Chuck Martz, chairman, CEO and president of Link-Belt Construction Equipment Company, Lexington, Ky., has been named vice president, Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd. (SHI), Tokyo, Japan.

The appointment, made by SHI executive management in Japan, was effective April 1. SHI is the parent company of Link-Belt Construction Equipment Co. Martz’s appointment is significant in that he is the first officer from a U.S. subsidiary to ever achieve this level in the SHI organization.

Martz became chairman of the board of Link-Belt Construction Equipment Co. earlier in 2009 adding to his current responsibilities of president and CEO. Martz replaced the retiring chairman T. Nagano.

Chuck Martz joined Link-Belt in 1975. After holding various accounting and financial positions, he was named vice president, finance and administration in 1990. In 1994, he was named vice president of manufacturing and then executive vice president in 1997. In September 1998, Martz was named president of Link-Belt and, in 2007, chief executive officer.

Link-Belt Construction Equipment Company, with headquarters in Lexington, Ky., is a designer and manufacturer of telescopic boom and lattice boom cranes for the construction industry worldwide.

For more information, visit www.linkbelt.com.