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Steelwrist, a global leader in tiltrotators, quick couplers and work tools for excavators, announces the appointment of Peter Gaj as VP Region Americas, effective February 1.
The appointment marks an important step in Steelwrist’s continued expansion in North America, supported by strong market growth, increasing customer adoption, andsignificant investments in local operations.
With a rapidly growing organization, expanded manufacturing and assembly capacity in the United States, and a strong presence planned at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 in Las Vegas, Steelwrist is well positioned to continue accelerating growth across the North American market in the coming years.
Peter Gaj appointed VP Region Americas
Peter Gaj takes the role of VP Region Americas on February 1, with responsibility for driving Steelwrist’s business across North and South America. He brings extensive experience from the construction equipment industry and has led the Steelwrist sales organization in the region over the past three years.
Since entering the North American market in 2017, Steelwrist has grown from a small local operation into one of the leading suppliers of tiltrotators and automatic quick coupler systems in the region. During this period, the adoption of tiltrotators and fully automatic couplers has accelerated steadily, as contractors increasingly focus on efficiency, safety and overall machine productivity.
“We have built a strong foundation in North America with a dedicated team, an expanding dealer network and a product portfolio that is well adapted to the needs of the contractors. I am very pleased to see Peter take on the role to lead the Steelwrist organization in Region Americas, with his experience and sales-oriented approach, I am confident he will continue our growth journey”, says Stefan Stockhaus, Steelwrist CEO.
In his new role, Peter Gaj will work closely with the global Steelwrist organization to further strengthen market presence, support dealer and OEM relationships, and ensure that local operations are aligned with customer demand.
“We are a leading tiltrotator and quick coupler manufacturer in North America and we are still only at the beginning of our exciting journey in this market. I am really proud to take on the role and to lead our Region Americas team and I look forward to continuing this journey together with our customers and partners”, says Peter Gaj, VP Region Americas.
Peter Gaj will report to Stefan Stockhaus, CEO of Steelwrist. He will be based in Newington, USA, and will be part of the company’s management team.
Manufacturing and assembly operations established in USA
To support the growing demand in North America and further improve delivery capabilities, Steelwrist has expanded its manufacturing and assembly operations at its facility in Newington, Connecticut. The expanded operations will be officially inaugurated during a customer and partner event on February 19.
The investment marks an important milestone in Steelwrist’s long-term commitment to the North American market. By increasing local assembly and testing capabilities, Steelwrist can shorten lead times, improve flexibility, and ensure high availability of products tailored to regional requirements. The Newington facility also serves as the North American headquarters, with warehousing, technical support and training resources located on site.
The expansion reflects the rapid growth of the market and the increasing penetration of tiltrotators and automatic quick couplers on North American job sites. As more contractors experience the productivity gains from Steelwrist solutions, local manufacturing and assembly capacity becomes a key enabler for further expansion.
“Our goal is to be close to our customers and respond quickly to their needs. By expanding our operations in the USA and inaugurating this next phase of our Newington facility, we strengthen our ability to deliver products with short lead times to our North American customers and support further growth in the region.”, says Stefan Stockhaus, Steelwrist CEO.
Meet Steelwrist at CONEXPO in Las Vegas, March 3-7
Steelwrist will showcase its strong North American momentum at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 in Las Vegas, March 3–7. The Steelwrist booth, located at the heart of the Festival Grounds, booth F27055, will feature the company’s largest and most interactive presence at the show to date, highlighting both product innovations and live demonstrations.
Visitors will be able to experience Steelwrist’s latest developments, including the third-generation XTR tiltrotators and the fully automatic SQ quick coupler technology. A key highlight will be the interactive demonstration show, where multiple excavators equipped with Steelwrist solutions will perform real-world job scenarios. During the live demo shows, operators will demonstrate how excavator efficiency can be significantly increased by combining tiltrotators with fully automatic quick couplers and a shared set of work tools.
There will be two compact excavators with the new automatic quick coupler solution, SQ40, on the X07 tiltrotator. This will be the first time that the SQ40 automatic coupler solution, which was first presented at Bauma in Munich 2025, is shown in North America. SQ40 allows for quick changes of high flow-powered work tools also on smaller excavators, providing the same efficiency as larger SQ couplers. This makes changing powered work tools easier and safer, as it can be done without leaving the cab.
There will also be a 14-ton short swing excavator with a third-generation tiltrotator, XTR15, with the Open-S compliant SQ60 automatic coupler. The XTR15 is one of five models of the new third-generation tiltrotators from Steelwrist, all of which will be on display during the show.Finally, the show will feature an electric-powered compact excavator equipped with the smallest XTR2 tiltrotator, demonstrating that Steelwrist solutions are also available for the smallest machines on the job site.
In addition to live demonstrations, the Steelwrist team from across the Americas will be present to meet customers, dealers and OEM partners, and to discuss how Steelwrist solutions can help contractors transform their excavators into true tool carriers. “CONEXPO is the largest exhibition in North America, an important meeting place for the industry and a great opportunity to demonstrate how our Steelwrist products add value on the job site. We look forward to meeting visitors in Las Vegas and showing how Steelwrist continues to drive efficiency for excavators”, says Karl Serneberg, VP OEM Sales &. Marketing.
