06.01.2015

Weyers takes the helm at Manitowoc Cranes

Larry Weyers has been appointed president of Manitowoc Cranes, taking over from Eric Etchart who moves to a new role as senior vice president, business development for the Manitowoc group. The changes are effective immediately.
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Larry Weyers

Etchart took over as president of Manitowoc Cranes in May 2007, when Glenn Tellock was promoted to group chief executive. He was previously executive vice president of the Asia Pacific region. Weyers, currently global executive vice president for Manitowoc Cranes, joined the company in 1998 and has held various management positions since then, including executive vice president of Crane Care.
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Eric Etchart

Speaking of the changes, Tellock said: “Eric has played an integral role in enhancing Manitowoc’s leadership globally. His leadership has helped position the Crane segment as a market leader, evidenced by the segment’s ability to deliver innovative products and technologies, execute operational excellence initiatives and expand its global footprint. In his new role, he will leverage his multi-faceted expertise and understanding of our customers to expand our business development efforts at an enterprise level. With a planned retirement in the coming years, this transition will allow him to replicate his successes going forward.”

“At the same time, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Larry Weyers to segment president of Manitowoc Cranes. His proven leadership, deep knowledge of the global crane market, and ability to execute on operational goals will undoubtedly support our Crane segment’s ongoing success.”

In addition, Manitowoc has announced the retirement of Mark Beffel, vice president, operational excellence at the end of the month. Josef Matosevic will assume his role and will lead the Manitowoc Company’s manufacturing, quality, and safety initiatives.
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Josef (Joe) Matosevic

“We want to thank Mark for his contributions to Manitowoc during his tenure. His commitment to our long-term strategy has further advanced our cost optimisation goals. As executive vice president of manufacturing - Cranes, Josef has worked closely with our regional and functional teams worldwide to ensure efficient and cost-effective execution of these strategies, making him the ideal person to lead our efforts going forward,” added Tellock. “Our deep management bench and long standing succession planning process provide a solid foundation to ensure a smooth transition and execution of our long-term strategy.”

Vertikal Comment

This move is not entirely surprising, Eric Etchart has been in the job for eight years most it if during challenging economic conditions. He may well be ready for a new challenge that also involves other parts of the business, or even a move back to France or Asia?

Weyers has followed an ideal career track at Manitowoc to take over the top crane job, gaining insight into most key aspects of the business along the way, but most importantly in the sales and product support areas. This succession has been expected for some time, the only question was when.