- Osaka, Japan-based Daifuku Co. Ltd. has announced changes in its executive leadership. Masaki Hojo has assumed the role of president and co-CEO of Daifuku as well as co-CEO of Jervis B. Webb Co., which Daifuku acquired in November. Hojo previously was president of Daifuku America. In addition, Katsumi Takeuchi, who had been president and CEO of Daifuku in Japan, will now serve as Daifuku's chairman and co-CEO. Daifuku America will continue to be led by Ryuichi Kitaguchi, who serves as president of the American subsidiary.
- Wolfgang Partsch has joined Tompkins Associates as senior vice president of global supply chain services, Europe. Partsch is a respected 25-year-plus veteran of the supply chain industry. In this new role, he will work to provide innovative business solutions for Tompkins' clients in Europe.
- The Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) has elected new officers. Dan Fannin, vice president of marketing at Emerson Power Transmission, was chosen as the new CEMA president. Other new officers are R. Todd Sindemann of Martin Engineering as vice president, Bill Pugh of Ralphs-Pugh Co. as secretary, and George Huber III of Industrial Kinetics as treasurer. A number of other members were also elected to the board of directors. They are Jerry Heathman of Chantland Pulley & Roller Co., Jay Lee of Baldor Dodge Reliance, Tom Melton of Martin Sprocket & Gear, and Bill Casey of SI Systems. They join carryover board members Ron Arkema of Van Gorp Corp., Merle Davis of Automotion Inc., Gregg Goodner of Hytrol Conveyor Co., Jim Calhoun of FMC Technologies, Warren Chandler of Stephens-Adamson, and Rick Lee of Transnorm.
- SI Systems has promoted Robert Leidy to vice president of its Production & Assembly business unit. Leidy had been director of operations at the company. He will now oversee sales, marketing, engineering, and project and site management for that unit.
- Dave Halker has joined SDI Group USA as a senior consultant. Halker brings 25 years of industry experience to his new position. Most recently he was lead technical sales contact for high-speed sorters at FKI Logistex-Crisplant.
- GENCO Supply Chain Solutions has appointed Michael Ryan vice president of parcel negotiations and audits. Based in Chicago, Ryan is responsible for developing new business in the areas of parcel management, negotiation, and audit solutions for clients throughout the Midwest.
- First Industrial Realty Trust, a company that provides industrial real estate supply chain solutions, has hired John Ficker as vice president, supply chain solutions. He will be responsible for strategic planning and implementation of long-term logistics solutions for customers. Ficker was most recently president and CEO of the National Industrial Transportation League.
- Andres Finken has been named president and general manager for Top-Vox Corp.'s new North American office, located in Barrington, Ill. Top-Vox is a German supplier of speech recognition technologies for the logistics industry. In addition, Ryan Absil has been named service engineer for the new office, which will serve customers in the United States and Canada.
- Gene Tyndall has joined Tompkins Associates as executive vice president of global supply chain services. Tyndall brings an impressive résumé to his new position at Tompkins. He previously was president of Supply Chain Executive Advisors and before that, was president of Ryder Global Supply Chain Solutions and a senior partner and leader of the Ernst & Young Global Management Supply Chain Consulting Practice (now Capgemini).
- White Systems has named Peter Youngs vice president of sales and marketing. Youngs is now responsible for the carousel storage company's North American sales, marketing, sales support, and project management. The company has also chosen Jack Kuppersmith as its new director of business development. Kuppersmith has been with White Systems for more than 30 years in marketing roles. In his new job, he will work to further cultivate White's business in Mexico and the western United States.
- Joe Nezwek has been promoted to president at FP International, a supplier of package protection and packaging systems. Nezwek had served as the company's senior vice president of sales and marketing for the past four years. Company founder Arthur Graham will now assume the responsibilities and duties of CEO as well as remaining chairman of the board.
FP International has also announced two other promotions. Chief Financial Officer Jim Taylor will now hold the title of COO as well as CFO. And Michael Kaminski has been promoted to senior vice president of worldwide engineering. - The National Foreign Trade Council has appointed John Mullen as its new chairman. Mullen is the CEO for the Express division of Deutsche Post World Net, the parent company of DHL.
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