nhbb :: Astro’s Bob Hammond Promoted to Manufacturing Manager

Astro’s Bob Hammond Promoted to Manufacturing Manager

will continue serving as Continuous Improvement Manager

February 26 , 2007 (Laconia, NH): The Astro Division is pleased to announce the promotion of Bob Hammond to Manufacturing Manager. Along with his new responsibilities, Bob will remain the Continuous Improvement Manager, a position he has held since 2002. The promotion was effective February 5, 2007. Bob reports directly to Astro’s operations Manager.

“With his combined expertise in process engineering and lean manufacturing concepts,” said Astro’s Operations Manager, Richard Bardellini, “Bob is well-equipped to lead manufacturing at Astro to new levels of excellence.”

As the new Manufacturing Manager, Bob oversees the departments directly involved in production, including primary and secondary machining, grinding, final process, and liner fabrication. The supervisors and machinists who work in these areas are responsible for manufacturing high quality aerospace products to exact tolerances while meeting anticipated shipment lead-times.

As the current CI Manager, Bob supervisors a staff of continuous improvement engineers, tool designers and CNC programmers who are dedicated to supporting and improving shop-floor performance. The department utilizes the analytical frameworks of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma to improve production methods and eliminate waste of both time and materials.

“Serving as Manufacturing/CI Manager means I get to combine into one role the orderly approach of production with the analytical mindset of Continuous Improvement,” said Bob. “This will enable me to better coordinate activities that improve lead-times, preserve product quality and eliminate waste,” said Bob.

Bob’s relationship with Astro extends back over 25 years. He first joined the company in 1973 as a draftsman in the engineering department. Since then, he has served the division in various capacities, including Tool Designer, CNC Programmer, Process Engineer, Senior Manufacturing Engineer and Manufacturing Engineering Supervisor.

Among his many credentials, Bob has earned an A.A.S. in Electro-Mechanical Drafting (’73), his B.S. in Technical Business Management from Southern NH University (’82), and his MBA from Franklin Pierce College (’04). He has studied mechanical engineering at the University of Massachusetts and attended numerous training seminars on Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma.

For more information contact:
Hans Baker, Marketing Coordinator
NHBB, 175 Jaffrey Road, Peterborough, NH 03458
603.924.4100, hbaker@nhbb.com