Kontron AG hires new Chief Operating Officer and Head of Group Sourcing

Eching near Munich, 23 January 2014 – Kontron AG, a leading global provider of Embedded Computer Technology (ECT), has appointed Ulf Harring (47) as Chief Operating Officer (COO). He will lead the new global function Group Operations, concentrating on enhancing Kontron’s capabilities in the areas of Purchasing, Supply Chain and Production, as well as customer focus. Ulf Harring has gathered considerable experience in a wide range of international management positions in recent years. For the last six of them, after many years as General Manager at Mercedes Benz/Daimler AG and Executive General Manager at Mitsubishi Motors Corp., he has been responsible for the Global Supply Chain and Logistics of white goods producer AB Electrolux, serving as Vice President and Global Head of Supply Chain. In November 2013, Accenture, SAS Institute and SILF awarded the Swede the “Supply Chain Professional of the Year“ prize for his efforts. Ulf Harring will take up his new job with effect from 1 February 2014.
In addition, Dr. Stephan Gutthal (45) joined Kontron AG as the new Head of Group Sourcing on 7 January 2014. His focus lies on the harmonization of Kontron‘s purchasing processes and the optimization of its supplier base. Prior to joining Kontron, he headed Corporate Procurement at Deutsche Annington and gained experience as an interim and project manager in the Supply Chain Management practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He also held various positions as a consultant and manager in supply chain issues at Accenture.
Rolf Schwirz, CEO of Kontron AG, says: "We are delighted to have won two highly skilled experts with Ulf and Stephan. Purchasing, Supply Chain and Production are key elements of our ‘New Kontron’ strategy and our two new colleagues will help us optimize these areas for the future.”
During the past year, Kontron AG has already implemented a thoroughly optimized organizational structure. The new global business units allow the company to serve customers better and more quickly, as well as to exploit yet untapped customer potential. The three globally controlled functional areas Group Sales, Research & Development and Group Operations simplify internal processes and help to raise further synergies.
For more information:

Harald Kinzler
HERING SCHUPPENER Consulting
Phone: +49 69 9218 7465
Email: hkinzler@heringschuppener.com