Alfred Lee to drive Schaeffler’s industrial business strategy in APAC

By: Kathryn Gerardino-Elagio

Leaders of any big business at the moment are focusing on Industry 4.0 and localising the production footprint to prevent supply chain disruptions and support local job creation -- especially if the company continues to expand its presence into emerging market sectors across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.

Global automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler announced late last year the appointment of Alfred Lee, as the President for Industrial Asia Pacific. In an interview with International Metalworking News for Asia (IMNA), Alfred details his goals and what he can offer to help the company and customers to fulfil this goal.

Prior to joining Schaeffler, Alfred was the vice president for sales & marketing at IMI Norgren. Bringing close to 30 years of professional experience in the process and automation industry, Alfred also worked at organisations including ABB, Emerson Process Management, and McDermott International.

Alfred’s role will see him spearheading the company’s growth across various industrial sectors in APAC, including two-wheelers, off-road, rail, aerospace, raw materials, industrial automation, power transmission, and wind.

KEY MARKETS

As the new Industrial President for Asia Pacific, Alfred shared the markets in which he will focus on, and why. “We have presence in all sub-regions in Asia Pacific focusing on high-growth markets like India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand and mature and innovating markets like Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Over the years, we have built excellent market positions, customer relationships, and technology footprint in the region. Countries in the region are also emerging as development hubs and hotspots for areas like Robotics, Industry 4.0, new mobility, Digitalisation, and Clean Energy like Wind, Solar and Hydrogen. We look to leverage our industrial expertise to bring innovative solutions and grow our business in these markets,” he said.

INDUSTRY 4.0, LOCAL SUPPLY CHAIN

With an emphasis on Industry 4.0 and localising the supply chain, Alfred explains how it can take the the industrial division from where it is to where you want it to be, “We will scale our existing Industry 4.0 product portfolio to expand our Industry 4.0 competence. Globally, we have partnered with leading industry leaders and companies to build a network of innovation and excellence in developing digitalisation and industry 4.0 solutions. This includes drive train 4.0, machine tool 4.0, comprehensive condition monitoring solutions and predictive maintenance for wind power. We have also rolled out our award-winning condition monitoring system OPTIME in the region.”

He added, “As a global company with a local presence worldwide, we work closely with our customers to develop solutions that fulfil their unique requirements and needs at the local level. To further refine our competitive edge, we are strengthening our regional manufacturing footprint and expanding our local development to improve our competitiveness in Asia Pacific.”

MOBILITY, ENERGY, AND ROBOTS

IMNA asked Alfred about the future of mobility, energy, and robotics be in APAC, and what are some predictions he can make.

“Asia Pacific is one of the key drivers of the global economy and is becoming a key development hub for technology and innovation,” remarked Alfred.

He mentioned, “We are witnessing an increase in the automation of value-added processes, leading to a higher demand for robotic solutions. An example of this is the market growth for collaborative robots or Cobots especially in South Korea and Japan, where we offer a diverse product portfolio that ranges from bearings to integrated system solutions. In light of this growth, we expect that the demands for automated digital services such as condition monitoring and intelligent lubricators will grow in the years ahead.”

According to Alfred, renewable energies will play a significant role in the energy mix on the energy front with strong developments within the region’s wind sector. “We expect demands for renewables to increase as governments look to commit towards green energy and conversations around climate change take centre stage. Furthermore, countries like India are emerging as a global production hub for many OEMs, gearboxes and complete wind systems. Schaeffler is ideally positioned to provide comparable services in this sector through our extended portfolio of friction-optimised bearings for maximum energy efficiency and predictive maintenance for wind systems for reliable energy production,” he commented.

Alfred noted, “As the world looks to recover from the effects of the pandemic gradually, the return of mass mobility and individual mobility, coupled with the rising demand for food production will also drive growth towards the rail, two-wheelers, and off-road sectors in the region.”

SUCCESS FACTORS FOR AN EFFECTIVE LEADER

Successful businesses rely on effective leadership. Thus, ensuring that your business has strong leaders with the correct leadership skills is crucial to being successful.

IMNA asked Alfred what are the success factors for an effective leader in his experience.

“An effective leader should have a clear vision for the future and communicate that vision to team members and employees. While it is crucial to remain goal-oriented, effective leaders focus on achieving results openly and cooperatively by empowering their teams to deliver excellence and performance. Similarly, effective leaders understand the importance of building an environment that encourages and acknowledges creativity to enable teams and employees to reach their full potential,” he declared.

At Schaeffler, Alfred disclosed that their leadership principles are rooted in transparency, trust, and teamwork, in which an open culture of feedback and empowerment of employees is vital for our success.

CHALLENGES IN 2022

Challenges are precursors to corporate crisis situations. Some are universal, and pose a threat to every company, while others are relative and depend on the nature of an organisation’s business or industry.

According to Alfred, supply chain-related constraints and microprocessor shortages will continue to pose challenges in 2022.

“With high inflation for prices of raw materials leaving companies in a profit margin squeeze, we will continue to take a cautious and calibrated approach towards the entire value chain in tackling these challenges. This means working closely with our customers to develop creative and collaborative solutions to overcome these challenges in our dynamic business environments,” he revealed.

Schaeffler OPTIME is an easily scalable Condition Monitoring solution, developed for various purposes in industry, recommended for a range of rotating machines with a speed of 120 rpm*-5000 rpm.