10/27/2014

Bietigheim-Bissingen, October 27, 2014 - The Supervisory Board of HOMAG Group AG has appointed Dürr's CFO Ralph Heuwing as HOMAG's CEO. He takes over this position from Dr. Markus Flik, who will be leaving HOMAG's Management Board of his own accord. Ralph Heuwing was appointed a member of HOMAG's Management Board effective October 27 and will become CEO on December 1, 2014. He will continue his activities as CFO of Dürr AG in tandem with his position as CEO of HOMAG. 

Dürr took over 55.9% of the shares in HOMAG Group AG in mid-October 2014. Consequently, a few days ago there was a partial reshuffle of positions on HOMAG's Supervisory Board. On the shareholders' side, five new members were appointed by court. In addition to Dürr's CEO Ralf W. Dieter, who was elected Chairman of HOMAG's Supervisory Board on October 24, 2014, Dr. Anja Schuler also became a member of that body. Accordingly, following her appointment the HOMAG founding family Schuler is back on the Supervisory Board of the world's leading producer of wood processing machines. Other new members of the Supervisory Board are Richard Bauer (Chairman of the Management Board of Körber AG), Dr. Jochen Berninghaus (Managing Director of the Klessmann Foundation), as well as Dr. Hans Schumacher (Chairman of the Management of Dürr Systems GmbH).

Ralf W. Dieter, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of HOMAG: "Ralph Heuwing knows HOMAG well through the takeover process of the majority holding. Being an expert in such fields as process optimization, integration and international expansion, he will intensify the further development of the enterprise together with the company's managers and employees."

On HOMAG's Management Board, Ralph Heuwing will cooperate closely with the other members, namely Harald Becker-Ehmck, Jürgen Köppel and Hans-Dieter Schumacher. "HOMAG has outstanding experts in its workforce. The company has a strong market position and an impressive product portfolio. HOMAG still has immense potential, which we plan to leverage together with the HOMAG team," said Ralph Heuwing.

Ralf W. Dieter: "The Supervisory Board of HOMAG Group AG would like to thank Dr. Markus Flik for his successful work and regrets his decision to leave the company. Dr. Flik managed to take HOMAG Group AG on a sustainable growth path and increased the company's profitability. In technological terms, he further developed HOMAG in the field of networked production and with a comprehensive platform strategy. We would like to wish Dr. Flik all the best and every success, professionally and in his private life."

HOMAG has a workforce of approx. 5,400 employees and expects sales in the order of € 860 to 880 million for fiscal 2014. Within the Dürr Group, HOMAG will continue to be managed as an independent brand and constitutes the Wood Processing Systems division.

The Dürr Group is one of the world's leading mechanical and plant engineering firms. Products, systems and services offered by Dürr enable highly efficient manufacturing processes in different industries. Business with automobile manufacturers and their suppliers accounts for approximately 65% of Dürr's sales. Other market segments include, for example, the mechanical engineering, chemical and pharmaceutical industries and - since the takeover of HOMAG Group AG in October 2014 - the woodworking industry. Dürr has 94 business locations in 28 countries and generates annual sales of approx. € 3.2 billion with around 13,700 employees. The Dürr Group operates in the market with five divisions:

  • Paint and Assembly Systems: paint shops and final assembly systems for the automotive industry
  • Application Technology: robot technologies for the automatic application of paint as well as sealants and adhesives
  • Measuring and Process Systems: balancing and cleaning systems as well as testing and filling technology
  • Clean Technology Systems: exhaust-air purification systems and energy-efficiency technology
  • Wood Processing Systems: machinery for the woodworking industry
distributed by