DaimlerChrysler has accepted the resignation of James L Hebe, president and chief executive officer of Freightliner LLC, and appointed Rainer Schmückle as his successor.
The parent company has identified slumping sales at Portland OR-based Freightliner as the primary cause of overall financial difficulties at its commercial vehicles group.
Schmückle was chief financial officer of Freightliner from 1994 to 1997, and was most recently senior vice-president — controller for DaimlerChrysler AG. He was also CFO and CEO of Adtranz, the former DaimlerChrysler rail systems business unit.
Roger Nielsen, previously vice-president — business segment specialized vehicles of Freightliner, has been appointed Freightliner's chief operations officer.