14.12.2022

New CEO for Tadano Europe

Jens Ennen, the CEO of Tadano Europe is to leave the company, Kenichi Sawada will take over.

The statement from Tadano this morning said: “Kenichi Sawada will take over the management of Tadano Europe. He thus succeeds Jens Ennen who decided to pursue other opportunities.”
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Kenichi Sawada

Ennen was appointed in 2019 in advance of the completion of Tadano’s acquisition of Demag and has been responsible for bringing the two companies together over the past three years.
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Jens Ennen

Sawada has directly relatable experience of his new role, having headed Tadano Europe, from 2017 to 2019, he is also a member of Tadano's senior management team in his current role as head of global operations, which has involved him working with Ennen during the restructuring of the company’s European operations. Jens Ennen will remain involved as an advisor to ensure a smooth transition.

Tadano chief executive Toshiaki Ujiie said: " We want to thank Jens Ennen for his cooperation and contributions, especially for the major role he played in shaping the future of Tadano Europe over the past years."

Kenichi Sawada added: "We will continue to expand our product line, improve the Tadano customer experience, contribute to community development in line with our social responsibility, and further advance our business activities to protect the global environment. I am very proud to be trusted with this responsibility and I look forward to working with the team in Europe, continuing the good work that has been started."

The statement from the company also said: “Tadano is more than ever committed to its ultimate goal of becoming the world's leading supplier in the lifting equipment industry. Tadano’s European operations will play a decisive role in this. With the OneTadano concept, Tadano is pooling the strength of its global teams, streamlining corporate management, and optimising its global production system. The aim is to maximise synergies at all production and service sites for the benefit of customers.

Vertikal Comment

This is not a complete surprise, there were indications at Bauma in October, suggesting that three years of bringing two quite disparate companies together as quickly as was possible during a pandemic and more recently the economic challenges the world is facing, were talking their toll on Ennen.

Such pressure would have seen many lesser individuals off within 18 months. In spite of that a great deal has been accomplished under his watch, bringing the largest acquisition in Tadano’s history into the fold at a pace that it has never attempted before. Whatever he choses to do next, it is likely to be a good deal less stressful.