After KHS, the filling and packing equipment manufacturer, chose not to extend the contract of Chief Sales Officer (CSO) Dr. Johannes-Thomas Grobe beyond 2024 in July, the search for a successor began. The company has now identified the right candidate.
Tobias Wetzel will rejoin KHS as the new Managing Director of Sales and Service, commencing on January 1st. The 50-year-old had previously held various leadership positions at the Dortmund-based company from 2011 to 2020. Wetzel comes from the Mannesmann Stainless Tubes Group in Mühlheim/Ruhr, where he assumed the role of Managing Director at the end of 2020. Similar to KHS, Mannesmann is a part of Salzgitter AG.
His extensive expertise is anticipated to enhance KHS's global standing in the beverage industry. At his former and current employer, Wetzel, who initiated his career in the industry at Coca-Cola, will be part of the leadership team alongside Kai Acker (CEO),Martin Resch (CFO Finance, Procurement and IT) and Beate Schäfer (CHRO)
“We’re delighted that our Executive Management Board will again be complete when he comes back to KHS. Tobias Wetzel already has extensive knowledge of our company with its various structures and internal processes. What’s more, his expertise, leadership qualities and many years of experience will help us to further strengthen our position on the global beverage market,” says Kai Acker, CEO at KHS.
The KHS Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of filling and packaging systems for the beverage and liquid food industries. Besides the parent company (KHS GmbH) the group includes various subsidiaries outside Germany, with production sites in Ahmedabad (India), Waukesha (USA), Zinacantepec (Mexico), São Paulo (Brazil) and Kunshan (China).
It also operates numerous sales and service centers worldwide. KHS manufactures modern filling and packaging systems for the high-capacity range at its headquarters in Dortmund, Germany, and at its factories in Bad Kreuznach, Kleve, Worms and Hamburg. The KHS Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of the SDAX-listed Salzgitter AG corporation. In 2022 the KHS Group and its 5,002 employees achieved a turnover of around EUR 1.291 billion.
