Franz Eckl
About Franz Eckl
Franz Eckl is the COO at Forged Technologies and CEO at Gerlach GmbH under thyssenkrupp, overseeing operations across multiple countries and managing a significant product portfolio.
COO at Forged Technologies
Franz Eckl is the Chief Operating Officer at thyssenkrupp's Forged Technologies. He oversees a global team of around 7,000 employees across 18 production sites in seven different countries. His responsibilities include managing a varied product portfolio, which features undercarriage systems for heavy machinery, crankshafts, connecting rods, pistons, and transmission systems for the automotive industry. Franz Eckl also supervises the operation of 51 forging press lines under the division. His leadership contributed to achieving over one billion euros in sales for the unit.
CEO at Gerlach GmbH
Franz Eckl holds the position of Chief Executive Officer at Gerlach GmbH, a company operating under thyssenkrupp in Homburg. While specific achievements in this role are not detailed, his leadership experience at thyssenkrupp points to a strong capacity for managing complex industrial operations and business units.
Previous Roles at thyssenkrupp
Throughout his career, Franz Eckl has held multiple leadership positions at thyssenkrupp. These include Senior Vice President Business Development at Waupaca, CEO at Stahl Company, and Plant Manager at Rautenbach Castings GmbH. He also served as Leiter Investitionsplanung at Thyssen Umformtechnik + Guss and Abteilungsreferent Unternehmensentwicklung at Thyssen AG. These roles were geographically spread across various locations, including the USA, Germany, and Greece.
Previous Roles at Audi AG
Before joining thyssenkrupp, Franz Eckl worked at Audi AG in several capacities related to body manufacturing and maintenance. His roles included Leiter Betriebsmanagement Karosserierohbau, Leiter Instandhaltung Karosserierohbau, and technischer Sachbearbeiter im Karosserierohbau. His tenure at Audi AG spanned from 1994 to 1997 in Ingolstadt, providing him with valuable automotive industry experience.
Education and Qualifications
Franz Eckl studied at the Technical University Munich, where he earned a Dr.-Ing. degree while studying at the Chair for Joining Technology under Prof. Dr. G. Wearing from 1991 to 1994. Prior to this, he achieved a Dipl.-Ing. in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Production Technologies and Production Management from the same institution, studying from 1986 to 1991. His academic background laid a robust foundation for his extensive career in industrial and mechanical engineering.
Integration of thyssenkrupp's Business Units
One of Franz Eckl's notable achievements at thyssenkrupp involves leading the integration of the company's Forging & Machining and Undercarriage businesses to form the new business unit, Forged Technologies. This strategic initiative streamlined operations and optimized resource utilization, contributing to the unit's global success and operational efficiency.