Farmington Hills, Mich. — August 3, 2017 — Akebono Brake Corporation has appointed Russ Stebbins to the newly created position of director, aftermarket business unit, according to its president and CEO, Wilm Uhlenbecker.
Stebbins will be responsible for leveraging Akebono’s industry-leading braking technologies to secure new opportunities for growth of the company’s aftermarket business in NAFTA and LATAM regions.
“Our reputation and success in delivering best-in-class friction products provides a strong platform by which to extend our value more widely in the aftermarket,” said Uhlenbecker. “Russ’ experience in growing technology brands will help us develop the strategies to grow this business.”
“Akebono has always been the standard,” said Stebbins. “I look forward to working with our sales and marketing director, Ken Selinger, and the rest of the aftermarket team to leverage their experience and success to grow this well-respected brand with both our valued existing customer partners as well as new opportunities that may arise.”
Stebbins joins the company from his most recent role as director of the automotive aftermarket for Lumileds, LLC. Prior to that, he held several positions of increasing responsibility at various global locations with TRW Automotive (now ZF Friedrichshafen AG). Stebbins also worked at Takata Corp., Autoliv, Inc., and Dura Automotive Systems, LLC. Stebbinsholds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan Technological University and a master’s degree in engineering management from The University of Michigan.
Stebbins will be based in Farmington Hills, Mich. and will report to Wilm Uhlenbecker, president and CEO.
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About Akebono Brake Corporation
Akebono Brake Corporation is a leader in advanced brake and friction material development and production, with a focus on noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) analysis and control. Akebono manufactures a wide range of brake friction materials and foundation brake assemblies, including disc brake calipers and drum brakes. The company’s commitment to innovation, process improvement, quality control and customer service has positioned it as a key resource for leading OEMs, Tier I brake suppliers and the automotive aftermarket. For more information, visit www.akebonobrakes.com.
About Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd.
Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd. (TSE: 7238), founded in 1929, is a world leader in advanced brake and friction material development and production. The Akebono Group operates R&D centers and manufacturing facilities worldwide, including in Japan, the United States, Europe and Asia. Akebono has been supplying and jointly developing brake systems with the McLaren Formula 1 team since 2007. For more information, visit www.akebono-brake.com/english/.
Contact
Chelsea Komblevicz
The Quell Group
(248) 649-8900
ckomblevicz@quell.com
Ken Selinger
Akebono Brake Corporation
(248) 994-7942
Ken.Selinger@akebono-usa.com