Torsten Steinborn has been appointed MD of Bitzer Kühlmaschinenbau (SA) Pty and Bitzer Nigeria Ltd. Steinborn will be responsible for the leadership of both subsidiaries including the sales to the large number of other countries in Africa falling under the remit of Bitzer South Africa. He takes over from Bernhard Blaeser who has moved to the Bitzer headquarters in Germany as global industrial refrigeration manager.
After a career in Germany, Steinborn moved to South Africa to take up the position of technical sales engineer at Bitzer Kühlmaschinenbau in 2013. He later became operations manager of the Cape Town branch as well as being the business development manager for South Africa. Besides his responsibility for the South Africa operations, Torsten Steinborn will also oversee Bitzer Nigeria Ltd, which was established in 2017. “We have made significant progress over the past two years, having established partnerships with a number of local agents, one of whom will shortly open a Bitzer Authorized Service Centre in Lagos, further enhancing our ability to service this market,” Steinborn revealed.
He is also optimistic about Bitzer’s prospects on the continent: “The potential for Africa is huge, and with economic growth rates projected at close to 5 per cent per annum over the next few years, it’s a market that’s a great fit for the Bitzer brand.”
