Former President of Okuma America Retires, Company Adds Sales Engineers

Larry Schwartz officially retired on March 31 after working for over 40 years in manufacturing, the last 17 with Okuma.

Okuma America Corporation (Charlotte, NC) announced that former president Larry Schwartz, officially retired on March 31. He had worked in the manufacturing industry for over 40 years and had been with Okuma for 17 years, working in manufacturing, sales, and marketing, serving as president from 2005 to 2011, and most recently serving as chief strategy officer. Schwartz will serve in an advisory capacity to Okuma for a minimum of 18 months.

His passion to provide comprehensive solutions to the industry stems from his broad experience. Starting in his teens as an engineering aid and working his way up to vice president of operations at his first employer, Schwartz successfully converted the manual shop into an NC/CNC facility. After this he continued to expand his expertise in the manufacturing industry, as both a customer and also in the distribution, sales, service, and manufacture of machine tools.

He understands the challenges and demands of manufacturing in today’s increasingly competitive global market and always looked for ways that Okuma and its partners could help their customers be more profitable. He was instrumental in the development of the THINC-OSP control, and was the driving force behind the creation of Partners in THINC and the Okuma Technical Centers in Chicago and Houston. During his career he also served with a number of trade organizations, including The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), and The American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association (AMTDA).

Jim King, the president and chief operating officer of Okuma America Corporation, stated, “Over a short period of time Larry and I have become great friends. I wish him and his wife the best of luck in the next phase of his life and thank him for his service and contribution, not only to Okuma, but to the world of manufacturing.”

In related news, Okuma America hired three new sales engineers – John Soukup, Robert Lacey and Brandon Glenn – to support the existing team of regional sales managers, the Okuma distribution network and customers.  The sales engineers will work closely with the distributor territory sales staff to ensure customer productivity needs are met, provide sales and engineering support for events, and conduct training as needed.

Soukup has extensive experience in manufacturing, having worked as a chief manufacturing engineer and project engineer for 19 years prior to joining Okuma. His background in CNC machine tool selection and purchasing, and his previous experience in machine tool sales enable him to understand both sides of the purchasing process and will enable him to provide the best possible solutions to the Okuma customers.

Lacey joins Okuma from Roush-Yates Racing where he served as sales and engineering support manager. His 25+ years in manufacturing and CNC machine tools provides him with a unique perspective, as he’s been a user, specifier, purchaser and sales representative for manufacturing equipment. He is a Certified Machine Tool Sale Engineer (CMTSE) and a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.

Glenn comes from Hendrick Motorsports’ engine engineering department, where he worked as a design engineer and project manager. He was responsible for parts design and has experience with rapid prototyping, material selection, quality control and lean manufacturing.

“Our business has strengthened significantly over the past year as our customers’ businesses have improved. The addition of these three top-notch engineers will enable us to be more responsive and provide a higher level of service to our distributors, partners and end-user customers,” noted Tim Thiessen, the vice president of sales. The sales engineers will work from the company headquarters in Charlotte and will report to Thiessen.

Okuma America Corporation is the U.S.-based affiliate of Okuma Corporation, a world leader in the development of computer numeric controls (CNC) and machining technology, founded in 1898 in Nagoya, Japan. Known for its technology leadership and world-class manufacturing, product quality and dedication to customer service, Okuma strives to be the machine tool solution provider to manufacturers worldwide. www.okuma.com

Partners in THINC is a unique facility and concept offering integrated solutions and a one-stop-shop designed to streamline current manufacturing processes, improve capabilities, or for exploring advanced manufacturing options. Each member of Partners in THINC brings specialized equipment, expertise and a commitment to provide the best possible integrated solutions to the end-user. www.partnersinthinc.com