• Frank Lehmann to retire at the end of February 2024 after over six years as plant manager in Kassel and over 27 years with the company
• Hauke Schuler will take over responsibility for the site on January 1, 2024

Leinfelden-Echterdingen / Kassel - Personnel change at Daimler Truck: Hauke Schuler (53), currently Head of Human Resources at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Kassel, will take over the management of the site, the competence center for conventional axles and electric drive systems, on January 1, 2024. He succeeds Frank Lehmann (62), who will retire at the end of February 2024 after over six years as plant manager in Kassel and over 27 years with the company.

"I would like to thank Frank Lehmann most sincerely for his extraordinary commitment. During his time as plant manager, he developed the Kassel plant strategically and economically and played a key role in shaping the site's orientation as a competence center for electric drive systems," said Yaris Pürsün, Head of Global Powersystems Operation Daimler Truck. "At the same time, I am delighted to have gained Hauke Schuler, a strong team player with a deep understanding of the products and processes of the Kassel plant and our global production network, for the role of plant manager in Kassel."

Frank Lehmann: 27 years with the company

After completing his studies in mechanical engineering with a doctorate Frank Lehmann began his professional career as a senior engineer at the Machine Tool Laboratory (WZL) at RWTH Aachen University. After this position and a station as head of department at Thyssen Handelsunion, he moved to former Daimler-Benz AG in 1996. Here he took over the management of Strategic Purchasing at EvoBus GmbH until 2001 and subsequently at the Holýšov plant of EvoBus Bohemia s.r.o. in the Czech Republic. After holding management positions in production planning in Stuttgart and in the engineering department at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth, he joined Mercedes-Benz Türk A.S. in 2015, where he was responsible for the production plant in Aksaray, Turkey, before taking over responsibility for the Mercedes-Benz plant in Kassel at the end of 2017.

Hauke Schuler will be the successor

Hauke Schuler, who holds a degree in social economics from the Georg-August University of Göttingen with a focus on corporate management, labor law and business psychology, joined the former DaimlerChrysler AG in 1999. From 2003, Schuler held various management positions at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Kassel, including in the areas of human resources, strategy and product strategy, before taking over as Head of Human Resources at the site in 2008. In addition to his role as Head of Human Resources Kassel, Schuler also coordinated and managed HR work in the Global Powersystems production network across Daimler Truck.

About the Mercedes-Benz plant in Kassel

The Mercedes-Benz plant in Kassel was founded in 1969 as “Hanomag-Henschel-Fahrzeugwerke GmbH” and hast been manufacturing axles for commercial vehicles, among other things, for over 50 years. It is Daimler Truck’s global competence centre for electric drive systems and conventional commercial vehicle axles. The associated InnoLab for e-drive systems at the site is actively shaping the future of locally CO2-neutral vehicles. In pioneering production processes, the approximately 2,700 employees manufacture axles for trucks, buses, vans and passenger cars, as well as cardan shafts and gear sets, among others. For climate-friendly and future-oriented production, the plant has, among other things, a complete hall with two assembly lines in operation that draws all its energy from photovoltaic systems on the roof of the hall. In addition, the plant works closely with the University of Kassel in scientific projects on strategies relating to the topics of sustainability and mobility of the future. The Kassel plant is one of the largest commercial vehicle axle plants in Europe and the largest industrial employer in the city.