PLYMOUTH, MI —Hella, a supplier of automotive electronics and lighting systems, has restructured its North America operations with the formation of three distinct business units for its lighting, electronics and aftermarket businesses.
Dr. Raymund Heinen has been named president of Hella Lighting North America and Steve Hubble has been appointed president of Hella Electronics North America. Heinen and Hubble both will be headquartered in Plymouth, MI.
Wolfgang Benz will serve as president of Hella’s North American Aftermarket and Special Equipment operations with offices in Peachtree City, a suburb of Atlanta, GA. Previously president of Hella’s NAFTA Aftermarket group, he continues to be responsible for Hella’s aftermarket business throughout the NAFTA region.
In addition to his role as president of lighting operations, Heinen also will be responsible for the management of Hella’s corporate finance, personnel, information technology, facilities management and corporate communications within the NAFTA region.
A native of St. Vith, Belgium, Heinen previously was president and CEO of LuK Inc., an automotive supplier headquartered in Wooster, OH. He began his career as a project manager with O&K Orenstein & Koppel AG in Dortmund, Germany, and went on to hold various senior management positions with Bosch and Valeo, prior to joining LuK in 2001.
Hubble formerly was vice president of operations and engineering at Hella Electronics Corporation. Prior to joining Hella, he held executive positions at Sparton Corporation in Flora, IL and Quaker Oats in Chicago.
Benz previously served as managing director of Hella Aftermarket Operations in the U.K. and Ireland. Prior to joining Hella, he was managing director of Parts Inc., a subsidiary of Midas Ltd. in Johannesburg South Africa. He also has worked at Bosch in Stuttgart, Germany, and in Johannesburg.
Hella’s new North American lighting group has nearly 2,500 employees at facilities in York, SC; Plymouth, MI.; Mexico City, and Guadalajara, Mexico, while its electronics group includes 530 employees in Flora, IL and Plymouth. The company’s aftermarket operations in the NAFTA trade region currently employ 150 people with approximately 1,800 distributors in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
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