KSM Castings Group grows further

October 4^th 2017: Oliver Janz takes over the worldwide technical management of the KSM Castings Group’s production plants from 1 October 2017.

Oliver Janz is taking over the worldwide technical management of the KSM Castings Group’s production plants as the fourth managing director in the team from October 1^st 2017. As the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Janz will manage the company in the future jointly with Franz Friedrich Butz (CEO), Christoph Salentin (CFO) and Markus Kloke (CSO).

Oliver Janz has been with the KSM Castings Group since 2008. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering, has extensive professional experience and since 2012 has looked after production plants for the group in China, the USA and Germany. Janz has in particularly successfully managed and significantly further developed the Wuppertal site. From now onwards he will be responsible for the technical development and future orientation of the worldwide sites.

“This step marks a further milestone in the sustained, successful reorientation of our group for the future on behalf of our customers, in order to meet the requirements of our future tasks as a supplier to the automobile industry with the highest quality demands”, says Franz Friedrich Butz, CEO of the KSM Castings Group. “KSM has been managed since its establishment 70 years ago by a team of managing directors. We are delighted with Oliver Janz to have a dedicated, experienced and highly qualified colleague at our side. He is familiar with the challenges not only of the market, but also of our company. We thank him for his efforts to date and are looking forward to the joint development of innovative solutions”.

“I am excited about my new responsibilities, the associated challenges and the cooperation with Franz Friedrich Butz, Christoph Salentin and Markus Kloke. My special interest is the successful further development of the KSM Castings Group”, explains Janz.

The top management team will continue the successful growth process. The company will also invest further in the coming year in the expansion of the German and foreign sites, a trend which is continuing. Together with the Chinese stakeholder, CITIC Dicastal, in the background, the development of new capacities and a further increase in the added value are planned. The expansion of the development foundry promises a further effective increase in the innovative strength, know-how and quality. “We are moving worldwide into new markets. CITIC Dicastal is a partner that will support us in this strategically and consequentially”, says Christoph Salentin. “We will further combine our national and international endeavors, and concentrate on and consequentially develop our strengths. For this we need a strong team.”

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Background: The KSM Castings Group is a leading producer of automotive lightweight components for chassis, transmissions, engines and steering. Specialized in aluminum and magnesium components, KSM strives for the top position in both technology and quality. As an important supplier to the global automotive industry, the company is already among the top employers. Reliable partnerships, customer orientation and cost effectiveness are essential key points of the company’s strategy. The basis, however, are first-class employees. KSM operates 9 production plants in Germany, Czech Republic, USA and China with a total of approximately 3,700 employees. Among its customers are the major automotive producers and automotive suppliers like Volkswagen, Daimler, ZF, Benteler and Bosch. In 2015, the company group achieved a turnover of approximately 525 million EUR.