ACS Group hires new vice president of operations

ACS Group, a New Berlin, Wisconsin-based manufacturer of auxiliary equipment for the plastics industry, has hired Bob Andress as vice president of operations. He will support the company’s commitment to continuous improvement to meet customers’ increasing requirements through the AEC, Cumberland and Sterling brands, according to ACS Group.

Andress will oversee several operational areas of the company, including engineering, quality, materials and manufacturing at its plants in New Berlin, Wisconsin, and Suzhou, China. In particular, he will focus on continuing to enhance product quality, shorten lead times and improve on-time delivery, the company says.

“I’m excited to join ACS as the company continues its commitment to meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations and needs,” Andress says. “The AEC, Cumberland and Sterling brands offer highly engineered, custom products customers have relied on for years, and I look forward to continue to help enhance ACS performance in the marketplace.”

A manufacturing industry veteran, Andress brings significant experience from outside of the plastics industry, ACS Group says. After beginning his career with General Motors as a manufacturing engineer, he evolved into an operations leadership role at several other companies, including Delphi Automotive Systems and Wabtec. In past companies, he has driven numerous improvements, including on-time delivery, first time quality and overall company profitability and has instituted lean manufacturing principles to drive company success, according to the company.

“Bob’s extensive experience in business and operations management will help ACS as we continue to boost operations to meet our customers’ needs with our AEC, Cumberland and Sterling brands,” says Jim Holbrook, president of ACS Group. “His varied expertise will help develop the tools necessary to help our customers compete.”