Responding to Growth, Heidenhain Appoints New Management

Responding to recent growth, Heidenhain Corp. has implemented managerial changes in North America. The company is forming two regional sales teams located in Schaumburg, Illinois, and San Jose, California. Additionally, it has formed an overall sales coordination team focused on North American customer satisfaction metrics.

Three of the senior positions have gone to experienced members of company leadership with a combined tenure of 75 years. Chris Weber was appointed Senior Eastern Field Sales Director. Robert Setbacken was appointed Senior Western Field Sales and Business Development Director. John Thormodsgard was appointed Sales Operations Director, North America; he will manage the collective sales operations from Schaumburg, supporting the regional customer sales and support teams directly. Each will manage teams supporting all Heidenhain product groups and markets.

David Fuson, an external appointment made in August 2017, now leads the technical service group headquartered in Schaumburg and supporting all North American territories. As Service Operations Manager, Mr. Fuson brings extensive field support and management experience to the group.

President and Managing Director David Doyle says these investments in West Coast personnel will enable Heidenhain to keep its staff close to its customer base. “The changes are designed to enhance our customers’ experience and our responsiveness to business demand,” he says. “We worked on these and other staff changes throughout 2017 and all have become fully effective as of January 1, 2018.”

The changes come as the company integrates the AMO product line and Acu-Rite manufacturing operations. The company is establishing a more significant West Coast sales and support presence, with office locations including San Jose, Fremont, Santa Barbara and Irvine, California. Heidenhain also recently established an office in Houston, Texas, and expects to add a presence in Tacoma, Washington, and Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2018.