At the recent EUROMAP General Assembly held in Stuttgart, the European plastics and rubber machinery sector ushered in a new era of leadership, appointing Tobias Baur and Alessandro Grassi to guide the organisation through a period of transformation and renewed industry cohesion.
Tobias Baur, Chief Sales Officer of Germany-based ARBURG GmbH & Co KG, has been elected President of EUROMAP, the European umbrella association representing plastics and rubber machinery manufacturers. Joining him as Vice President is Alessandro Grassi, CEO and shareholder of Italian temperature control equipment specialist FRIGOSYSTEM S.R.L.
The pair succeed Luciano Anceschi, President of TRIA S.p.A., and Michael Baumeister of Brückner Group, both of whom stepped down following long-standing tenures, with Anceschi concluding a 13-year presidency marked by steady progress and strategic vision.
In his acceptance speech, Baur emphasised the urgent need for greater cooperation across European borders, noting that the sector faces critical challenges. “Europe and the plastics industry are undergoing a fundamental transformation,” he said. “We must act with unity and purpose. A successful shift towards a circular economy will require an ambitious yet pragmatic roadmap—one that brings the entire industry along.”
The new leadership has pledged to continue EUROMAP’s work in areas such as industrial standardisation, data collection and sharing, and international trade fair cooperation. These efforts, seen as key pillars of EUROMAP’s mission, are expected to accelerate under Baur and Grassi’s stewardship.
A special tribute was paid to outgoing President Luciano Anceschi, whose two decades of leadership—first as Vice President and then as President—have left a lasting impact. “Luciano’s commitment to the European machine manufacturing sector has been both inspirational and instrumental,” the association noted in a statement. “His tenure has been defined by integrity, innovation, and an unwavering pursuit of shared progress.”
With new leadership at the helm, EUROMAP is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the plastics machinery industry in Europe—one increasingly defined by sustainability, digitalisation, and cross-border collaboration.