Meritor Automotive Reorganizes its Light Vehicle Systems Sales and Marketing Operations
1 April 1998
Meritor Automotive Reorganizes its Light Vehicle Systems Sales and Marketing Operations
New Structure Further Sharpens Meritor's Customer Focus
TROY, Mich., April 1 -- Meritor Automotive Inc. ,
today announced organization changes designed to strengthen growth
opportunities within its Light Vehicle Systems (LVS) business through a
greater focus on customer sales and strategic commercial marketing
initiatives. Meritor Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and acting President
of LVS, Larry D. Yost, today announced the reorganization of its LVS sales and
marketing functions.
Through this reorganization, Peter Krueger has been appointed vice
president, Sales and Marketing, LVS, reporting to Yost. Krueger is
responsible for leading worldwide strategic marketing and sales initiatives,
assessing and developing new business opportunities and providing leadership
to a global sales and marketing team. Krueger formerly served as vice
president, Marketing and Business Development for LVS and will remain located
in Frankfurt, Germany.
"A global customer-based sales team enables a close collaborative
relationship with our OEM customers, deepens our understanding of their
businesses and advances our ability to provide them with proactive solutions,"
said Yost. "Meritor is totally committed to forging long-standing
relationships with our customers. This alignment allows us to work directly
with OEMs to introduce innovative automotive systems that provide expanded
functionality, safety and comfort to the consumer," Yost added.
The customer sales team members include: Patrick Hof, director, Worldwide
Sales, Volkswagen Group; Frank Pierce, director, Worldwide Sales, Chrysler;
Craig O'Donnell, director, Worldwide Sales, Ford, Mazda and Kia; Jim Bruewer,
director, Worldwide Sales, GM, Opel, Vauxhall, Suzuki and Isuzu; Gunter
Bobzin, director, Worldwide Sales, Mercedes Benz, MCC, Volvo, and BMW; and,
Bruno Laurent, acting director, Worldwide Sales, Renault, PSA and Fiat. An
appointment to the position of director, Worldwide Sales supporting Nissan,
Toyota, Honda and other Asia/Pacific based OEMs, will be announced shortly.
In addition to the customer sales team, other newly-created positions
were announced, reporting to Krueger. Aziz Aghili has been appointed
director, Business and Market Development, with responsibility for directing
strategies to analyze new and emerging markets and to assess opportunities to
achieve global growth within all product lines. Dennis DeVriese, vice
president, Sales and Marketing, for Meritor Suspension Systems Company, will
serve as the principal sales interface for Suspension Systems in coordinating
his responsibilities with Krueger.
Meritor, with 1997 sales of more than $3.3 billion, is a global supplier
of a broad range of components and systems for commercial, specialty and light
vehicles. Meritor consists of two businesses: Heavy Vehicle Systems, a
leading supplier of drivetrain systems and components for medium- and heavy-
duty trucks, trailers and off-highway equipment and specialty vehicles,
including military, bus and coach, and fire and rescue; and Light Vehicle
Systems, a major supplier of roof, door, access control and seat adjusting
systems, electric motors and electronic controls, suspension systems and
wheels for passenger cars, light trucks and sport utility vehicles.
SOURCE Meritor Automotive Inc.