Beginning in January 2018, Rainer DallaRosa will be taking over the management of Schubert North America, based in Charlotte, N.C. The former v.p. of engineering for Bizerba North America will succeed Fritz Kipfer, who will be leaving the German market leader in top-loading packaging machines at his own request after 16 years in order to devote himself to new activities in Canada.

As president of Schubert North America, Rainer DallaRosa has been strengthening the Charlotte team since Sept.1, overseeing sales and service. In North America, the packaging machine manufacturer is now represented with locations in Charlotte, Dallas and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

DallaRosa has more than 20 years of experience in the packaging and food industry. For the past nine years, the graduate electrical engineer has worked in senior management positions at Bizerba. As a vice president, he was responsible for the Engineering Division between 2008 and 2014. Beginning in 2014, he headed up the Industrial Division at Bizerba North America. With a strong focus on sales, marketing and service, he successfully drove the business development for Bizerba in North America.

“We are delighted that Rainer DallaRosa joins the Schubert team." says Marcel Kiessling, Schubert’s managing director for sales, service and marketing. "With his experience, he is ideally positioned to support us in our growth plans for North America.”

The company also credits Fritz Kipfer with playing a decisive role in the current market success of the Schubert Group in the American and Canadian markets. Since 2001, Kipfer has been continuously expanding the North American market for Schubert. In 2006, he took over the position of managing director for Schubert Packaging Automation in Canada, and in 2015, he became ceo for the new Schubert North America Headquarters in Charlotte.

“We would like to thank Fritz Kipfer for his outstanding achievements, and look forward to continued friendship with him,” says Gerhard Schubert, the company's managing director and company founder, who first hired Fritz Kipfer. 

Separately, tna has appointed Steven Wolfe as the company’s new general manager for North America. Based out of tna’s Dallas office, Wolfe will play an integral role in supporting tna's long-term growth strategies and ensure that regional food manufacturers receive the highest level of on-the-ground support, the company says.

Academically trained in business management and with more than 25 years in the manufacturing industry, Wolfe has used his broad industry experience to optimize processes, reduce lead times and improve customer satisfaction at some of the country's leading manufacturing businesses. His ability to transform business operations, together with his commitment to customer service will ensure that tna’s customers will benefit from a dedicated specialist to provide them with the high quality service and innovative technology they require.

“Steven is a great addition to the tna team,” says Michael Green, group general manager at tna. ”He's achieved some impressive results over the years. His strategic, customer-focused mind, business insights and comprehensive leadership experience will be a key asset to both our team and our customers, in particular, as we’re further expanding our portfolio of start-to-finish solutions to become a single-source supplier to an even wider range of industries.”

Commenting on his appointment, Wolfe says, “Having worked in and out of the food processing industry many times over in my career, I'm excited to be once again part of such a dynamic industry. Snacking habits across the world are starting to shift. The days of “the bigger the better” are numbered and food manufacturers have started to look at healthier alternatives and reduced portion sizes. tna’s vast portfolio of integrated food processing and packaging equipment is well-positioned to cater to the needs of this changing market. I have no doubt that our future innovations will continue to lead the market as this shift continues.”

Also, Capol LLC, a subsidiary of Capol GmbH based in Elmshorn, Germany, has appointed A.J. Khoury as director of sales. Khoury joins Capol from Nestle USA, with technical experience in frozen foods, snacking, and confections.

As Katherine Clark, v.p. of sales emphasizes, “A.J. continues to strengthen our sales force effectiveness and focuses immediate attention to the needs of our customers.”