Hirschmann Names New CEO

Dr. Wolfgang Babel has been named chief executive officer of Hirschmann Automation and Control, based in Neckartenzlingen, Germany, and Lumberg Automation − Belden Deutschland GmbH of Schalksmühle, Germany.

Babel, who has been a Hirschmann executive since October 2007, succeeds Reinhard Sitzmann, who will be concentrating on several supervisory board appointments in the future.

Sitzmann took over as CEO of the Hirschmann Group at the end of 2000 and successfully reorganized the company. His most recent achievement was the incorporation of Hirschmann Automation and Control and Lumberg Automation into the U.S. American Belden Group.

Babel studied electrical engineering at the Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and later did doctorates at the Columbia Pacific University in San Francisco (Ph. D.) and the Friedrich Alexander University (Dr.-Ing.). He began his career at Diehl GmbH, where he held leading posts in various divisions. After 10 years, he moved to Endress+Hauser Conducta GmbH & Co., Gerlingen, Germany. There he was responsible initially for development and eventually became CEO. In addition, he also played a major role in developing the worldwide solution business within the Endress+Hauser group.

Hirschmann Automation and Control and Lumberg Automation employ about 1,100 people at the German sites Neckartenzlingen, Ettlingen, Schalksmühle and Hoyerswerda and at subsidiaries in several European countries, the United States and Asia. In 2006 the two companies achieved total sales of 243 million Euro. Sales in 2007 will be in the region of 259 million Euro.