Horst Garbrecht has been appointed as chief operating officer Europe (COOE) at KOKI Holdings, the Japanese parent of Metabo. He has taken on this role in parallel with his function as chief executive officer of the Nürtingen-based Metabo GmbH.
HiKOKI power tools was known by the Hitachi brand name until October 2018. This change of name was a result of KOKI Holdings splitting off from the Japanese Hitachi Group. The European headquarters of KOKI Holdings will be established in Nürtingen, making it a home in Europe to its two core brands: HiKOKI and Metabo.
“HiKOKI may be a relatively young brand name, but behind it are the 70 years of experience of Hitachi Power Tools,” said Horst. “The Japanese, like us Germans, have for decades had an outstanding reputation when it comes to the technology of power tools. HiKOKI, while it was still called Hitachi, made a big name for itself in power tools for the construction industry. Tools like HiKOKI’s heavy rotary hammers and nailers have since been considered the best the market has to offer in the field.
“That’s why I’m looking forward not only to further advancing the Metabo brand, but also to do my best in harnessing the impressive history of Hitachi Power Tools to build a successful future for HiKOKI in Europe.”
Atsushi Morisawa, chief executive officer of KOKI Holdings, concluded: “We were looking for the best candidate for the role of COOE. Fortunately, we didn’t have to go very far because we already had him at KOKI Holdings.”
“With his technical background as an engineer, his decades of experience inside and outside the industry, and his exceptional management skills, Horst Garbrecht is a major player in the market. All of that makes him the perfect COOE for KOKI Holdings.”
