Food processing system provider TOMRA Sorting Food has appointed Steven Van Geel as the company’s new sales director for China.

TOMRA Sorting Food is a leading provider of sensor-based sorting and processing systems for the food industry. The company has been developing state-of-the-art technologies, optimising customer production flows and helping to deliver consistent and high-quality output for more than 30 years.

Mr Steven Van Geel is an experienced industry sales professional, having joined BEST Sorting as a tobacco sales manager in March 2006. Following the organisation’s acquisition by TOMRA in 2012, he has been the sales manager for tobacco in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the market unit manager for tobacco. He will retain this role in his new position.

As sales director for China, Van Geel will oversee all sales and customer support activities, which include service, application development, tests and demonstrations in China. He will also be responsible for developing the company’s local presence for its growing customer base in one of its most important expansion markets.

Currently based at TOMRA’s global headquarters in Leuven, Belgium, Van Geel will now relocate to the Xiamen/Fujian region, home to the company’s Chinese headquarters. In recent months, TOMRA has invested substantially in the Xiamen facilities, producing upgraded offices, stores, service, as well as test and demonstration space. The company is also establishing multiple service hubs in territories throughout China, where it has significant customer bases.

Van Geel said: "One of my major tasks ahead, but one that motivates me to live and work in China, is the continued development of our strong and talented team there, that will drive our anticipated growth.

"We will continue to build a high-performance sales and service team, which will be supported domestically but also closely connected to the international knowledge base of the complete TOMRA Group. I’m looking forward to joining this team, as well as helping Chinese processors achieve greater yield, improved quality and higher productivity in their processing lines."

Head of TOMRA Sorting Food and senior vice-president Ashley Hunter commented on Van Geel’s appointment: "The relocation of a seasoned executive, with significant experience and knowledge of the Chinese market like Steven, with his family, shows our commitment and the seriousness with which we address this market. Not only will he take our food business forward in that part of the world but he will also support our large base of tobacco customers in the region.

"Steven’s arrival in China will allow us to further execute on our strategy of local senior sales management, sales engineering and service, as part of our commitment towards excellent customer satisfaction."

TOMRA Sorting Solutions creates sensor-based technologies for sorting, peeling and process analytics and unites four strong brands under one roof: TITECH for recycling, TOMRA Sorting Mining for mining, ODENBERG for food and BEST for food and raw materials. This powerful alliance makes the company one of the most advanced providers of sensor-based sorting solutions worldwide.

The alliance provides many benefits and synergies, including 15 test and demo centres worldwide, access to a vast array of technologies and a large research and development department. TOMRA Sorting Solutions’ global reach also allows it to deliver an enhanced service offering, with a shared service network ensuring the company is always close to its customers.

For more information please contact TOMRA.