YOKOHAMA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 8, 2024--
AESC, a Japan-based global leader in high-performance battery technology for electric vehicles and energy storage systems, today announced the appointment of Knudt Flor as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for U.S. and Europe and as Global Head of Quality. He will be based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
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With an impressive track record of leadership in the automotive and technology sectors, Flor brings over 35 years of industry experience to AESC. Flor served as President and CEO of BMW Manufacturing Corporation LLC, USA. Over his 33-year career at BMW, he held significant roles overseeing Operations, Engineering, Logistics and Quality for the company in plants and joint ventures in Europe, USA, Africa and Asia. Among his roles, he served as the Head of Corporate Quality for the BMW Group.
Most recently, Flor served as the Distinguished Professor of Industry Practice at the College of Charleston and as SVP for Innovation and Industry Engagement. Flor is also one of the founding directors of South Carolina Fraunhofer USA Alliance.
Shoichi Matsumoto, CEO of AESC Group said, “We are thrilled to welcome Knudt Flor to the AESC leadership team. His extensive cross-border management experience and deep acumen will prove invaluable as we accelerate our efforts to bring the world’s best batteries to market. We are confident that Knudt will lead our North American and European operations to new heights, driving our commitment to innovation and customer excellence.”
“I am excited to join AESC at such a pivotal time for the company and the industry,” said Knudt Flor. “AESC’s commitment to innovation and sustainability aligns perfectly with my vision for the future of the automotive industry. I’m excited to work with the talented team to drive operational excellence, growth and deliver exceptional value to our customers.”
In his new role as CEO for the United States and Europe, Flor will oversee AESC’s business operations in the U.S. (which include Tennessee, South Carolina and Kentucky) and Europe (including France, Spain, and the U.K.), focusing on strategic initiatives to enhance local manufacturing capabilities, foster partnerships with leading OEMs, and support the growing demand for zero-emission transportation solutions. In addition, Flor will oversee AESC’s global efforts to turn its cutting-edge technology into mass production net zero gigafactories that meet and exceed customer expectations.
About AESC
AESC is a global leader in the development and manufacturing of high-performance batteries for zero-emission electric vehicles and energy storage systems. Founded in Japan in 2007 and headquartered in Yokohama, AESC has been building manufacturing capabilities around the world in Japan, the U.S., U.K., China, and Europe to serve key markets and leading customers locally for over 14 years. Today, AESC’s advanced battery technology powers over one million cars across 60+ countries.
For more information, visit https://www.aesc-group.com/en/aboutus.html.
Knudt Flor (Photo: Business Wire)
An Israeli airstrike hit a mosque in central Gaza and Palestinian officials said at least 19 people were killed early Sunday. Israeli planes also lit up the skyline across the southern suburbs of Beirut, striking what the military said were Hezbollah targets.
The strike in Gaza hit a mosque where displaced people were sheltering near the main hospital in the central town of Deir al-Balah. Another four people were killed in a strike on a school sheltering displaced people near the town.
The Israeli military said both strikes targeted militants, without providing evidence.
An Associated Press journalist counted the bodies at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital morgue. Hospital records showed that the dead from the strike on the mosque were all men, while another man was wounded.
In Beirut, the strikes reportedly targeted a building near a road leading to Lebanon’s only international airport and another formerly used by the Hezbollah-run broadcaster Al-Manar.
Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire across the Lebanon border almost daily since the day after Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage. Israel declared war on the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip in response. As the Israel-Hamas war reaches the one-year mark, nearly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory, and just over half the dead have been women and children, according to local health officials.
Nearly 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon in the latest conflict, most of them since Sept. 23, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Here is the latest:
BEIRUT — The southern suburbs of Beirut were hit by more than 30 strikes overnight, the heaviest bombardment since Sept. 23, when Israel began a significant escalation in its air campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Sunday.
The targets included a gas station on the main highway leading to the Beirut airport and a warehouse for medical supplies, the agency said.
Some of the overnight strikes set off a long series of explosions, suggesting that ammunition stores may have been hit.
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron called for “a halt to arms exports for use in Gaza,” saying it's urgent to avoid escalating tensions in the region, his office said.
Macron drew strong criticism from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by saying "the priority is … that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza.” He made the comments in an interview with France Inter radio, which was recorded on Tuesday and aired Saturday.
France doesn’t deliver any weapons to Israel, Macron said.
Netanyahu released a video statement in which he called out the French president by name and referred to such calls as a “disgrace.”
In a statement, Macron’s office said “France is Israel’s unfailing friend. Mr. Netanyahu’s words are excessive and irrelevant to the friendship between France and Israel.”
“We must return to diplomatic solutions,” it added.
The statement also said that Macron had demonstrated his commitment to Israel's security when France mobilized its military resources in response to the Iranian attack. French authorities did not provided details about France’s role.
Macron has called for an immediate cease-fire in both Gaza and Lebanon.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An apparent Israeli airstrike early Sunday killed at least 18 people in central Gaza, Palestinian medical officials said.
The strike hit a mosque sheltering displaced people near the al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in the town of Deir al-Balah, the hospital said in a statement.
An Associated Press journalist counted the bodies at the hospital morgue. Hospital records showed that the dead were all men. Another two men were critically wounded, the hospital said.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment about the strike on the mosque.
The latest strikes add to the mounting Palestinian death toll in Gaza, which is now nearing 42,000 according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths, but many of the dead were women and children.
BEIRUT — Powerful new explosions rocked Beirut’s southern suburbs late Saturday as Israel expanded its bombardment in Lebanon, also striking a Palestinian refugee camp deep in the north for the first time as it targeted both Hezbollah and Hamas fighters.
Thousands of people in Lebanon, including Palestinian refugees, continued to flee the widening conflict in the region, while rallies were held around the world marking the approaching anniversary of the start of the war in Gaza.
The strong explosions began near midnight after Israel’s military urged residents to evacuate areas in Beirut’s Haret Hreik and Choueifat neighborhoods. AP video showed the blasts illuminating the densely populated southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a strong presence. They followed a day of sporadic strikes and the nearly continuous buzz of reconnaissance drones.
Israel’s military confirmed it was striking targets near Beirut and said about 30 projectiles had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory.
A man checks the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Emergency workers inspect a building that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Israeli soldiers pray at a staging area in northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
An Israeli soldier prays at a staging area in northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
People check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises from a destroyed building at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Mourners gather around the bodies of Palestinian men who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
