FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARLINGTON, Vt. (April 30, 2010) – Mack Molding Co. has reshuffled responsibilities and added new staff to its senior management team, it was announced today by Jeff Somple, president, Northern Operations. Set in motion by the retirement of a long-term employee – Bruce Bixler, who served the company for 36 years – the reorganization tapped internal talent that collectively brings 80 years of plastics industry expertise to the table.
Marc Colety, formerly Cavendish, Vt., plant manager, has taken over the purchasing helm from Bixler, while Gene Birmingham moves up the ladder into Colety’s former role. Bryan Campbell has been promoted to plant manager, Headquarters facility, and Carl Bickford has taken on the new position of quality manager-contract manufacturing.
“We always strive to challenge our staff with varying functional responsibilities so that they’re ready to take on broader roles when the time comes,” says Somple. “I’m thrilled to be able to fill these openings from within the company, and look forward to the contributions that I know each will make in the coming years.”
Colety has worked for Mack for 15 years in a variety of managerial roles ranging from molding to manufacturing to plant operations. In his most recent role as Cavendish plant manager, he was responsible for everything from procurement through shipment of plastic molded and assembled products in a 120-person operation that runs 24/7. In his new position as director of procurement, his responsibilities will extend to all three of Mack’s Vermont operations. Beyond his degree in business administration, Colety has trained in numerous quality, lean, management and statistical techniques. He served as a director on the board of the Springfield Regional Development Corporation for the past four years and is a member of the Society of Plastics Engineers. Currently a resident of Claremont, N.H., he and his wife, Dee, will soon be relocating to the Arlington area.
A 13-year veteran of Mack, Birmingham was manufacturing manager at the Cavendish facility for eight years before being promoted to plant manager. In that role, he had full management responsibility for Mack’s injection molding, assembly and paint operations there. Before that, he was a manufacturing/quality engineer. A graduate of Michigan State University (East Lansing), he holds a bachelor’s degree in packaging. Additionally, he has completed coursework in lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and other areas of plastics processing. Birmingham resides in Chester, Vt., with his wife, Laurie, and their two children.
Campbell, formerly an operations manager for a Tier 1 automotive supplier, joined Mack’s sales department in 2008. There, he gained critical front line experience, both with customers and the complexities of the program management process. Now familiar with the unique needs of the medical OEM, he returns to the operations side, where he will manage a facility that focuses primarily on medical device manufacturing. Campbell was operations manager for Guardian Automotive, Warren, Mich., before joining Mack. During his eight-year stint there, he also served as quality assurance manager and quality engineer. He holds a bachelor’s in business administration from Catawba College, Salisbury, N.C., and has also completed lean manufacturing modules by Toyota Production System Training and the University of Kentucky. Campbell resides in Manchester Center, Vt., with his wife, Dina, and their two children.
Bickford, a 20-year Mack veteran, has accepted the new position of quality manager-contract manufacturing at the Headquarters plant, where he will supervise a staff of quality engineers, as well as the metrology lab. “The hub of Mack’s custom manufacturing activity, the Headquarters plant has developed to the point where we need this additional level of quality management and support,” adds Somple, “which is Carl’s primary area of expertise.” For much of his Mack tenure, Bickford worked in quality management, during which time he established several offsite repair and final product configuration centers to address the logistical needs of Mack’s customer base. More recently, he added stints in plant and warehouse management. A graduate of Vermont Technical College (Randolph), Bickford holds a degree in electrical/electronic engineering. He resides in Weston, Vt., with his wife, Linda. They are the parents of three adult children.
About Mack Molding
A leading custom plastics molder and contract manufacturer, Mack provides design through FDA-approved manufacturing services to the medical, surgical, orthopedic, diagnostic and drug delivery industries. Mack specializes in plastics design, prototyping, molding, sheet metal fabrication, and medical device manufacturing. Founded in 1920, Mack is a privately owned business that operates 10 facilities throughout the world. Don Kendall is president and CEO. For more information, go to www.mack.com.
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