighted with his new role overseeing strategic projects in top management.
The reorganisation also sees Thomas B?hr (48) move up to middle management and take the role of Chief Operating Officer. As COO, he is responsible for Logistics, Purchasing, After-Sales and Back-Office Sales with effect 12 February. B?hr, a qualified wholesale and export merchant and graduate in business administration, joined SCHOCK in 2007 as Back-Office Manager, having previously held various posts in industry.
Michael Schmitt is the new Production Manager. A graduate engineer, Schmitt (45) joined the SCHOCK team after many years working for a plate glass processing firm. In his previous role, Michael Schmitt spent the past six years as manager of his employer's entire plate glass processing plant, where he was in charge of all technical and organisational aspects of the company's entire operations, production, technology and development. "The excellent quality of the sinks and SCHOCK's reputation as an innovation leader deserve to be kept fresh with the constant injection of new ideas and approaches in all areas – including production," says Schmitt, a proven expert in production processes.
