Since 2021, he has focused his efforts on growing the manufacturing footprint of the company in North America.
DENVER, NC, March 15, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Robert M. Richards has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Leveraging more than three decades of excellence in business operations management in the manufacturing industry, Mr. Richards has earned distinction as Chief Executive Officer of Rhenus Automotive North America. Since 2021, he has focused his efforts on growing the manufacturing footprint of the company in North America.
Prior to his current role, Mr. Richards had six major turnarounds throughout his career. He began his career at the Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green Kentucky and was later promoted to Process Improvement Manager with the Assembly Division of General Motors in 1986. He was Divisional General Manager for iconic office furniture company Herman Miller in 1996 then Principal continuous improvement consultant for Common Sense Lean in 2002. He continued his career as Director of Enterprise Lean-Sigma at Avery Dennison in 2007 and served as the Global Director of Operational Excellence for Kennametal in 2009. In 2016, as Vice President of Swiss-based Oerlikon he was responsible for the greenfield construction of a multi-million dollar additive manufacturing site in Plymouth Michigan. He later joined Weir Minerals as their Senior Vice President of Operations where he was responsible for redesigning the company's global manufacturing footprint.
Prior to embarking on his professional journey, Mr. Richards earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and Business Management from Cleary University. He then completed the Executive Development Program at Harvard Business School.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Richards has successfully deployed manufacturing strategies in the United States, China, Australia, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Brazil and Chile. He has a proven ability to create and cultivate growth-oriented business cultures and brings an innovative approach to re-engineering critical processes. He has received numerous professional achievement awards including EHS Magazine's "Safest Company in North America Award" under his leadership at Kennametal, as well as being honored with the Global Employee Engagement Award for Operational Excellence.
Accounting for his success as an operations leader, he credits his ability to being an active listener as well as having an affinity for positioning people in roles that bring out their best possible talents. In the coming years, Mr. Richards intends to share his vast manufacturing experience by joining corporate boards of directors.
About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Marquis celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2023, and Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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