Bad Neustadt. The end of an era at Preh GmbH: PresidentCEO Michael Roesnick (61), who holds a doctorate in control engineering, is set to retire at the end of the year after 16 years at the helm. His successor, Christoph Hummel (49), has been a member of the car component supplier’sautomation specialist’s executive board since 2008. Roesnick Hummel aim to use the remainder of this year to ensure a seamless transition  and   maximum continuity between the new management  and  the old.

Dr. Michael Roesnick was instrumental in turning Preh into a global player in automobile electronics  and  automation solutions. When he became chairman of the board in 1999, Preh had an annual turnover of approximately 172 million. By 2014, the turnover had grown to 611 millionthe company’s earning power was substantially stronger. In 1999, Preh had 1,500 employees worldwide. Today, the employee compliment exceeds 4,500  and  continues to grow.

Jeff Wang, the foundermajority shareholder of Joyson, says about the life’s work of Hamburg-born Dr. Roesnick: “It is no exaggeration to say that Michael Roesnick is ‘Mister Preh’. His impact on the company in the last two decades has been second to none. Despite systematic internationalization  and  dynamic growth, he succeeded in preserving the company’s traditional corporate culturesteadily continued to develop Preh’s unique innovative capacity. This is Preh’s most important strong point,I am profoundly grateful to Dr. Roesnick for fostering it. Even at our very first meetings I was impressed both by his leadership qualitiesby the caliber of his management team. This was a crucial factor in our decision to invest in Preh,I am very happy that, in Christoph Hummel, we have found a successor for him who has grown into his responsibilities over many years at Prehwho can continue the company’s development with the necessary continuity while still adding his own individual style. Preh will be in the best possible hands with Christoph Hummel at the helm.”

Preh is a subsidiary of the Joyson Group, Ningbo (China), which has bundled its automotive activities in the public company Joyson Electronics. Within the Joyson Group, Preh represents the divisions of Automotive Electronics  and  Automation.

As a global automobile parts supplier  and  automation specialist, Preh had approximately 4,200 employees  and  generated a turnover of 611 million in 2014. The company has branches in Germany, Portugal, Rumania, Mexico, the USA,China. Its developmentproduction expertise is focused on air conditioning  and  driver input systems for automobiles  and  commercial vehicles, controlling systems for battery management in electric vehicles,assembly  and  automation systems.