Change in leadership: Gerrit Nawracala takes over as Project Director for GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST

Gerrit Nawracala (46) has been the new Project Director for Metallurgy & Foundry Technologies since 1 September 2020. He will therefore also be responsible for the leading trade fairs GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST, which are due to take place in Düsseldorf from 12 to 16 June 2023. He succeeds Friedrich-Georg Kehrer, who has been responsible for the four trade fairs and their international offshoots in metallurgy and foundry technology since 1999. Kehrer will in future be developing new markets and projects in this sector as Global Portfolio Director for Wire/Tube and Flow Technologies.

Gerrit Nawracala is already well known within the industry. In 2008, the qualified historian and communications expert began his professional career at Messe Düsseldorf GmbH and held various management positions, including roles for GIFA and THERMPROCESS. In 2015, as Deputy Director alongside Kehrer, he took on a leading role in the sales team and was responsible at an operational level for the planning, conception and execution of the quartet of metal trade fairs, the Valve World Expo (including its international satellite events), the ITPS and Metallurgy/Litmash. In this capacity, Nawracala also championed trends and themes within the ‘Bright World of Metals’. In particular, the areas of ‘Smart Manufacturing’ and ‘Industry 4.0’, as well as energy efficiency and resource conservation, already attracted considerable interest from trade visitors at the most recent edition of GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST. Together with his dedicated team, Nawracala will continue to focus on the further development of key industry themes such as green hydrogen and climate-neutral steel production. “The aim is to drive our trends forward and further expand Bright World of Metals’ international leadership position as a global brand,” said Nawracala. 2

Last year, GIFA, together with METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST, attracted around 72,500 trade visitors from 118 countries.

Next dates for GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST in Düsseldorf: 12 to 16 June 2023

GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS, NEWCAST 2023

Larissa Browa
Tel: +49 (0)211-4560 549
mailto:BrowaL@messe-duesseldorf.de