Change at the helm of Kraiburg TPE Americas

Henning Karbstein will be taking over the management of Kraiburg TPE for the North, Central and South America region as of 1 October 2024. He will be managing the operational business of the global TPE manufacturer from its US location in Buford, Georgia, and has already been receiving extensive training and an introduction to his new areas of responsibility since 1 April, both at the head office of the US branch and at the company’s headquarters in Waldkraiburg, Bavaria, Germany. Karbstein will have full operational scope in his new position from the start of the fourth quarter of 2024, and will be taking over the position and duties from his predecessor, Jeff Frankish, who has conducted his role as managing director for 17 years and will be retiring after a six-month transition phase that ends on 30 September.

“Jeff Frankish has done pioneering work in the Americas and has advanced the development of our business areas there at a high level. This and his extraordinary presence have left lasting traces on the whole company. However, we are confident that his successor, Henning Karbstein, will continue on this path to success in the best tradition and, with his management and industry expertise from the automotive and engineering industry, will take us to the next stages of development in America in the coming years”, Oliver Zintner, CEO of Kraiburg TPE stated.

After graduating in 1996 in mechanical engineering in Karlsruhe, Germany, with a diploma dissertation on “The Development of Gasoline V Engines” in the design department at Mercedes-Benz, Hennig Karbstein started his professional career at Schaeffler Group, an automotive Tier-1 supplier based in Herzogenaurach, Germany. There he initially worked in application engineering and product management for valve train components, before moving to the Detroit, Michigan, US area, in 2001. He joined the “engine systems” division in 2002 to lead a global project team as program manager. In 2005, he moved to Schaeffler Group USA in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and took over the position of Lean Process Manager in 2007, for the headquarter at that site and for all the production plants in North America. In 2012, Karbstein moved to North Carolina, from Schaeffler to Basf Corporation in Charlotte, where as Manager for New Business Development & Idea Management, Dispersion and Resins, he was responsible for the divison’s business development in North America. In 2019, he switched to Badische Stahl Engineering in Charlotte, where as Vice-President of Sales, he was responsible for the North American region.

“Kraiburg TPE has long been established as a major player in the plastics processing industry in the region. Going forward, I want to contribute to expanding our business activities in North, Central and South America even further so that we can gradually unlock our full potential there”, Hennig Karbstein declared.