Armin Distler named new Senior Sales Director

Armin Distler, new Senior Director of Sales, responsible for worldwide sales at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag (l. to r. Stefan Sonnhalter – Sales Manager Northern Germany, Armin Distler – Senior Director of Sales, Thomas Dirnberger – Sales Manager Southern Germany) / New Senior Sales Director Armin Distler now responsible for Global Sales at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag (L to R Stefan Sonnhalter – Sales Manager Northern Germany, Armin Distler – Senior Sales Director, Thomas Dirnberger – Sales Manager Southern Germany)

Sumitomo (SHI) Demag further optimises the company’s sales and strategy organisation with the appointment of Armin Distler, who succeeds Siegfried Köhler following his departure at the turn of the year. Effective February 1, 2022, Distler assumes responsibility for global sales as Senior Sales Director.

Reporting to Distler are the respective industry-focused Business Development teams, comprising Automotive, Consumer, Medical and Packaging.

Part of his remit as Senior Sales Director sees Distler taking on the responsibility for digital sales and the operational sales management of the subsidiaries. Consequently, the overarching sales structure now incorporates Paolo Zirondoli, Managing Director of the company’s Italian subsidiary, who oversees the Group’s sales agencies and the international support office functions. As a member of the Management and Group Board, Distler will undertake additional strategic duties.

For several years Distler has worked in various management positions within the German sales organisation.  He is widely regarded as a great advocate for combining application development with service support. Having joined the company in 1999, Distler has a deep understanding of evolving customer requirements.

Previously responsible for sales throughout the German market, Distler confidently passes these duties to his incumbent colleagues Thomas Dirnberger (Southern Germany) and Stefan Sonnhalter (Northern Germany). Both will jointly share the strategic management of the territory. Dirnberger has extensive automotive sector expertise and has been responsible for successfully managing the company’s presence around the Stuttgart region since 2004. Sonnhalter has more than two decades of plastic industry sales proficiency.