Tempel, the world’s leading producer of magnetic laminations for motors, generators and transformers, has announced the opening of a new sales, strategic planning and engineering office in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany.

The new office gives Tempel a platform to leverage its automotive hybrid and electric vehicle (EV) capabilities while serving European customers on a local level states Gerd Kücken, business development manager - automotive, at Tempel’s Bietigheim-Bissingen office. “Additionally, because Germany is known for automotive innovation, Tempel is now positioned to strategically assess and adapt to growing trends across the European marketplace faster.”

Kücken brings to Tempel nearly 20 years of automotive OEM sales experience, with expertise in magnetic automotive laminations. Prior to joining Tempel, some of Kücken’s key roles have included working for seven years at the German-based lamination manufacturer Kienle+Spiess GmbH. Having served as key account manager and market development manager, Kücken assumed responsibility for expanding the company’s European and North American footprint by strategically planning and implementing automotive market sales strategies.

Prior to Kienle+Spiess, Kücken worked at the automotive supplier Valeo GmbH for eight years in a variety of positions of increased responsibility from commercial clerk to account manager. Among his achievements at Valeo, Kücken successfully managed sales and supervised parts orders for customers such as Ford, Daimler Chrysler, General Motors, MAN, Scania, Volvo, DAF and VW. He also performed sales forecasting and sales training and developed the company’s internal sales planning tool.

Joining Kücken at Tempel’s Bietigheim-Bissingen office is Chief Technology Consultant Steffen Bauer. Bauer’s career in the field of electrical steel laminations began 30 years ago at Kienle+Spiess as a die designer. Over the years, his skill and knowledge of the industry enabled him to take on key leadership roles across a variety of departments ranging from the toolroom, toolroom services, engineering, and research and development. In addition to his hands-on experience, Bauer, who specializes in the development and implementation of lean production systems, will utilize innovative concepts and solutions in processing electrical steel to optimize process flows across Tempel’s global facilities to help customers manage production costs, get products to market faster and increase motor efficiency and overall performance.

Tempel’s Global Business Director – Automotive, Zach Leveston, says opening the new sales, strategic planning and engineering office is one of several steps the company is taking over the next two years “to increase customer awareness in the European market about what makes Tempel different from the rest - our global presence, electrical steel selection and application support and ability to partner with the customer through every phase of their project from the design to production. In the coming months, you can also expect to hear more about our investments in the latest state-of-the-art hybrid and EV motor design, equipment and technologies, including a planned automotive manufacturing expansion at one of our facilities outside of the U.S.”

Kücken says that Tempel’s sales growth into the European market is right on time. He says that demand for hybrid and EV is expected to rapidly increase over the coming years - especially in Europe and Asia, where market trends show those consumers are more and more interested in vehicles with alternative drivetrains offering sufficient power, size and comfort without sacrificing the environmental aspect. At the same time, nations around the world are decreasing allowable carbon dioxide emission rates. “Meeting these demands presents a challenge to automakers. This is where Tempel can be a valuable partner to help them develop new propulsion topologies. We can work with the customer to find different solutions and approaches that will keep their consumers happy, while meeting government regulations at the same time.”