HAZLETOWN, Pa., April 25, 2023 - EAM-Mosca Corporation, a leading provider of innovative automatic strapping equipment, is pleased to announce that Christian Wiethuechter has been named as president and chief executive officer. An experienced business leader, Wiethuechter has over 18 years of success in the management of global B2B transformations. His employment with EAM-Mosca commenced in April 2023.
The various hallmarks of Wiethuechter's approach to leadership demonstrate his ability to translate his strategic vision and planning into well-executed cultural changes throughout the organization.
"We are thrilled to have Christian Wiethuechter as our new leader at EAM-Mosca and can't wait to see how he shapes the organization moving forward and transforms the business from good to great," Alfred Kugler, Chief Executive Officer of MOSCA, says. "Having him on top of our leadership team for the Americas makes us proud and underlines the commitment to our customers to keep focusing on how nonstop performance is not only our claim for today but also a promise for the future work of every individual at EAM-Mosca."
A Unique Career with Exemplary Outcomes
In 1997, Wiethuechter graduated with dual master's degrees in both business administration and mechanical engineering from the Technical University of Hamburg, which left him poised to take on difficult business decisions, specifically down to the level of individual machinery and business expenses.
Throughout his last three positions, which were combinations of managing director and board member, his roles in company-wide transformations stand out due to the seamless integration of vision, planning, and cultural change. Not only has Wiethuechter demonstrated the ability for strategic planning, but he's also combined that work with specific strategies and objectives to transform the business culture as well.
Wiethuechter explains that "culture eats strategy for breakfast," which is why his unique skill sets have earned him widespread respect throughout the B2B space.
Top Highlights from Wiethuechter's Career:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen (1997-2009)
Upon completing graduate school, Wiethuechter became employed by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen and spent the first 12 years of his career focused on international business development, product development, and sales management.
After serving as vice president of global project management for a range of printing presses, Wiethuechter took the opportunity to lead Heidelberger's sales and service unit in Mexico. He faced new challenges in his role because the printing business was set up to be cyclical at the time. In addition, selling machinery itself was not enough to cover overhead costs. The company had been offering direct financing to its clients and there were payment collection issues.
To address these matters, Wiethuechter prioritized growing the service side of the business to ensure that all fixed costs of the operations from selling equipment would be covered from year to year. In addition, he focused on branding and managed to double sales, dramatically increase financial performance over his five years at the company, and improved the positioning of Heidelberg in the Mexican market.
Körber AG (2009-2017)
In early 2009, Wiethuechter left his position with Heidelberger to pursue new opportunities with global technology leader Körber AG. He began leading the trajectory of Körber's tobacco equipment business in North America. This was an especially challenging time for the company, as former President Obama had recently signed an FDA ruling that threw into question the future of the tobacco industry. As a result, the industry drastically changed as customers became reluctant to invest in new machinery due to the realities of declining cigarette markets.
While the uncertainty of this time might have cowed Körber into underinvesting in or abandoning its tobacco equipment business in North America, Wiethuechter acknowledged the risks and uncertainty, but he also spent time considering all options as well as the long-term best interests of the company with his leadership team. As a result, the decision was to invest resources into the service of existing machines and research and development.
Despite Wiethuechter's growing list of professional achievements, he continued to refine his skills and seek out educational opportunities to better serve his roles. These efforts culminated in obtaining a master's degree in international business law from the University of Liverpool in 2015.
Wiethuechter was able to simultaneously access these various endeavors. By focusing on preventative maintenance, customized machine upgrades, and innovation, Wiethuechter and his team transformed the North American tobacco equipment business and also drove significant growth outside of the Americas.
Benteler Steel/Tube GmbH (2017-2023)
In 2017, Wiethuechter joined the management board of Benteler Steel/Tube GmbH, a global leader in high-end customized steel tube solutions used in the automotive, industry and energy markets. He initially served as CSO but was later promoted to COO and finally CEO of the company, all in less than a decade.
This was an even more significant transformation than his previous roles because the company had 5,000 employees when he arrived. Together with his leadership team he restructured the company, both in Europe and North America, which involved closing a plant, reducing the total workforce by roughly 15%, and implementing a transformative new sales approach.
Wiethuechter's focus during this time was to significantly improve the financial performance of this European business, as well as to ramp up the new steel tube mill in Shreveport, Louisiana. These two objectives existed in conjunction with an additional goal: building up the North American Energy Distribution Network. By the end of his tenure with Benteler, he and his team had improved the global steel tube business performance by increasing EBITDA from under $20 million annually to over $300 million annually -- all over the course of four years.
New Beginnings and Horizons for EAM-Mosca
Wiethuechter explains that EAM-Mosca is a highly successful company in the industry, but it must continue to look to the future. While the company is known globally for its exemplary performance in the corrugated industry, Wiethuechter sees the opportunity to integrate further into the global network of the Mosca Group and to increase the business into new market and product segments.
"EAM-Mosca is a great company with a record business year behind us, but there's no company in the world that can't do better – I'm always seeking improvement every day – that's something I strive after," says Wiethuechter.
During his time as CEO, Wiethuechter intends to continue the legacy of EAM-Mosca's founders but also to integrate further with the global business environment, making use of synergies, improving performance, and branching into new segments.
Wiethuechter acknowledges this won't be easy and quotes Nelson Mandela, saying, "It always seems impossible until it's done." He believes if the company strives together as a team, there's no limit to what EAM-Mosca can accomplish.
For now, the most significant hurdle he anticipates is internal resistance from common mindsets during organizational transformations. He explains that people often reason, "Why do we want to grow the business or work closer with global networks if we're fine alone?" His approach to managing this resistance is to spend time talking with individuals, understanding their concerns and fostering an open dialog. These unique circumstances, in turn, help to shape the transformative approach.
Wiethuechter explains that goals must be defined together, saying, "Building on the strengths but growing the business in the global group, more sales, higher profitability, continuing the role of being a market leader in incoming product segments, [as well as] thinking within the region but also the global Mosca group."
More About Christian Wiethuechter
Christian W. Wiethuechter was born in La Paz, Bolivia, to German parents and spent his childhood between Bolivia and Northern Germany. After a foreign trade apprenticeship in Hamburg, he pursued and obtained a combined master's degree in business administration and mechanical engineering in 1997 from the Technical University of Hamburg.
He met his wife, Gabriela, during his time in Mexico and they moved together to the U.S. and later to Germany. The couple enjoys traveling internationally, attending the theater, and golfing. They have two sons, Juan Carlos and Marlin. The family is looking forward to moving back to the U.S. for the long term.
SOURCE EAM-MOSCA CORP.
