Floris Lettinga Appointed Yanmar's Global Sales Manager

His promotion from his previous role of Manager, Marine Sales Department for Europe, Russia and Africa, follows the diesel engine manufacturer's recent relocation of its global marine leisure and light-duty commercial engine business headquarters from Osaka, Japan, to Almere in the Netherlands.

Floris Lettinga has worked for Yanmar in the marine leisure sector since 2003 when he joined the company as an account manager for Yanmar Benelux. From there he progressed to area manager, leisure marine at Yanmar Europe and then the post of marine specialist as part of the planning and strategy department of Yanmar Japan Co.

Describing his career progression, he says: "My work has always been marine-leisure related, moving throughout the distribution chain from the distributor/customers side via regional headquarters and focusing on account management to the manufacturing side in Japan with concentration on strategy and planning. All of this is now combined in my new responsibility as global sales manager."

In his new role Floris Lettinga will focus on key accounts. As part of Yanmar Marine International's (YMI) strategy of working more directly with the markets it serves, he will also concentrate on shortening distribution flow in order to improve customer service and response times in line with changing market conditions. "The marine market requirement has changed over the years from simply engines to more integrated propulsion solutions," he observes. "Service requirements have therefore changed and are becoming much more demanding, especially in the charter and super yacht segment."

YMI will maintain its focus on the marine leisure and light-duty commercial market segments such as off shore, rescue, water taxis and patrol applications. "All of our future products will be developed to target both recreational marine and light-duty commercial simultaneously," Floris Lettinga says. "Above all, Yanmar will maintain the high level of quality level for which the brand has a well-earned reputation," he promises.