Lauingen, Germany, May 8, 2026, 14:11 CEST
Alessandro Sapio steps in to oversee marketing, sales, and parts and service at Same Deutz-Fahr Deutschland, following Stephan Formica’s abrupt exit from the Chief Commercial Officer role. SDF Group is now consolidating control of its German operations around the Lauingen site.
This shift is significant for Deutz-Fahr, given Germany’s importance—and difficulty—as a tractor market. In 2025, German tractor registrations dropped over 12% to 25,711, leaving Deutz-Fahr in fourth place behind Fendt, John Deere, and Claas, profi’s Schlepper-Bundesliga figures show.
It’s been roughly eight months since the company announced Formica would succeed Vincenzo Cetani as CCO beginning Sept. 1, 2025. Back then, the move was pitched as a transitional handoff leading up to Cetani’s 2026 retirement.
Sapio held the Chief Operating Officer position, handling operations, and served as speaker for the German management board. Now, as CCO—Chief Commercial Officer—he takes charge of sales, marketing, and dealer support, essentially leading all customer-facing efforts.
Sapio stays in charge of production, R&D, manufacturing engineering, and logistics at Deutz-Fahr’s Lauingen base, according to the company. His remit now also stretches to marketing, sales, and parts and service in Germany.
Alessandro Maritano, Chief Commercial Officer at SDF Group, said Sapio’s appointment reflected the group’s push to get “closer to our customers” in Germany and deepen ties with its dealer network. LECTURA Press
This shift disrupts a succession plan unveiled last September—Cetani at the time called Formica an “excellent solution,” while Formica expressed enthusiasm about building out the Deutz-Fahr brand. Earlier in his career, Formica took on roles in sales, marketing, dealer network development, and controlling across Europe, logging stints at Liebherr and John Deere. Landtechnikmagazin
SDF, headquartered in Treviglio, Italy, counts itself among the world’s major producers of tractors, harvesters, autonomous electric tractors, and diesel engines. The company logged revenue of 1.638 billion euros for 2024, posting an EBITDA margin of 11.5%. SDF employs over 4,150 people.
The German operation plays into the wider strategy. SDF reported last year that its global market share climbed to 10.4% in 2024—even as tractor demand slumped. The group continued to pour money into research and development.
Still, the change brings execution risk. No explanation was given for Formica’s exit. Sapio now has his hands full: production, R&D, logistics, sales, after-sales—all his. This comes as the German tractor market is already feeling the strain.
Dealers and farmers now face the immediate question: will the shakeup speed things up or just add to the pressure at SDF’s German unit? SDF says it wants to tighten ties with customers and deepen collaboration across its dealer network—but ultimately, orders, service times, and market share will be the metrics that count.
