AMT Will Change Leadership

The Association For Manufacturing Technology, on October 7, 2008, according to the AMT Board of Directors. Simpson will join the association on June 2 and work in transition with President John B. Byrd III , who will retire after five years at AMT.

Simpson, 48, has worked for 25 years in manufacturing operations and has significant international experience. He most recently served as Corporate Vice President and President, Global Plastics Machinery, for Milacron Inc. of Cincinnati, OH . He previously served as President of Siegel-Robert Automotive Inc. in St. Louis, MO , and held executive positions within Textron and TRW.

AMT Chairman Doug Currie says that Simpson's experience doing business in 17 countries and his successful track record in the automotive sector make him highly qualified to lead AMT . "There's more to Bob Simpson than his experience. He has a passion for manufacturing and he is committed to fulfilling AMT 's mission, which is to help our members be the global leaders in advanced manufacturing technology solutions. Bob's been a leader his whole career and we look forward to him taking AMT and our membership to the next level of success."

Former AMT Chairman Bradley L. Lawton, who led the search committee, says the eight-month search produced a candidate "we are very excited about. Bob Simpson impressed each of us, and we're confident that AMT will be in great hands for years to come."

Byrd says that Simpson "will be an excellent spokesman and advocate for the producers of American manufacturing technology. He has the skills, energy and experience to lead AMT and its members to continued great success."

Simpson, a Cincinnati, OH-area native, holds a bachelor's degree in manufacturing engineering from Miami University in Oxford, OH, and a MBA from Western International University in Phoenix, AZ. He and his wife, Andrea, have three sons and will be relocating to the Washington, D.C.