nhbb :: Jim St. Pierre Named Operations Manager of NHBB Astro Division

Jim St. Pierre Named Operations Manager of NHBB Astro Division


Jim St. Pierre, Operations Manager, NHBB Astro Division

April 24, 2007 (Laconia, NH): Jim St. Pierre has been named the new Operations Manager for the New Hampshire Ball Bearings, Inc. Astro Division. He succeeds Richard Bardellini who was recently named NHBB’s Corporate Vice President of Manufacturing.

As Operations Manager, Jim presides over the activities of Human Resources, Continuous Improvement, Quality, Environmental, Production Engineering and Manufacturing operations. He is responsible for aligning the Division’s manufacturing capabilities with the expectations of the parent company, Minebea Co., Ltd., and the ever changing needs of NHBB’s customers. Additionally, he is tasked with improving Astro’s productivity and product quality through Lean Six Sigma and other initiatives, and ultimately increasing profitability.

“Jim brings a wealth of organizational and technical knowledge to the operations role,” said Richard Bardellini. “I look forward to helping Jim and his management-team guide the Astro Division to the next level.”

Viewing his new role as that of chief facilitator, Jim plans to initiate, through better overall controls, training and manufacturing efficiency, change and growth on a broad scale across all internal departments and outside suppliers. “I am privileged to support a great team of employees,” says St. Pierre, “And continuing where Rich Bardellini left off, I hope to serve as a catalyst for improvements that enable Astro to remain a World Class manufacturing facility.”

Jim has been with New Hampshire Ball Bearings and the Astro Division for almost 33 years. Since joining Astro in the engineering department, he has held increasingly responsible leadership positions, including Senior Applications Engineer, Engineering Manager and Six Sigma Manager. Before this promotion, Jim served as Manager of Quality Assurance, Production Engineering and the Tool Room.

Jim holds two Associates Degrees in Engineering and Six Sigma Black Belt certification. He has also completed numerous courses in engineering at the University of New Hampshire and seminars in Lean Manufacturing.

For more information contact:
Hans Baker, Marketing Coordinator
NHBB, 175 Jaffrey Road, Peterborough, NH 03458
603.924.4100 x5405, hbaker@nhbb.com