Quanex Expands Leadership Team at Kentucky Plant
Quanex Building Products appointed Larry Patterson to director of operations, Steve Wright to logistics manager, Mike Smith to human resources manager and John E. Bendel to tooling manager of the Richmond, Ky., window and door profile facility.Ă‚ Patterson joined Quanex in 2005 as the plant manager for the Richmond, Ky., location, working to improve operational performance for the facility along with increasing employee engagement. In 2006, Patterson was promoted to vice president, operations, continuing to lead the organization from both an operational and strategic standpoint. Patterson officially retired from Quanex in 2009 and has since rejoined the Quanex team as the director of operations. Wright has more than 24 years of experience in logistics and operations management, with direct experience supporting manufacturing logistics. Wright will be managing operational performance in his new role. Previously, Wright has held logistics and operations positions with several companies, including Komatsu, Siemens, Southland Homes, Dollar General and International Commissioning Engineers. Smith has more than 10 years of experience in human resources, leading cultural change efforts through training, coaching, implementing operating systems and driving improved manufacturing processes through lean manufacturing. Most recently, Smith was human resource manager for Joy Global.Ă‚ Bendel has more than 20 years of manufacturing experience in vinyl composite profile extrusion, plastic injection molding and aerospace industries. Bendel is highly proficient in machine knowledge, while driving innovation through continuous improvement. Previously, Bendel worked as a CAD/CAM designer for GKN Aerospace.