NHBB Selects New Vice President of Manufacturing(Pic)

NHBB Selects New Vice President of Manufacturing(Pic) New Hampshire Ball Bearings, Inc. has promoted Richard Bardellini to Vice President of Manufacturing. Formerly the Operations Manager for the Astro Division, in his new role Mr. Bardellini will guide NHBB¡¯s three divisions¡ªAstro, HiTech and Precision¡ªthrough the continued development of their production processes and capabilities. Astro¡¯s manufacturing operations have been strengthened by Rich¡¯s technical and organizational leadership and by his many successful improvement initiatives,¡± says NHBB¡¯s President, Gary Yomantas. ¡°And I am confident that, due to his unique ability to serve as a catalyst for change, Rich will strengthen our position as a top-tier customer bearing manufacturer.¡± On April 1, 2007, Mr. Bardellini assumes the role once held by Richard Fleczok, who plans to stay on part-time as an advisor before his eventual retirement. As the corporate leader of manufacturing, Mr. Bardellini will serve as a key strategist for all production operations. His responsibilities will involve the selection and allocation of manufacturing assets in ways that maximize the company¡¯s production capacity. Mr. Bardellini plans to facilitate the adoption of best-practices, such as Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and work-cell development, throughout each division. And utilizing his combined experience in Lean Manufacturing and global-sourcing, he is expected to augment NHBB¡¯s production capabilities by coordinating resources with its parent company, Minebea Co., Ltd., a global leader in bearing manufacturing. ¡°I am excited to serve NHBB in this new, expanded capacity,¡± says Bardellini. ¡°While our collective capability and resolve are second to none, we need to continually improve our performance in response to an ever increasing globally competitive environment.¡± During Mr. Bardellini¡¯s 14 years with NHBB he has occupied increasingly responsible leadership positions. Since joining NHBB in 1993 as a Research and Development Engineering Technician, Mr. Bardellini has subsequently held the positions of R&D Engineer, Manufacturing Unit Manager, Continuous Improvement Manager and Manufacturing Manager, before becoming Operations Manager in 2000. During his tenure as Operations Manager, Mr. Bardellini has focused on promoting continuous improvement throughout all departments. Mr. Bardellini holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from the University of New Hampshire and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University. He is also a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.