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Opel Announces New Plant Manager at Kaiserslautern

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New Opel Kaiserslautern plant manager Peter Winternheimer

New Opel Kaiserslautern plant manager Peter Winternheimer

Today, Opel announced that Peter Winternheimer has been promoted to become the new plant manager at the German automaker’s Kaiserslautern manufacturing plant. Winternheimer will officially be put in charge of the engine and component plant in western Palatinate at the beginning of next month, on August 1, 2016.

The 47-year-old plant manager is succeeding Manfred Gellrich, who according to Opel, chose to leave the company for undisclosed reasons. The 47-year-old Winternheimer previously served as Director Manufacturing Engineering, Strategy and Planning before being promoted to the role of plant manager.

“Kaiserslautern is getting an experienced quality and manufacturing expert in Peter Winternheimer, who knows the plant like the back of his hand,” said Philip Kienle, Opel’s Vice President Manufacturing.


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As Keinle alluded to, this is something of a return to form for Peter Winternheimer, who had previously served as production manager and acting plant manager of the Kaiserslautern plant, before switching to his current role, which involves leading the European component strategy at the company headquarters in Rüsselsheim.

“At the same time I would like to thank Manfred Gellrich for the contribution he made for Opel/Vauxhall over more than 20 years and wish him all the best for his future,” Kienle added.

Born in Mainz in 1968, Peter Winternheimer attended the technical university in Kaiserslautern, where he studied mechanical engineering. In 1995, he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineer, and joined Opel later that year. Since then, he has held a variety of management positions at all of the automaker’s German plants, including managing quality assurance in Bochum and Eisenach.


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