Great Dane has named 32-year industry veteran Brian Sage the company’s executive vice president of manufacturing.

In his new role, Sage will work with Sam Gupta, executive vice president of manufacturing, for several months during a transition period before assuming full responsibility for the company’s manufacturing efforts. Gupta is expected to retire in early 2017. Sage will report to Dean Engelage, president of Great Dane.

“He brings to Great Dane an enthusiasm for process improvement. He will lead our ongoing efforts to implement new manufacturing technologies, improve plant safety and make our manufacturing processes more efficient,” said Engelage. “I’m sure Brian will help Great Dane maintain our industry leadership position.”

Prior to working for Great Dane, Sage held positions at General Motors and Caterpillar, where he was a corporate lead advisor responsible for evaluating end-to-end business capability and coaching senior leaders.

Sage holds a master’s degree in engineering management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Georgia.