SME announced that Robert “Bob“ Willig has been named as its executive director and CEO. His employment with SME will commence on Jan. 1.
Willig, who has more than 30 years’ experience in the manufacturing industry, has held multiple leadership positions for global divisions within major manufacturing companies, most recently at Stoneridge Inc. where he was president of the Control Devices Division. Prior to Stoneridge, Willig served as president and CEO of Plasan Carbon Composites; before that, he was president, Americas, for GKN Driveline, an automotive industry supplier focused on drive system technologies. Earlier in his career, Willig was president of both Power Transmission and Powertrain at The Gates Corp. He has also served on various boards, including Plasan's Board of Directors, GKN's Chief Executive Council and Gates Corp. Asia’s Board of Directors.