On September 1, 2021, SMB International GmbH will have a dual leadership team: In the future, Dr. Arne Dethlefs will lead the Quickborn-based system and plant manufacturer together with long-time Managing Director Andreas Heckel, a graduate engineer and businessman. One of the reasons for the personnel decision is the strong growth of recent years, which has made SMB International one of the leading companies for individual process solutions and large-scale intralogistics projects. For the new management duo, it is now a matter of further expanding the existing strengths and creating a solid foundation for long-term success and sustainable growth.
The current portfolio of the system and plant manufacturer with a history of over fifty years includes filling systems, storage systems, palletizers, robotics, conveyor technology and ship loading systems, which are primarily developed, designed and produced at the Quickborn site near Hamburg. In recent decades, the company has increasingly positioned itself on the global market: Numerous large-scale projects have been and are being produced at the company, and well-known customers are increasingly ordering complete solutions in the field of storage systems and palletizing systems. This is to be further strengthened by the international experience of the second Managing Director: Dr. Arne Dethlefs will focus in particular on the processes and structures that ensure the company's success and enable sustainable growth. As a former production manager and managing director of an American company, he has in-depth experience in medium-sized manufacturing companies and is very familiar with international business.
His scientific background is also well-founded: after studying mechanical engineering at the TU Hamburg and in Sweden, the native of Lower Saxony conducted research at the TU Berlin and the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology. After obtaining his doctorate in engineering, he first became Head of Production at Garz & Fricke in Hamburg and later CEO of one of the company's subsidiaries in the USA. What appeals to Dr. Arne Dethlefs most about his new role at SMB International is the complexity and versatility of the task - after all, SMB covers a very broad spectrum with its high level of vertical integration and great development expertise. He will also be able to contribute his extensive experience in the field of automation.
I am enthusiastic about medium-sized companies where complete and complex systems are created, innovations are implemented quickly and everyone involved is passionate about what they do. At SMB International, I believe this is one hundred percent the case and I'm really looking forward to my new tasks.
Dr. Arne Dethlefs, Managing Director, SMB
The entry of Dr. Dethlefs comes at a good time in the company's history: many new developments have proven themselves and extensive large-scale projects are constantly being implemented for big-name customers. Accordingly, the demand for SMB systems and plants is steadily increasing and the company has a large order backlog - despite coronavirus. At the same time, the number of employees has increased almost tenfold over the last 20 years, which means that SMB International is also focusing on recruiting specialists and young talent. Managing Director Andreas Heckel in particular will make the topic of personnel even more of a "top priority" in the future. He will also remain responsible for international business, sales and finance as well as Managing Director of MBA Instruments GmbH, the specialist for level measurement technology and conductivity measurement. As specialists in automation and instrumentation, SMB and MBA have been operating together under the umbrella of the SMB Group since 2008. Their sophisticated solutions in system and plant engineering are in demand from industrial customers and continue to set new standards in the field of intralogistics.