Waldemar Birkle named MD of ENGEL Russia

Waldemar Birkle has taken over the role of Managing Director of OOO ENGEL in Moscow. He succeeds Olaf Kassek, who is retiring.

Birkle joined the group in July 2021, familiarising himself at ENGEL's headquarters in Schwertberg, Austria,as well as in Germany and Russia.

Birkle has nearly 20 years of experience in the international plastics industry. He was responsible for the Russian market in his previous position with a large peripheral equipment manufacturer. He is at home in both the German and Russian cultures.

CSO Dr Christoph Steger said: "We are delighted to have gained a highly experienced managing director in Waldemar Birkle, who already knows the injection moulding industry in Russia like the back of his hand. Together, we will continue to expand our customer base in Russia."

OOO ENGEL, Moscow, was founded in 2006 and has been managed by Olaf Kassek from the start. Steger added: "Olaf Kassek has developed ENGEL Russia into the leading western supplier of injection moulding machines and automation solutions. With a great deal of personal commitment, Mr. Kassek has continuously expanded the local portfolio and succeeded in being a reliable partner for our customers in Russia, even in difficult times. For this we would like to express our heartfelt thanks."

Despite many uncertainties, ENGEL envisages a positive market development with growth potential in Russia. ENGEL is supporting an increasing number of customers throughout the lifecycle of the machines with application-related challenges, and many processors in Russia have invested in new production facilities.

In response to these trends, ENGEL is training employees in Russia to become experts in technologies that are in high demand locally and is recruiting new technicians for its nationwide service network.