CONTACT USBuilding on Past Success
Peter Hahn, President of Trelleborg Sealing Solutions.
Peter Hahn, talks to in the groove about his new role as President of Trelleborg Sealing Solutions.
ITG: What does your background bring to your new role?
PH: I’ve had a very varied career with Trelleborg Sealing Solutions and been involved in sales, marketing and engineering in all of the company’s key markets. The understanding that has given me, I feel is vital in making strategic decisions to grow the business. We’re so diversified and there are many niche opportunities, so that broad knowledge is important.
My career path has also included experience in manufacturing. This will be invaluable as my new role involves managing this side of the business too.
Global local is an important aspect of Trelleborg’s brand philosophy. As president of the business area I need to be familiar with different cultures. As someone who has alternately worked across Europe and in the Americas, as well as managing in Asia Pacific; I certainly have a true appreciation of global operations and how we can provide local support.
ITG: Where do you see the main focus areas for Trelleborg Sealing Solutions in the medium term?
PH: My vision for Trelleborg Sealing Solutions is clear and simple: to keep expanding. That might not be something new but we want to expand faster than our selected markets’ growth rates. To achieve this, we need to venture into adjacent technologies and continue our strategy of acquisitions. So far, the Trelleborg Sealing Solutions business in the U.S. is only half the size of Europe’s. There is no reason why it shouldn’t be just as large, based on accelerated organic growth and a careful selection of the companies we want to acquire so that they match our selected expansion segments and our company culture. We’re also continuing to concentrate on the Asia-Pacific region
The Seals-Shop.com has been introduced and will expand. It complements our existing business focus on large Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). The aim of this e-commerce platform is to reach a higher share of the aftermarket, as well as smaller OEMs, across Europe with a fully-automated business process. The shop has been online for a year now and acceptance is nicely increasing.
FUTURE STRATEGY: FOCUS AREAS
Peter has identified three main areas for Trelleborg Sealing Solutions to focus on in the medium term.
- A continued regional concentration on Asia and the Americas.
- A greater focus on the attractive segments of aerospace, robotics, sensors and the relatively new areas of healthcare and medical, as well as e-mobility.
- A closer look at current trends, such as digitalization and the Internet of Things, which can bring additional customer benefits.
ITG: Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has always prided itself on being customer-driven. Do you see any changes in how you serve customers in the future?
PH: Obviously we have to retain and expand on our customer focus. Digitalization can help us here by providing more digital web and mobile app tools, such as the successful CAD downloads, product configurators and selectors, as well as all sorts of engineering calculator apps. This is even extending to the Internet of Things; something everyone is talking about.
This will definitely be an area of future development and we’ve started a pilot project called Cognitive Sealing. This is a form of predictive maintenance using sensor data and algorithms to calculate when a seal will need replacing due to wear and tear.
Service PLUS is a concept that we introduced a couple of years ago. In this we provide services beyond standard ones. These are designed to accelerate our customers’ businesses from product concept to delivery. This concept will be further expanded and developed going forward.
Another trend offering further advantages is additive manufacturing. The resultant rapid prototyping allows our customers to try out new designs quickly and at an early stage of the manufacturing process. We’re expanding our R&D in this area, investing further in our own 3D printers while also commissioning services from external partners. The important thing is that our customers get all the solutions they need from us as quickly and as effectively as possible.
ITG: Do you see any major changes in the business area when you take on your role as president?
PH: Despite the rapid advances within our industries, I do not foresee any major changes. Instead we’ll continue our strategy of continuous improvement. This entails a lot of work but if we want to improve, we have to keep adapting. And if you want to keep up with global developments, you’ll always have plenty of work to do.
ABOUT PETER HAHN; A VARIED CAREER BUILDS EXPERIENCE
Born in New York, Peter Hahn, has held various key positions in Trelleborg Sealing Solutions since joining it in 2001.
The first five years were spent in sales and marketing, where he was primarily involved in German sales activities until 2006, when he took over as head of the European Marketing organization. This entailed managing 16 marketing companies, as well as developing the business strategies for Europe.
During his career, Peter has switched a few times between the U.S. and Germany. He was to do this once again in 2013, when he became President of Marketing Americas, based in Chicago.