MSED Dinner Meeting

"SKF:  Changing Business for Changing Times"

Speaker:
George Dettloff
President & CEO
SKF USA Inc.

Mr. Dettloff will share his experience and knowledge in leading SKF USA in its efforts to rapidly expand its automotive business into new markets such as wind generation, solar energy and mechatronics. He will discuss how changes in economic times and the push for a sustainable planet have led to the development of new customer solutions, and how, as a result of their efforts, SKF has been named by Dow Jones as one of the highest ranking manufacturing companies listed by their sustainability index.

Speaker Bio:
George Dettloff is president and CEO of SKF USA Inc., a position he assumed in January 2006. In this position, he coordinates a variety of activities for the SKF Group’s U.S.-based operations, including its Automotive, Aerospace, Industrial and Service businesses. His responsibilities include oversight of Human Resources, Administration, Legal, IT Systems, Finance and SKF’s shared service center. Dettloff reports directly to Tom Johnstone, president and CEO of AB SKF.

Dettloff joined SKF in June 2000 as president of its seals business. In this capacity, he led a team in developing operational excellence by reducing inventories, strengthening supply chain management, and emphasizing a team management philosophy, all anchored by lean manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies.

After graduating from General Motors Institute (now Kettering University), he worked 17 years as an industrial engineer, financial analyst, project leader and manager of corporate purchasing for General Motors Corporation.

He then moved to Rockwell International where he was promoted from vice president of Worldwide Corporate Purchasing to operations head of the company’s Valve Division.

He also has held operational positions with Eaton Corporation as general manager of its Transmissions and Engine Components business, and then with Textron Corporation as president of its Industrial Fasteners business. These positions allowed him to fine-tune operational excellence techniques such as Lean, Kaizen, and the value of team building led by those who perform the work.

Dettloff is a registered Professional Engineer, State of Michigan, and has a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Detroit. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).