Juergen M. Geissinger

In 1998, Geissinger was tapped by Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler, the matriarch of INA Holding Schaeffler KG,[14] a privately held and German based supplier of bearing solutions and precision components for automotive and industrial applications. Following her brief conversation with the 38-year-old Geißinger during the Hannover Fair, the billionaire widow recalls she knew from their first encounter, Geissinger would be the one to follow in the footsteps and realize the dream of her late husband Georg Schaeffler,[15] to build their business into a leading technology company in the world. At about that same time, Continental AG committed to purchase ITT's brake and chassis business for $1.93 billion.[16] On 29 January 2012, the Financial Times Deutschland described Mrs. Schaeffler and Geissinger as a Dream-Team of the German economy.[17]

In 2000 Geissinger oversaw his first merger with the acquisition[13] of the remaining 50% of the clutch manufacturer LuK, the company founded by Georg Schaeffler and his brother Wilhelm Schaeffler.[18]

In 2001 Geissinger successfully launched a hostile bid and eventually took control[19] of the publicly listed FAG Kugelfischer AG. FAG was subsequently delisted and integrated into Schaeffler KG.[20] It was the first hostile takeover of a public listed MDAX company by a privately held company[21] and was eventually cleared by the FTC following a review of anticompetitive effects.[22] Under Geißinger’s watch, INA together with FAG became the second largest manufacturer of precision rolling bearings in the world.[23]

Ten years after he left the company, Geissinger would return to Continental to acquire it for Schaeffler.[24]

In 2008 Geissinger and Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler set their sights on Continental AG, the prestigious automotive supplier with three times the revenue of Schaeffler.[25] Also frequently referred to as 'Conti', Continental AG is a leading German auto and truck parts manufacturing company specializing in tires, brake systems, vehicle stability control systems, engine injection systems, tachographs, and other parts for the automotive and transportation industries. Continental had acquired ITT’s electronic brakes systems in 1998, the division Geißinger once oversaw.[26] However, it was Continental’s acquisition of Siemens’ VDO automotive unit in 2007 for €11.4 billion[27][28] that appeared to overextend Continental as it lost almost half of its market capitalization following that acquisition.[29]

Geissinger and Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler saw the opportunity before them and convinced a consortium of banks to join them in their effort to acquire a dominant stake in the publicly listed Continental.[30] By August 2008, following months of fighting off Schaeffler’s advances,[31] Continental agreed to be taken over[32] by the family-owned auto parts manufacturer Schaeffler AG and a consortium of banks in a deal valuing the company at €12 billion. When Continental agreed to end the standoff and allow its smaller rival Schaeffler to buy up to half of the company, it paved the way for Geissinger to build the third-largest automotive supplier in the world (after Bosch and Denso Group). Schaeffler pledged to restrict its stake in the company to less than 50% for at least four years,[33] so as to reduce concerns about immediate turnover of controlling interest to such a smaller buyer.

Geissinger with China's Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Wan Gang (May 2011)

The Financial Times characterized Geissinger's strategy for Schaeffler as highly global, with almost three-quarters of its revenues coming from outside Germany. Geissinger said, "Asia is now close to 25 per cent of our turnover and it’s going in the direction of 30 per cent. We are increasingly developing the company to make it a series of hubs – making items in a specific region for that region. We now have more than 40 R&D centres around the world – with one of the biggest being in China."

While Schaeffler set up operations in China in 1995, Geissinger greatly expanded those and currently employs around 5,000 workers in seven manufacturing plants and offices. During a 2011 visit from China's Minister of Science and Technology Prof. Wan Gang,[34] Geissinger said, "In view of the growing demand from the Chinese vehicle industry for innovative suppliers, Minister Wan Gang's visit is a signal for the future. Our systems expertise in electric mobility makes our company an active partner in the shaping of this sector."[35]

On 10 June 2013, Geissinger presided over a groundbreaking ceremony in Ulyanovsk for Schaeffler's first production facility in Russia.[36] The new plant went online in 2014 and produces automotive and industrial components.[37]