Lauingen, Germany, May 8, 2026, 14:11 CEST
SDF Group has put Alessandro Sapio in charge of marketing, sales and parts and service at Same Deutz-Fahr Deutschland after Stephan Formica left the Chief Commercial Officer post with immediate effect, tightening control of the German business around its Lauingen site.
The move matters because Germany is a key tractor market for Deutz-Fahr and a tough one. German tractor registrations fell more than 12% in 2025 to 25,711 units, with Deutz-Fahr fourth behind Fendt, John Deere and Claas, according to profi’s Schlepper-Bundesliga tally.
Formica’s exit comes about eight months after the company said he would take over the CCO role from Vincenzo Cetani from Sept. 1, 2025. At the time, the appointment was framed as a managed handover before Cetani’s planned retirement in 2026.
Sapio was already Chief Operating Officer, a role covering operations, and speaker of the German management board. The CCO role, or Chief Commercial Officer, covers the customer-facing side of the business, including sales, marketing and dealer support.
The company said Sapio will keep responsibility for production, research and development, manufacturing engineering and logistics at Deutz-Fahr’s German headquarters in Lauingen, while adding marketing, sales and parts and service in Germany.
Alessandro Maritano, SDF Group’s Chief Commercial Officer, said the trust placed in Sapio showed the group’s aim to be “closer to our customers” in Germany and to strengthen cooperation with its dealer network. LECTURA Press
The change cuts across a succession plan announced last September, when Cetani called Formica an “excellent solution” and Formica said he looked forward to further developing the Deutz-Fahr brand. Formica had previously worked in sales, marketing, dealer network development and controlling in Europe, including roles at Liebherr and John Deere. Landtechnikmagazin
SDF, based in Treviglio, Italy, says it is one of the largest makers of tractors, harvesters, autonomous electric tractors and diesel engines. It reported 2024 revenue of 1.638 billion euros and an EBITDA margin of 11.5%, with more than 4,150 employees.
The German business is strategically useful for that broader push. SDF said last year its global market share rose to 10.4% in 2024 despite a sharp contraction in tractor demand, and it kept investing in research and development.
But the shift leaves execution risk. The company did not state a reason for Formica’s departure, and Sapio now carries production, R&D, logistics, sales and after-sales at a time when the German tractor market remains under pressure.
For dealers and farmers, the near-term test is whether the new setup brings faster decisions or more strain inside the German operation. SDF has said the goal is stronger customer proximity and closer work with the dealer network; the market will judge that in orders, service response and share gains.
