COO Reiner Drews set to leave ElringKlinger

PRESS RELEASE

COO Reiner Drews set to leave ElringKlinger

• COO Reiner Drews will not extend his Management Board contract and will leave the Group as of March 31, 2026
• Chairman of the Supervisory Board Helmut P. Merch regrets the decision and expresses his gratitude for many years of contribution to the advancement of the Group
• Succession process already initiated

Reiner Drews, Chief Operating Officer, has informed the Supervisory Board of ElringKlinger AG that he will not extend his contract as a member of the Management Board of ElringKlinger AG, which expires on March 31, 2026, and will leave the Group for personal reasons upon expiry of his contract.

Helmut P. Merch, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, commented on behalf of the entire Board: "It is with great regret and respect that we acknowledge Reiner Drews' decision and thank him for his tremendous commitment to the advancement of the ElringKlinger Group, particularly with regard to the far-reaching transformation of the industry. We wish him all the best for the future at both a professional and a personal level." The Supervisory Board has already initiated a structured process to find a successor.

Reiner Drews (56) will have been with the ElringKlinger Group for a total of 19 years when his contract expires. He joined the company in 2006 as Head of the Specialty Gaskets division. In addition, from 2016, he assumed responsibility for the Cylinder-head Gaskets division before being appointed to the Management Board as Chief Operating Officer in 2018. In this role, he is responsible for the Lightweighting/Elastomer Technology, Metal Forming & Assembly Technology and Metal Sealing Systems & Drivetrain Components business units as well as the Procurement & Supply Chain Management, Production & Tooling, Quality, and Real Estate & Facility Management corporate units. The Group's key global production plants also report to him.

About ElringKlinger  

As an independent supplier operating worldwide, the ElringKlinger Group has established itself as a powerful and trusted partner to the automotive industry – acknowledged for its exceptional depth of expertise. Our product portfolio encompasses innovative solutions for passenger cars and commercial vehicles powered by electric motors, hybrid technology, or combustion engines. Alongside the powertrain, other areas of application include the underbody, chassis, braking system, interior, and vehicle body. We were among the frontrunners when it came to positioning ourselves as a specialist in the field of e-mobility – with pioneering battery and fuel cell technology, and associated components and assemblies, such as plastic housings, and punched and formed metal parts.

Customized lightweight components engineered by ElringKlinger can be used throughout the entire vehicle; they deliver tangible benefits in terms of weight reduction, efficiency, and functional integration, especially in e-mobility applications.

Additionally, we serve the aftermarket in more than 140 countries with an extensive range of spare parts.

These efforts are supported by a dedicated workforce of more than 9,000 people employed within the ElringKlinger Group. Operating at more than 40 sites worldwide, ElringKlinger has established a global presence and is closely aligned with its customers in all major automotive regions.