Our focus over the last few years was to establish successful Carl Bechem companies in China and India, while strengthening our technical sales and service reach into those local markets, Hans-Otto Franz, managing director of Hagen, Germany-based Carl Bechem GmbH, said in a news release. Establishing Bechem Lubrication Technology in the [United] States is in alignment with our goal to ensure Carl Bechem has established wholly owned entities in all the major engineering centers around the world.

Franz also announced that John C. Steigerwald became president of Bechem Lubrication Technology. We are looking forward to having John lead the continuing business expansion of Bechem Lubrication Technology in North America, Franz said. He brings over 35 years of hands-on leadership experience in the global specialty lubricant market. Steigerwald served as president of Etna-Bechem Lubricants Ltd. from the inception of the joint venture with Etna Products in 1999.

Steigerwald told Lube Report that creating a larger footprint in the North American marketplace is definitely the companys focus. Based on continued expansion and growth over the last several years and in the future, he said, the plan ultimately would be to build a manufacturing plant in North America.

He noted that globally, Bechem has more than 400 employees and has continued to expand into various key developing markets around the world. Bechem today has operations in India, in China, three plants in Germany and toll blending partners here in the U.S.A., Steigerwald said. In addition, he noted they have many other partners, distributors and agents around the world to ensure the market coverage needed.

Bechem, which has been in business for more than 180 years, supplies specialty lubricants, greases, coatings, for-life lubricants and greases for various industries/OEMs, as well as technical product offerings for the process applications areas in metalworking – metal removal, metal forming, protecting, cleaning and quenching.