The automotive industry is undergoing major transformation. Swoboda is seizing the opportunities offered by this global trend by making some key changes. In order to combine its expertise and capacities more effectively, Swoboda will merge with its sister company, the Hartmann exact Group headquartered in Schorndorf, by 1 July 2018, thereafter operating solely under the name of Swoboda throughout the world.
The plan is to promote innovations and the development of new products. To achieve this, the Group is creating a new separate management division. From the mid-point of this year, the Group's Management will consist of five managing directors with equal rights: responsibility will be shared between new member of the Management Harald Schöpp (Engineering) as well as Dirk Müller (Sales OEM Customers), Christian Göser (Sales Tier Customers), Michael Follmann (Operations) and Clemens Bauernfeind (Finance).
The realignment will provide a huge boost to the Group's ambitious growth plans. It wants to increase group sales from its 2017 level of more than 400 million euros to over one billion euros by 2025 and at the same time increase its employee count by 2,000 in the next eight years, from the current approximate figure of 4,000 to 6,000. "We will take advantage of the opportunities offered by the changes in our industry to further improve our position for the benefit of our customers and continue to grow," says owner of Swoboda and Hartmann, Matthias Groth.
The Group will still continue to offer and further develop its current business areas of hybrid assemblies and sensor components in the future. Additional partnerships with other companies for new developments are also planned.
Persons on the picture: The Group's Management from 1st of July 2018 on (from left): Harald Schöpp, Dirk Müller, Christian Göser, Michael Follmann, Clemens Bauernfeind