The new Volkswagen Group Components brand is using its cross-brand and international structure to fill some of its management positions. As of 1 March 2019, Heiner Lanze has taken over as Head of Procurement of the newly independent business unit. He succeeds Stephan Beyse, who, as part of a regular rotation, now holds the position of Head of Procurement of Genuine Parts in Kassel.
From 1 May 2019, Frank Engel will become Executive Vice President of Components, Logistics, Quality for all Volkswagen Group China’s component activities. Christian Bleiel will succeed Mr Engel to become Head of Component Production for the Group brand ŠKODA AUTO. At the same time, Andreas Salewsky, as Mr Bleiel’s successor, will become the new head of the component site at Salzgitter.
Heiner Lanze (56) began his career at Volkswagen in Purchasing and Controlling. In 1997, the economics graduate went to Mexico as part of his work at Volkswagen, after which, he assumed various managerial positions in Procurement at Audi. In 2014, Mr Lanze moved to Brazil and became the Vice President of Procurement at Scania. Since 2016, he has been responsible for Procurement at Volkswagen do Brasil and the South America region.
Stephan Beyse (59) has held managerial positions in Procurement at the Volkswagen Group since 1985. After holding numerous positions at Audi and Volkswagen, he travelled to China for his work at Volkswagen. Mr Beyse has been responsible for Powertrain Procurement for the Group and the Volkswagen brand as of 2018. Since January, he has acted as Head of Procurement at Volkswagen Group Components.
Frank Engel (56) has worked for the Volkswagen Group in a variety of managerial positions for almost 30 years. After moving between posts at Volkswagen in Salzgitter, VW Sachsen in Chemnitz and China, most recently acting as Managing Director of Shanghai Volkswagen Powertrain, Mr Engel, who holds a degree in mechanical engineering, assumed responsibility for Component Production at the Group brand ŠKODA AUTO in 2013.
Christian Bleiel (55) started at Volkswagen in 1990 in Principled Planning, Powertrain. After holding managerial positions in Production at the Wolfsburg and Salzgitter sites, Mr Bleiel, who holds a degree in industrial engineering, became the Head of Volkswagen Motor Polska in 2009. In 2014, he took over as Head of the Salzgitter Site as well as the Head of the Engine business area.
Andreas Salewsky (48) holds a degree in mechanical engineering and has been at Volkswagen since 1999. After four years in Production Planning at the Salzgitter plant, he acted as Head of Series Planning at Volkswagen Motor Polska for three years. From 2006, he worked at the Salzgitter plant in various managerial positions, most recently as Head of Production at the Volkswagen Group Component’s engine plant.