VON ARDENNE appoints Stephen Strausser as CEO of the Americas
VON ARDENNE has appointed Stephen Strausser to CEO of VON ARDENNE North America, Inc.
Stephen will lead the company’s regional strategy, operations, customer engagement and growth initiatives across the US, Canada, Mexico and South America.
Stephen brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in the global semiconductor industry, closely aligned with manufacturing and precision machinery equipment. Throughout his career, he has held various leadership positions in global matrix organizations, and most recently as Head of Service for a US customer base at Applied Materials.
“With Stephen on board, we are taking our commitment to the Americas region to the next level,” said Julian Saier, head of service, VON ARDENNE. “Our focus is simple: understand what our customers need, put them first, and be the partner they can always rely on – not just for service, but for helping them solve complex engineering challenges in the long term.”
Stephen said, “My focus is on strengthening VON ARDENNE’s position as the leading provider of advanced deposition and vacuum system solutions in the region. As industries continue to expand manufacturing in the U.S., VON ARDENNE brings extensive engineering solutions expertise to our customers to help them tackle complex problems, such as pushing the boundaries of device performance and miniaturization, space exploration and alternative energy sources, to name a few. I will work to enhance our customer partnerships and leverage VON ARDENNE’s deep level of technical understanding, both in deposition equipment and materials science, to help our customers succeed.”
Stephen has a powerful blend of business acumen, operations, service/support and engineering experience supported by an academic foundation in manufacturing and electrical engineering. His international experience includes Asia Pacific assignments in business/product development, M&A, marketing and building global OEM supplier relationships. In addition to Applied Materials, Stephen has held leadership roles at Tokyo Electron Limited, ASMI, ATMI, Texas Instruments, and more.
Stephen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Master of Science in engineering from the University of Texas at Dallas. Stephen is based in Perrysburg, Ohio.
VON ARDENNE is expanding its presence in the U.S. aerospace and semiconductor markets, building on decades of expertise in vacuum coating and deposition technologies. In the semiconductor industry, VON ARDENNE advances high-precision deposition solutions for emerging applications, including advanced packaging, MEMS and PiezoMEMS, supporting customers with flexible, customized equipment and process development. In aerospace, the company provides advanced coating equipment and solutions for applications ranging from turbine components and optical systems to aviation transparencies and space optics.
