Sumitomo Drive Technologies EMEIA strengthens its leadership
Eric Goos joins the SCG Group Board
Markt Indersdorf, Germany, 9th July 2026
Sumitomo Drive Technologies EMEIA is strengthening its operational leadership. Eric Goos, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the SCG Group, is assuming greater responsibility for the operational management and strategic development of the SCG Group’s activities under the Sumitomo Drive Technologies brand. This will enable Florian Butzmann, CEO of the Strategic Business Unit Drive Technologies (DT-SBU) in the EMEIA region and CEO of the SCG Group, to focus more strongly on his Group-wide Board responsibilities and on advancing strategic collaboration within the Mechatronics Segment.
This expanded responsibility is now also being formally reflected at Board level. With effect from 9th July 2026, Eric Goos has been registered in the German Commercial Register as one of the four Managing Directors of Sumitomo (SHI) Cyclo Drive Germany GmbH, the parent company of the SCG Group and the headquarters of Sumitomo Drive Technologies EMEIA. The appointment gives Eric Goos formal voting rights on the SCG Group Board. His role as COO and a member of the SCG Group Executive Team remains unchanged. The aim is to anchor operational decision-making more firmly within the regional activities and to further strengthen collaboration across the European Drive Technologies organisation.
Greater operational responsibility for Eric Goos
“Eric Goos has made a significant contribution to the development of Sumitomo Drive Technologies in the EMEIA region in recent years. Since the spring, he has played a key role in the operational management of the business and in developing our medium-term strategy. This gives me greater scope to focus on my Group-wide Board responsibilities and on further strengthening collaboration within the Mechatronics Segment. His additional responsibility on the SCG Group Board is therefore a logical next step,” says Florian Butzmann.
Focus on collaboration within the Mechatronics Segment
As part of his Group-wide Board responsibilities, Florian Butzmann will place greater emphasis on the strategic development of the European Drive Technologies activities within the Mechatronics Segment of Sumitomo Heavy Industries, or SHI.
These include the SCG Group, the Lafert Group, Invertek Drives and other activities within SHI Europe. The focus is on closer collaboration across the Drive Technologies business unit, pooling expertise and gradually developing shared services and processes with SHI’s European sister companies.
“I look forward to building on the success of Sumitomo Drive Technologies in the EMEIA region together with our team. The demands placed on drive technology are changing rapidly. With innovative solutions, strong operational structures and close collaboration with our customers, we aim to play an active role in shaping this transformation,” says Eric Goos.
Eric Goos’s professional background
Eric Goos has been closely associated with Sumitomo Drive Technologies for almost 20 years. From 2008 to 2016, he worked at Hansen Industrial Transmissions N.V. in Edegem, Belgium. From 2016 to 2026, he served as General Manager of the Belgian site, where he was responsible for operational and strategic initiatives ranging from efficiency and process improvement programmes to the site’s continued development. He was also actively involved in the European industry association EUROTRANS for several years, including serving as its President.
Executive Team leads operational development
The SCG Group Executive Team is responsible for the operational management of the Sumitomo Drive Technologies activities within the SCG Group. Alongside CEO Florian Butzmann and COO Eric Goos, its members are Karin Diebold (Finance), Peter Benzenhöfer (Sales), Dirk Hemmerich-Diehl (Human Resources), Martin Pointner (Plant Manager in Markt Indersdorf, Germany) and Filip Apers (Plant Manager in Edegem, Belgium). The Executive Team is responsible for the strategic and operational development of the SCG Group’s activities in the EMEIA region.
The role of the SCG Group within Sumitomo Drive Technologies
Florian Butzmann remains Chief Executive Officer of the Strategic Business Unit Drive Technologies (DT-SBU) in the EMEIA region. The Drive Technologies SBU brings together the drive solutions activities of the global Japanese engineering group Sumitomo Heavy Industries, including those operating under the Sumitomo Drive Technologies brand.
The Strategic Business Unit includes Sumitomo (SHI) Cyclo Drive Germany GmbH, Lafert S.p.A. in San Donà di Piave, Italy, and Invertek Drives Ltd in Welshpool, United Kingdom. Lafert Group and Invertek Drives are led by Cesare Savini and Adrian Ellam respectively.
Sumitomo Drive Technologies is the shared brand for the Drive Technologies activities in the EMEIA region. Within this structure, the SCG Group forms an operational group of companies with its own management and Board structure. The Lafert Group and Invertek Drives also belong to the Drive Technologies SBU but operate under their own management structures.
Background information: Executive Team and Board
Executive Team
The Executive Team is the operational management body of the SCG Group. Its members are Florian Butzmann, Eric Goos, Karin Diebold, Peter Benzenhöfer, Dirk Hemmerich-Diehl, Martin Pointner and Filip Apers.
SCG Group Board
The Board is the formal governing body of the SCG Group and is responsible for statutory decision-making and corporate governance matters. With effect from 9th July 2026, its members are Florian Butzmann, Shaun Dean, Eric Goos and Shuhei Koichi.
Eric Goos’s additional role
Eric Goos’s role as COO and a member of the Executive Team remains unchanged. In addition, his appointment as a Managing Director of Sumitomo (SHI) Cyclo Drive Germany GmbH gives him a seat on the SCG Group Board and the associated formal voting rights.