Thorsten Kuhmann has been named secretary general of the European Committee of Machinery Manufacturers for the Plastics and Rubber Industries (Euromap) in Frankfurt, Germany, and managing director of the German Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association, part of Frankfurt-based VDMA, the German Engineering Federation.
Kuhmann, 38, started his new jobs Oct. 1. In both positions, he succeeds Bernd Knörr, who retired at the end of September.
Germany is the leader for plastics machinery, including injection molding machines, extruders and blow molding machines. The country's equipment manufacturers export around the world. The 185 company members of the German Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association represent 90 percent of the industry's total output in Germany. They hold about 25 percent of the world market for output and exports.
Kuhmann has worked within VDMA for seven years, where he was deputy managing director of the mining equipment trade group before moving to plastics and rubber.
His global outlook stems from his childhood. Born in Brazil to German parents, he then grew up in Kenya. Kuhmann, who is a lawyer, worked for a small American managing consulting firm before joining VDMA.