AL-KO Vehicle Technology Group announced Dr. Klaus Wilhelm will (again) lead the company’s global research and development as well as product management activities, effective July 1.
For Wilhelm, the new role is also a return to his former employer and thus to many familiar topics and, not least, colleagues: With a doctorate in mechanical engineering, he was a key driver of various successful new product developments in the vehicle technology segment as senior vice president of development at AL-KO Vehicle Technology between 2006 and 2016. His lasting successes include the introduction of the HY4 hydraulic levelling support system and the MAMMUT maneuvering system, the company said in a release.
Since then, he has been responsible for sales and development activities at Bosch Rexroth AG in Schwieberdingen, Germany, for the past eight years. His predecessor at AL-KO Vehicle Technology, Dr. Georg Rixecker, has left the company to pursue new professional goals.
Harald Hiller, president and CEO of AL-KO Vehicle Technology, commented: “My colleagues and I are delighted to have Dr. Wilhelm back at our company. I know him to be an enthusiastic and motivating innovator. I particularly appreciate his courageous assertiveness and his high level of expertise.”
Hiller continued: “Our good ideas and their rapid implementation are decisive competitive factors for us. Together with his team, Klaus Wilhelm will focus even more on this. His extensive experience will be of great benefit in the vehicle industry’s upcoming transformation processes, for example when it comes to drive electrification, digitalization, new software skills or international innovation management.”