interview with gerd rosendahl, ceo of cimos d.d. highly ... · interview with gerd rosendahl, ceo...
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Interview with Gerd Rosendahl, CEO of CIMOS d.d.
Highly sophisticated components for Europe’s cars
The automotive industry is still considered the driving force of the European economy, with leading car manufacturers realizing continuous growth. As a consequence, suppliers of me-chanical components and modules are also experiencing strong demand and sound sales vol-umes. CIMOS d.d. in Slovenia is one of the names closely related to the strong automotive industry, as the group and its subsidiaries supply turbo, powertrain and kinematics solutions to the main automotive producers like Ford, Volvo, PSA, BMW, Audi and VW, and their suppli-ers Honeywell, Bosch Mahle Turbo Systems, BorgWarner Turbo Systems and TRW.
CIMOS can draw on more than 40
years in the automotive business.
The company’s history started with
close cooperation with Citroën, for
which it manufactured components
and even assembled complete auto-
mobiles. 1972 marked an important
milestone in the company’s history,
as a restructuring process resulted
in a new company that was to focus
on manufacturing and exporting
automotive components, car as-
semblies and sub-assemblies. “Car
manufacturing stopped and gave
way to three new divisions: turbo,
powertrain and kinematics,” points
out CEO Gerd Rosendahl, who can
look back on many years in car
manufacturing before joining forces
with CIMOS. Mr. Rosendahl is a
familiar face in car manufacturing,
but decades ago he was a highly
successful handball player, playing
for the prestigious first division club
VFL Gummersbach. He even won
the world championship with the
German national team. After hav-
ing finished his sports career, Mr.
Rosendahl studied engineering and
started working in the automotive
business in 1983. “After having dif-
ferent top management responsibili-
ties in Europe, working more than
two years as a Managing Director
in the USA, it was quite a challenge
to take on a position with CIMOS,
but during 2015 and 2016 here,
we were able to implement a suc-
cessful restructuring that became
necessary after the crisis of the
years before,” says Mr. Rosendahl.
“We had to adjust the number
of employees, reduce plants and
overall costs, but we have managed
the process successfully and have
gained momentum ever since.” To-
CIMOS d.d.C. Marežganskega upora 2 6000 Koper Slovenia
+386 566 58100 +386 566 58250
[email protected] www.cimos.eu
day, CIMOS employs 4,000 staff at
its Slovenian production plants and
additional production sites in Croa-
tia, Bosnia and Serbia. “We have
to deal with different mentalities. In
addition to our production sites in
Eastern Europe, we operate sales
companies in Germany and France.
R&D is mainly located at our Koper
headquarters in Slovenia,” says Mr.
Rosendahl.
Turbo is CIMOS’s largest busi-
ness unit, accounting for 50% of
the turnover, which amounted to
265 million EUR in 2016. “In car
engines of most leading manufac-
tures, you will find our turbo-related
parts,” adds Mr. Rosendahl.
CIMOS supplies turbo-compressor
housings, back plates, turbine
housings, central housings and noz-
zles. Its powertrain unit generates
another 30% of turnover. “Our inno-
vations aim to cut down CO2 emis-
sions. We realize this ambitious goal
by bringing solutions to the market
that excel in lower-weight materials,
lower friction between components
and materials with improved ther-
mal characteristics,” explains Mr.
Rosendahl. The third division within
the group focuses on kinematics,
contributing to increased safety lev-
els for both passenger and pedes-
trian. “We supply brake systems,
handbrake levers and hinges that
all help to provide a higher safety
level in road traffic,” points out Mr.
Rosendahl.
Every year, CIMOS produces 40 mil-
lion different components with an
excellent quality rate. “Even if our
production is located in different
countries, we guarantee the high-
est quality standards,” stresses Mr.
Rosendahl. “Low labor costs are an
additional advantage. We provide all
the necessary technology solutions
to produce highly sophisticated
products, which gives us a competi-
tive edge over competitors who only
offer one aspect of our complex
products.” CIMOS has worked hard
to offer solutions in close coopera-
tion with the customer. “Together
with our
customers, we
develop ideas which
we translate into products. The
customer appreciates our proactive
approach,” says Mr. Rosendahl. In
the coming years,
CIMOS aims to strengthen its fore-
front market position in Europe
and beyond. It will become part of
Palladio Automotive in Italy, which
will result in future expansion. CI-
MOS will establish itself as one of
the leading names especially in the
turbo and powertrain business. ❙
In addition to its four production plants in Slovenia, CIMOS operates sites in Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia
CIMOS uses the latest state-of-the-art machinery to meet the high quality standards of European car manufacturing
CIMOS can test the majority of products from its product portfolio using state-of-the-art and custom-designed testing equipment
CIMOS is a leading European provider of mechanical components and modules for the car industry, fo-cusing on turbo, powertrain and kinematics solutions
CIMOS’s parts are incorporated in almost every car engine of leading European manufacturers
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