New head of amino acids business at Evonik
Evonik has appointed Dr Dirk Hoehler as the new head of the Essential Nutrition product line, under which the company is consolidating its amino acids portfolio; it includes products such as MetAMINO (DL-methionine), Biolys (source for lysine), and ThreAMINO (threonine).
Hoehler has a wealth of experience within the group, noted Evonik. He has a strong track record in marketing and sales including digitalization of business processes.
He joined the group in 1998 as manager of animal nutrition; between 2000 and 2008 he was director of nutrition and technical services in Kennesaw (US). He was subsequently head of the coating resins product line and head of marketing and sales of the performance intermediates unit.
The executive takes over from Dr Jan-Olaf Barth in this role; Barth is named head of the company’s high performance polymers business line.
Hoehler will be responsible for overseeing the continued transformation of the amino acids business by focusing on sustainability, efficiency, and cost-leadership, said Evonik. “He will continue to implement the global methionine asset strategy developed under Barth’s direction to secure Evonik’s leading position in methionine.”
Earlier this year, Evonik announced that it will streamline the operating model for its amino acids business, characterized by a lean sales organization with strong digital capabilities and processes. A key element is also the continuous investments in its methionine world-scale production hubs.
As one of Hoehler’s priorities, he will ensure the smooth implementation of the planned shutdowns of the methionine Singapore plant on Jurong Island, starting this quarter.
“We fully understand that these shutdowns may pose challenges for our customers and our teams have prepared mitigation plans for MetAMINO supply from our global production network. We are in continuous communication with regional and global customers to carefully plan shipments,” he remarked.