There have been a few developments in the management structure at Recaro Aircraft Seating, involving some familiar faces – and a new one. October will see René Dankwerth, the company’s long-standing EVP of R&D and executive board member, take the reins as general manager of Recaro Aircraft Seating Americas. Dankwerth will be a difficult act for his successor to follow, with highlights of his R&D work including reducing failure cost and quality findings by 50% within two years of taking the role, overseeing “significant” improvement of supply chain quality, and introducing Total Quality Management (TQM) methods. He later became a member of the executive board for R&D and was instrumental in the development and the ramp-up the CL3710 long-haul economy seat as well as the CL6710 long-haul business class seat.
René Dankwerth’s work has been a valuable asset to Recaro
So who is filling Dankwerth’s shoes?
August 1 sees Heiko Fricke, a qualified electrical engineer, who has a business track record including 12 years with Daimler’s commercial vehicles business unit and 10 years with Airbus. His range of experience includes OEM, joint venture and Tier 1 projects involving the development of components and systems for vehicles and aircraft, product launches, program management and a focus on efficiency and profitability.
Heiko Fricke brings extensive experience to his new role as executive vice president of research and development at Recaro Aircraft Seating
And who is Dankwerth replacing?
Dankwerth succeeds Sunitha Vegerla, who has been in the role for four years and is reported to have led a successful growth strategy at the facility, but according to the company has decided “to take a step back from her role” so she can focus more on family life. Vegerla is taking on a new role in the executive team as director of quality & process management: still an important role, but fewer hours. Dankwerth and Vegerla will work together closely for a transition period of two months before he takes over the position on October 1, 2018.
