Here you can learn more about the key people behind VMI's success.



Gerd G. Poppinga

CEO/President

Gerd was born and educated in Germany. He started as an apprentice Toolmaker and graduated in1964. He came to the U.S. toward the end of 1964.

He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1966 -1968 active service. He graduated College with a degree in business management.  He was the founding member of Vineburg Machining Inc. which was established in 1977.

Job responsibilities: administrative, quoting, technical support and overall operations of the plant

Sven Klatt

GM/Product Development & Design

Sven grew up in Germany. He attended an apprenticeship program at Electrolux in Oldenburg. He graduated after 3.5 years as an Industrial Engineer for machining and system techniques.

From 1996 to 1998 he worked for Electrolux as a Tool and Die maker. In 1998 Sven came to the U.S. as an exchange student. After a few years learning English and working at VMI, Sven became the CNC department manager in 1999. In 2011 Sven took over the responsibilities as General Manager. With over 20 years of manufacturing experience, Sven brings a vast amount of machining knowledge and welcomes any challenges.

Job responsibilities: design & engineering, quoting, 3D modeling, programming, new accounts, operations

Gerd E. Poppinga Jr.

Vice President/Operations

Gerd holds a bachelors degree in Strategic Management from CSUS. He has been in the machining industry since 1998 and has attained a wealth of knowledge in technology and logistics. Gerd manages the day to day operations of the plant as well as customer support, shipping, implementation of shop technology and scheduling.

Job responsibilities: social media, marketing, sales, shop management, logistics, customer service, scheduling, operations, cybersecurity, compliance

Ron Duckworth

CNC Supervisor

Job responsibilities: machine set-up, production, design, programming