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mauro prodi

Guyancourt, October 13th, 2015 – Sogefi is pleased to announce the appointment of Mauro Prodi as Aftermarket General Manager with effect from October 1st 2015. He brings exceptional experience in all aspects of the filtration business in the OE and Aftermarket to his new position, having worked for Sogefi both in Spain and at its French headquarters. His intimate knowledge of Sogefi and of the sector guarantees continuity for the business and its customers.

Mr Prodi will be a key part of the team implementing strategies for the profitable growth of Sogefi's activities under the direction of Mr Laurent Hebenstreit, appointed Chief Executive Officer last June.

Mr Prodi joined the company in 1991 as Group Management Accounting Director in Italy and since then has been Chief Executive of five different Group businesses in Spain, most recently as General Manager Europe of the Sogefi's Engine Systems Business Unit.

Sogefi and Mr Andrea Taschini, former Aftermarket General Manager, have agreed to go their separate ways from October 1st 2015. The Company extends its thanks to Mr. Taschini for his valued contribution in the last six years and wishes him every success for his future career.

Lean structure
From October 1st, a new "lean" organisational structure brings all Sogefi Group activities into three product-oriented business units: Suspension Components, Air & Cooling and Filtration. The purpose of this is to create a lighter, simpler and more efficient structure throughout the Group, improving competitiveness through quality, costs and innovation.

In recognition of the complementary nature of Sogefi's OE and Aftermarket businesses, in the future they will work side by side as part of the now overarching Filtration Business Unit. This will increase even further the already strong relationship between the R&D centers and the manufacturing plants, which develop and produce filtration products on the same lines for OEM, OES and IAM channels. For IAM customers, this increased integration will facilitate the implementation of projects designed to improve further service, logistics and warehouse optimization.

New team members
Supporting this development, the Sogefi Aftermarket team has been strengthened by the recent recruitment of two new senior executives, Mr Pierre Courant and Mr Jacques de Villeplée. Mr Courant joined the company as EMEA Aftermarket Sales Director last January. In this position he coordinates the activities of the sales team to reinforce the current excellent relationship with customers. This includes the four leading international buying groups (Temot, Groupauto, ATR, Autodistribution) for whom Sogefi is a preferred supplier.

Mr de Villeplée has been appointed Aftermarket Sales Director for France, responsible for Sogefi’s biggest market where it is market leader through its brand Purflux. He will co-ordinate the activities of ten area managers.

Speaking about the new structure and appointments, Mauro Prodi points out: "I am willing to take up the challenge to manage this important next step in the development of the Aftermarket business. There are already many synergies between the OE and Aftermarket activities of Sogefi which are of considerable benefit to our customers. Bringing the two units closer together within a single business unit makes operational and commercial sense for the company and will benefit all our customers, who are the true heart of Sogefi's continued success."