Christian Thönes is a mechanical engineer. So not a man for the limelight. Even if he is the chairman of the board of DMG Mori a heavyweight in the industry. Most recently, however, he and his entrepreneurs have been on stage unusually often. It was about supposedly illegal exports to Russia and a question that worries many manufacturers of machine tools: Are only harmless, firmly agreed goods produced on our machines or also goods that cause serious damage – in war equipment for Vladimir Putin, for example.
That was the one construction site for DMG Mori, after reports of suspicious exports Russia. A second company and CEO opened on Thursday: In an ad hoc announcement, the Bielefeld company announced that Thönes was resigning. After 25 years with the company and seven years at the helm of the board. “Different strategic ideas” were given as the reason, but because this is a frequently heard explanation in such separations, the question arises: is there more? The day after his resignation, Thönes answered in an interview with the FAZ with a short sentence: “A hard no!” There is no connection between the reports on the Russia business and his departure. That was absurd and “not an issue at all”.