Audience Opinion Piece

Can you tell us more about your current role leading LINDE + WIEMANN, and how you came to be in Georgia?

I’ve been part of the L+W group for over 11 years. In 2015, I started our greenfield project at our Lavonia location right on the border of Georgia and South Carolina. And, before stepping into the CEO role at L+W US, I was able to work at some of our other locations in Germany, Spain and South Africa.

I am proud to say that we were able to successfully launch and implement a stable team at the L+W US locations by focusing strongly on developing our employees on every level and opening doors for specialization and college degrees. Now, we are thrilled to announce that this year we started our expansion with an additional 90,000 sq ft.  

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You are also a Board Member at the German American Chamber of Commerce, can you explain more about the Commerce's role in the Southeastern manufacturing industry?

The state chamber DIHK (The German Chamber of Commerce and Industry) is always a good point of contact for German companies looking for information on industrial topics and networking. Therefore, when overseas, a lot of German companies are using the DHIK’s subsidiary, the GACC (German American Chamber of Commerce), for information, contacts, and recommendations in a familiar environment.

Since the members represent both American and German companies (including BMW, Mercedes, FedEx, among others) a network is formed that ensures a trustworthy base for initial cooperation. Over the years,existing manufacturing members have built a knowledge base that they can share with companies looking to invest in the USA. Finally, the GACC’s goal is to connect American and German companies to simplify doing business in the USA.            

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What tech-led innovation have you achieved at LINDE + WIEMANN over the recent years, and what have been some successes and failures that you’ve learned from when adopting new technologies?

As one of the youngest L+W regions of the group, we are really proud that we were able to implement state-of-the-art COBOT solutions (3in total) for our production. The idea, the concept, and the development,including robot programming, were all done in-house and allowed us to improve already existing processes for the better.
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We see that one of the major problems with new technologies comes when integrating the interfaces of existing machines, systems, and solutions with modern technologies like a complete Cloud system for 4.0 integration. Connecting different software, different technical solutions, and different databases (some newer, some older) to use them to the best of their abilities is one of the biggest challenges we see. This is heightened by the fact that the new roles required by these technologies do not really exist yet,which raises new business questions: Do I need an IT technician? Do I need a mechatronics engineer? Do I need a robot technician? Who has data sovereignty? Who is the architect of the information flow?

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Which emerging technologies have caught your interest lately, and what improvements would you like them to bring to manufacturing?

There are several emerging technologies such as AI or VR, but other than an emerging technology itself, I would prefer to see more progress made on software solutions to make it easier to integrate different emerging technologies into one digital environment instead of dealing with each technology as an island solution.

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As uncertain times continue, how do you think that the various players shaping the manufacturing industry can better work together to drive forward economic growth?

The world market is extremely competitive. Especially with countries like China strongly investing in specific, relevant areas. We are only able to react quickly if industry, communities, and the country work together closely and bring together their different know-how. An aligned focus is needed to develop new technical approaches in the global market, grow a workforce with the proper skills to continuously drive improvement, and always be a step ahead.  

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Can you tell us more about some of your company’s key achievements in developing skills and attracting a more diverse talent pool?

In 2019, we were able to officially kick off our German-style Mechatronics Technician Apprenticeship program with the GACC and a local college. During the three-year program, our students attend Lanier Technical College to pursue their Associate's Degree while receiving hands-on training at LINDE + WIEMANN.  The program gives us as a company the opportunity to train and shape the students according to our company's needs. For the students, the program is a great way to start a debt-free career, with L+W covering all college tuition and fees and paying the apprentices for their hours at the company.

In addition to our apprenticeship program, we are also working together with our surrounding High Schools to find students who are interested in our Work Based Learning Program. During the program, the students work around 15 hours/week at L+W while still attending High School. This allows the students to get to know our company and to have a better understanding of our manufacturing environment. The two programs are a great way to build a close relationship with the apprentices and to work together with them on attracting more students who are interested in starting careers at L+W.

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Manuele D’Aversa is the CEO of LINDE + WIEMANN US Inc., and started the US expansion with the beginning of the greenfield project in 2015. Before stepping into this role, Manuele managed an integration project of the LINDE +WIEMANN M&A strategy in South Africa for three years. As a regional controller for Southern Europe and Africa, he was closely involved with the LINDE+ WIEMANN activities in Germany. With this experience, he has the ability to transfer the LINDE + WIEMANN footprint overseas. Manuele was born and raised in Germany where he finalized his studies in International Economic and Business Administration (Diplom Betriebswirt) at University of Applied Sciences in Worms, Germany.