Brandauer strengthens European team with senior hire

Birmingham-based precision metal stamping specialist Brandauer has appointed Jürgen Wollbold as its European technical specialist as it targets £2.5 million of new business across the EU.

Jürgen brings more than 30 years of experience in the automotive and medical sectors, with expertise in new product development, stamping and tooling. 

He has previously held senior roles at Forvia, Septodont, Centrotec and VMI Industries.

Based in Europe, he will strengthen relationships with existing customers while supporting new business development across France, Germany and Spain. 

His role will focus on promoting Brandauer's capabilities in automotive connectors, power grid infrastructure components and EV laminations.

A fluent German, French and English speaker with working proficiency in Spanish, Jürgen will also support customer engagement during design for manufacturing workshops, technical discussions and international exhibitions.

His first event representing Brandauer will be Micronora in France later this year, marking the company's debut at the microtechnology trade fair.

Jürgen said: “I have spent many decades working across Europe, primarily in machining, tooling and product development – three areas that fit perfectly with my new role at Brandauer.

“Just a few weeks in and I’m already adding value by helping customers clarify technical requirements earlier, improve communication and create a more efficient path from first contact. 

“This will help create relevant dialogue around manufacturability, tooling, process stability and long-term production requirements.

“We have identified £5 million of new opportunities across the EU and I feel it is more than reasonable to believe we can convert at least half of these, especially those that involve precision stamping, in-house tooling, laminations and press-fit applications.”

Jürgen’s appointment forms part of Brandauer’s strategy to increase its presence across European markets. 

The company, which holds King's Awards for Innovation and International Trade, exports precision components to more than 23 countries.

Rowan Crozier, chief executive of Brandauer, added: “We are defying current market trends by actively going out and securing new opportunities in Europe, proving that UK companies can be competitive against rivals in France, Germany and Spain.

“About £1 million of orders are currently shipped to the EU annually and we believe we can almost treble that over the next twelve months. 

“What we needed was a strong presence on the ground and an expert who is multi-lingual, removing language barriers with potential clients.

“Jürgen is an industry expert with lots of experience in sectors where our capabilities can really make a difference. 

“He also has significant technical knowledge, which means he can work with customers from initial enquiry into product introductions and scaling into medium to high volumes.”

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