“It’s a heart-stopping moment when you attend an airshow or are at a stadium and the US military conducts a flyover with the F-35”, enthuses CSO Alexander Attenberger in Aerospace Manufacturing, a British industry magazine. His pride and excitement are understandable, as this is a flagship project: Starrag manufactures around 60 machine tools that are used to produce important components for the F-35 Lightning II stealth supersonic jet.

The 43-year-old originates from the Altötting region, east of Munich, and has extensive experience in precision engineering, as well as a palpable enthusiasm for technologically challenging projects. “While working as a production manager, I also acquired a qualification in business administration,” says Attenberger. “So I come from a very practical background – I’ve always liked to get stuck in.” He then went on to learn about sales from the ground up, finally becoming part of the management team at a large German machine tool manufacturer, where he played a significant role in expanding international sales.