Management changes for Sumitomo (SHI) Demag

Gerd Liebig, CEO Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, und Shoichi Ohira, COO Sumitomo (SHI) Demag. / Gerd Liebig, CEO Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, and Shoichi Ohira, COO Sumitomo (SHI) Demag.

Shoichi Ohira, COO Sumitomo (SHI) Demag. / Shoichi Ohira, COO Sumitomo (SHI) Demag.

Shoichi Ohira will join the management board of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plastics Machinery as COO (Chief Operation Officer) and Head of Production, effective 15 January 2019. Chief Collaboration Officer Hideki Kuroiwa will change into management and return to Japan shortly, where he will be responsible for Global Planning, and coordinating future joint projects within Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Group.

Ohira is a certified production expert. He has become established as an injection moulding machine expert with the Japanese parent company Sumitomo Heavy Industries in Japan, China and the US; his most recent positions, which he held for many years, were Head of Production and Quality Management. With his new responsibilities he will focus on further optimising production efficiency and significantly reducing cycle times, which he considers his first priority.

“Following the rising growth rates we experienced in recent years, we are now focusing on increasing production performance and stabilising production capacity on the high level,“ says Gerd Liebig, CEO Sumitomo (SHI) Demag. “Mr Ohira has valuable experience in the optimisation of complex production processes. He will follow through with the already initiated investments in our facilities in Schwaig, Wiehe and Ningbo.“