Philippe Brak, the new Vice President and General Manager of GSI Group’s Laser Division, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of industrial lasers, has outlined plans to expand the company’s sales presence in China and the EU.
Fluent in four languages, Brak joined GSI in January from NP Photonics, a fiber laser company where he served for five years, most recently as CEO and President. Brak has years of experience in the Asian markets, both selling directly and through distribution networks, and had been charged with the responsibility to strengthen the company’s sales and customer support efforts in both China and the EU.
Mr. Brak noted: “China already represents over 50% of GSI’s lasers division customer base. Our new customer focus is a natural outgrowth following completion of GSI’s top-tier manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China, and we will be devoting significant effort to expand our existing China customer base by offering industry-leading lasers directly from our Suzhou plant.”
New China Initiatives
Brak also announced a new strategic relationship with Chutian Laser Group, a respected laser manufacturer in Wuhan, China. Chutian will act as GSI’s China distributor, adding over 30 sales and service people to GSI’s existing China sales team. The partnership is being formally announced later this week at Laser Photonics, Shanghai, along with news of the opening of a new laser applications lab in Suzhou. GSI will also introduce its new line of JK Fiber Lasers at the show.
Strengthening GSI Laser Division’s International Presence
In addition to GSI’s plans for targeting Asia, Brak announced an expansion of GSI’s sales force in Germany. With the majority of the EU industrial process laser market located in Germany, Brak aims to make the most of his European background to aggressively target this growing market. He said: “We are currently under represented in Germany, and see the EU as a key to future growth. As a result we now have a team of direct sales and service people to work directly and closely with our German customers.”
Meanwhile, the US remains an important market for GSI. The core GSI sales team based in North America will continue to serve GSI’s loyal customers while seeking new, productive partnerships with materials processing manufacturers, where fiber lasers play an important part. Brak said: “North America is a key market for GSI. Our customers need innovative solutions in materials processing, for which lasers form a critical enabling tool, particularly in very precise engineering processes such as medical device manufacture.”
Brak concluded: “Our differentiator is our wealth of laser applications experience, backed up with GSI’s industry-leading tools. I am looking forward to leading GSI’s Laser Division to the forefront of our industry.”
