New CEO for Schmitz Dong Feng Special Vehicle Company

Bradley J. Hartsell has been appointed as the new CEO of Schmitz Dong Feng Special Vehicle Company, a Joint Venture between German juggernaut Schmitz Cargobull and Chinese company Dong Feng based in Wuhan, China.

He is taking over from Andreas Schmitz, who is returning to Germany after setting up the business since 2013.

“Bradley’s unique, in-depth knowledge gained from long term immersion in multi-cultural settings, coupled with his impressive and successful management experiences in Asia, specifically his nearly 15 years in China and his knowledge of the commercial vehicle market, make him exceptionally qualified to take over responsibility for leading our China joint venture strategy. We are very happy that he has decided to take on this exciting new challenge,” commented Jürgen Kluge, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Schmitz Cargobull in Germany.
 
US-born Hartsell, who can boast an undergraduate degree in Asian Studies and an MBA degree from Union University, can reportedly draw on extensive experience in doing business in Asia and helped establish and grow Chinese Joint Venture, Shanghai Lonestar, in the past.

In June of 2013, Hartsell returned to the US to serve as Director of Sales for North America for Kongsberg Automotive. He was successful in rebuilding
and revitalizing the sales organization and in securing the single largest sales contract for the company. He completed his tenure with Kongsberg at the end May 2015.

“I'm very happy and excited to undertake my new duties at Schmitz Wuhan and look forward to building on the European market leadership and success of the company and our products in China and beyond. I wish to thank the Board for giving me this opportunity,” Hartsell said.

Since mid-2015, Schmitz Cargobull has been producing articulated trailers vehicles at the new Wuhan plant that are specially designed to endure the challenging environments of the region.

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