Brings Nearly 20 Years of Leadership Experience in Manufacturing and
Transactional Process Improvements
WEST WARWICK, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 25, 2014--
Astro-Med, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALOT), a global leader in the manufacture,
marketing and distribution of specialized printing systems and data
acquisition systems, today announced the appointment of Stephen J. Russo
as Director of Operational Excellence.
“Stephen’s proven track record in rapidly implementing global lean
transformations makes him an ideal choice to lead our lean initiatives
that will help insure that we achieve our performance excellence goals,”
said Astro-Med Chief Executive Officer Gregory A. Woods. “Stephen
understands that creating and sustaining a lean culture requires a
balanced focus on quality, delivery, productivity and growth. He has
successfully implemented lean processes at some of the best operating
companies in the world such as Avery Dennison, Thermo Fisher Scientific,
Textron and Danaher, all which share elements in common with our core
businesses. Over nearly 20 years, Stephen has played a transformational
role in lean management through the development and implementation of
kaizen events and other training tools that have produced dramatic
improvements in operational and transactional processes.”
“Astro-Med is a dynamic organization with a 45-year history of
successful product development and technology innovation, and it is with
particular excitement that I begin this new opportunity,” Russo said.
“Under Greg’s leadership, it is clear that the company is committed to a
lean operating model and over the past year the company has made
substantive process improvements in both the manufacturing and
transactional areas. I look forward to accelerating our lean
transformation and supporting our growth objectives by engaging
employees across the company to deliver tactical solutions that connect
organizational strategy and operational results.”
Russo previously served for three years as Corporate Director, Lean
Enterprise for Thermo Fisher Scientific, where he was responsible for
the lean transformation of six global divisions. From 2009 to 2011 he
was Director, Global Process Transformation, Retail Information Services
Division at Avery Dennison Corporation, where he oversaw the
transformation of 60 independently run sites to globally common
processes. Before that he was Corporate Lean Sensei at Textron
Corporation from 2005 to 2009. In that role he was responsible for
transforming many Textron business units from traditional batch and
queue to Lean Manufacturing. From 2002 to 2005 he served as Corporate
Director for Danaher Business Systems (DBS), where he focused on
leadership training as well as development and implementation of lean
conversion techniques. Russo also has worked as Lean Manufacturing
Manager at Rexam Beverage Can Americas and in operational excellence
roles at The Wiremold Company and United States Surgical Corp. He served
as a Nuclear Weapons Specialist in the US Air Force and received a
bachelor’s degree in productivity management from Central Connecticut
University and a master’s degree in operations management from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
About Astro-Med, Inc.
Astro-Med, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of specialty high tech
printing systems and data acquisition systems. Products include color
label printers and consumables sold under the QuickLabel Systems brand
as well as rugged printers for aerospace and defense applications and
data acquisition products sold under the Astro-Med brand. Astro-Med,
Inc. is a member of the Russell Microcap® Index. Additional information
is available by visiting www.astro-medinc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Information included in this news release may contain forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not statements of
historical fact, but rather reflect our current expectations concerning
future events and results. These statements may include the use the
words “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,”
“likely,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” and similar expressions to
identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements,
including those concerning the appointment of Stephen J. Russo as
Director of Operational Excellence, involve risks, uncertainties and
other factors, some of which are beyond our control, which may cause our
actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different
from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
These risks, uncertainties and factors include, but are not limited to,
those factors set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the fiscal year ended January 31, 2014 and subsequent filings Astro-Med
makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company
undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. The reader is cautioned not to unduly rely
on such forward-looking statements when evaluating the information
presented in this news release.
Source: Astro-Med, Inc.
Astro-Med, Inc.
Joseph O’Connell, 401-828-4000
Senior Vice
President & CFO
joconnell@astromed.com