Walter Announces New Personnel Changes in Response to Continued Growth in Americas Region
Waukesha, WI—Walter USA, a leading manufacturer of cutting tools has announced the appointment of Kim Seidelman to Managing Director and Jeff Kraez to National Sales Director.
The announcement was made by Muff Tanriverdi, President of Walter Americas. Tanriverdi will continue to manage all of the subsidiaries under Region Americas, which include Walter USA, Walter Canada, Walter Mexico, Walter Brazil and Walter Argentina. Seidelman will report directly to Tanriverdi.
According to Tanriverdi, “Our business in the U.S. has expanded and grown faster than planned, and consequently, so did our other operating companies in North and South America. The growth to current volumes and the demands of these markets now necessitates an organization of the region and therefore, these appointments.
Seidelman joined Walter through the Valenite integration in 2010 as the Director of Sales for Key Accounts. He started his career as a Sales Engineer with a distributor in Wisconsin and has over 27 years of experience in the metal cutting tool industry with a progression of responsibilities from District Manager, Regional Sales Manager and OEM Manager, to Business Unit Director for Engines and Components in North America and connected global markets.
Kraez, Walter USA current Sales Director for Distribution, will now be leading the entire sales force, reporting to Seidelman. Kraez joined Walter through the Titex integration in 2006 and started his career as the Director of Sales for Titex and Prototyp. Kraez has over 18 years of experience in the metal working industry and has held many roles including Field Sales, Applications, Engineering, Product Management and Sales Management.
These announcements are effective June 1, 2013.
Walter offers an extensive line up of cutting tools for milling, drilling, turning, boring and specialized tooling for unique applications through its competence brands Walter Valenite, Walter Titex and Walter Prototyp. As well as multi-level service programs through its Walter Multiply brand. Headquartered in Waukesha, Wisconsin the company has a strong network of distributors and field engineers across Americas. The Walter name is synonymous with productivity, thanks to more than 80 years of developing cutting tools and inserts that set new standards in quality, innovation and production.
