PARIS, France, Sep 19, 2014 – Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using soft materials – fabrics, leather, technical textiles and composite materials – announced the appointment of Edwin Ingelaere as director of Lectra Northern Europe. Based in Destelbergen, Belgium, Edwin Ingelaere is in charge of a team of 35 people spread across nine countries: Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands), Scandinavia (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden) and the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania).
A truly transnational company, Lectra has developed privileged relationships with numerous customers in more than 100 countries over the past 40 years. It contributes to their operational excellence, in the fashion and apparel, automotive and furniture industries, as well as a wide variety of others.
Lectra Northern Europe is composed of a mosaic of countries with a large variety of cultures, languages, industries and markets. Such diversity is an exciting challenge for Edwin Ingelaere. With help from his team, he will support Lectra customers in the region with their production optimization, quality improvement, cost reduction and go-to-market acceleration.
“Lectra recently invested 50 million Euros in a global transformation plan for the future, including a 60% headcount increase in marketing, sales and consulting, and an accelerated R&D plan” stated Daniel Harari, Lectra CEO. “Edwin’s mission is to accelerate our development in Northern Europe, a region where we have been market leader for more than 35 years, thanks to our experienced and multi-lingual team.”
“My aim is to support our customers in the optimization of their design, product development and manufacturing processes,” said Edwin Ingelaere. “Today, Lectra has several assets: its consulting activity based on lean manufacturing principles, intelligent industrial equipment, integrated software covering the whole production cycle, and unparalleled customer service.”
With 20 years’ experience, Edwin Ingelaere began his career with Telindus Group, an IT solutions integrator. He then joined Vasco Data Security as strategic marketing director, before being recruited by telecommunications company Verizon as key account director. More recently, the Belgian company Option, specialized in Wi-Fi communications networks, offered him various sales responsibilities. Before joining Lectra, Edwin Ingelaere was business development director for the machine-to-machine (M2M) market. Edwin Ingelaere is a graduate of Artesis University College, Anvers (telecommunications and electronic engineering), and Vlekho Brussels (business management). He also attended strategic management courses at Vlerick Business School in Leuven.
About Lectra
Lectra is the world leader in integrated technology solutions that automate, streamline and accelerate product design, development and manufacturing processes for industries using soft materials. Lectra develops the most advanced specialized software and cutting systems and provides associated services to a broad array of markets including fashion (apparel, accessories, footwear), automotive (car seats and interiors, airbags), furniture, as well as a wide variety of other market sectors, such as aeronautical and marine industries, wind power and personal protective equipment. Lectra serves 23,000 customers in more than 100 countries with 1,400 employees and $270 million in 2013 revenues. The company is listed on Euronext.
For more information, please visit www.lectra.com.