Paris (France), December 5, 2006 – Lectra, the world leader in software, CAD/CAM equipment and related services dedicated to large-scale users of textiles, leather and industrial fabrics, has named Philippe Heckenbenner to direct the company’s operations in Northern Europe. He will manage Lectra’s subsidiaries in Belgium, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands, as well as Lectra offices in Norway and the Baltic countries, where Lectra is represented by distributors.

Philippe Heckenbenner, who joined Lectra in 1985, also maintains his former position as director of Lectra Tunisia, which he has held since 1994. Lectra has some 400 customers in Tunisia, including major fashion players such as Denim Authority, VTL and Demco, as well as Zodiac, one of Lectra’s principal customers in the automotive, aeronautical and marine sectors.

“I’m very pleased to take the reins in Northern Europe,” said Philippe Heckenbenner. “This region has enormous growth potential, particularly in the design, organization and production domains for which standard approaches in the fashion, furniture, automotive and aeronautical markets are being completely rethought.”

Lectra has more than 800 customers in Northern Europe spread across the various markets including fashion specialists Van De Velde, Staels (Belgium), Bata, Secon, Mg Gregor (the Netherlands), Godske Kjoler (Denmark), Marimekko (Finland), H&M and KappAhl (Sweden). Furniture sector customers include Suomi-Soffa (Finland), Kinnarps (Sweden), Linds Møbler (Denmark) and Leolux (the Netherlands), in addition to automotive specialist Autoliv (Sweden), industrial fabrics specialist Sioen Nordifa (Belgium), and Stork Fokker in the aeronautical sector.

Northern Europe also includes niche markets – such as the marine market in Finland – which offer promising growth opportunities for Lectra.

Lectra will progressively strengthen its teams in the region, currently composed of approximately 50 people, in order to bring increasing expertise and added-value to regional customers through its technologies and services. This reinforcement will also offer Lectra the opportunity to increase awareness of its new Lectra Fashion PLM offering – the result of more than 30 years of collaboration with the world’s principal fashion companies – among Northern European customers. 

“Taking charge of this region represents a real professional challenge for me,” said Philippe Heckenbenner. “It will permit me to capitalize on my 20 years of experience at Lectra, including the time I spent as sales director for Austria and Eastern Europe and as director of Lectra Tunisia – where growth has been particularly strong – and share that experience with the Northern Europe teams.”

Philippe Heckenbenner earned a diploma from the IPLV (Institut de Perfectionnement en Langues Vivantes) in Angers, France.