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Kruger Leaves LTC/GAIA to Be a Consultant
Dr. Franz Josef Kruger of Eppstein, Germany,
made a key announcement at the Florida Battery
Seminar in mid-March. He has resigned as CEO of
LTC/GAIA to, as he says, “do my own thing.”
Born in 1949 in Ellwangen, Germany, he entered
the University of Stuttgart in 1968 to study chemistry.
After being awarded a diploma and a Ph.D., he
spent nearly 20 years with VARTA in both Germany
and Singapore developing lithium battery systems
and directing their production. In the early 1980s
he left to be director of marketing for Raychem
in Menlo Park, California, and Munich, Germany.
In 1986, Dr. Kruger rejoined VARTA as technical
director of its Central Technology Department,
then in 1992 was named general manager. Two years
later he was awarded the German Industry Innovation
Award for the rechargeable nickel-metal-hydride
battery. After establishing a profit center for
electric vehicle batteries and managing VARTA’s
central research and development, he founded his
own consulting firm, Innoventis Consulting GmbH.
In 2001 he joined GAIA Akkumulatorenwerke Nordhausen
as CEO and after its 2002 merger with Lithium
Technology Corp. of Plymouth Meeting, USA, became
president and chief operating officer of LTC/GAIA.
Since last September he has been helping battery
companies find customers and doing marketing studies
of all kinds of battery systems, although he specializes
in high-power lithium-ions for EVs, HEVs, power
tools and UPS.
Dr. Kruger can be reached at Rossertblick 27,
D-65817 Eppstein, Germany, phone +49-6198-5797
or cellphone +49-172-697-4899.
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