One of the UK’s leading metal stamping experts is targeting £2.5m of new EU opportunities after appointing a new European technical specialist.
Brandauer, which provides precision components for more than 15 high-value sectors, has brought in Jürgen Wollbold to increase its presence on the ground in France, Germany and Spain.
Jürgen Wollbold
The industry veteran has more than 30 years’ experience in the automotive and medical sector and brings with him significant technical knowledge of new product development, stamping and tooling.
He is being charged with nurturing and strengthening existing relationships in the EU, alongside building new opportunity with clients who will benefit from the Birmingham firm’s capability in automotive connectors, power grid infrastructure components and EV/thin gauge laminations.
“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,” commented Rowan Crozier, CEO of Brandauer.
“About £1m 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.”
He continued: “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.”
Language and communication are crucial in all aspects of business, particularly in Brandauer’s niche of precision engineering.
Jürgen’s native proficiency in German, fluency in French and English, and B2 proficiency in Spanish will provide the company with clarity on the requirements of European customers, allowing its UK team to provide production and manufacturing services with seamless efficiency.
Having a multilingual representative on hand in Europe will prove especially useful during Design For Manufacturing (DFM) workshops, initial discovery calls and at international exhibitions.
He will be making his Brandauer debut at Micronora at the end of September in France, the first time the business has exhibited at the microtechnology trade fair.
“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,” continued Jürgen, who has held senior roles at Forvia, Septodont, Centrotec and VMI Industries.
“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.”
He concluded: “We have identified £5m 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.”
Brandauer, which currently holds King’s Awards for Innovation and International Trade, sends millions of precision components to more than 23 different countries every week.
Whilst the US, the Middle East and China continue to be its biggest markets, there is a major push underway to increase customer share in the EU.
For further information, please visit www.brandauer.co.uk
