St. Paul, MN (September 1, 2019) — Matsuura Machinery USA, an innovator in the design, development and manufacture of high-precision manufacturing solutions for more than 80 years, announces the expansion of the company’s St. Paul, MN workforce.
In recent months, due to continued growth, Matsuura has expanded its Sales and Service Departments, in addition to enlarging the staff of the Matsuura USA LUMEX Additive Manufacturing Center.
MATSUURA USA SALES DEPARTMENT
Dan Pierce has joined the Matsuura USA Sales Team as Southeast Regional Sales Manager.
Pierce, located in Tampa, FL, manages Matsuura Machinery USA Inc.’s Southeastern Region.
“Dan brings more than 25 years of industry experience in developing key customer relationships and achieving significant revenue growth. He thinks strategically and maintains a strong customer focus, excellent technical knowledge and a clear understanding of the machine tool market,” said David Hudson, Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
Pierce is responsible for creating and capitalizing on existing and new account opportunities in Matsuura’s Southern Region.
“Dan’s impressive resume of establishing and advancing strong customer relationships in the industry, along with his success at enhancing organizational productivity and efficiency through innovation make him ideally suited to provide Matsuura’s manufacturing solutions in the region,” Hudson added.
Pierce holds years of leadership in manufacturing including: President of DMG America Los Angeles; Vice President of DMG MORI; Sales Director for Hwacheon Machinery America; and VP Sales and Marketing for Joachim Machinery West.
“I am confident in Dan’s ability to broaden our presence into adjacent markets, while strengthening and scaling our sales organization to accelerate Matsuura’s global growth strategy,” Hudson concluded.
Pierce supports Matsuura Machinery USA Distributor, Yamazen, Inc., which represents Matsuura USA products in the region and recently opened its newest Technical Center and Showroom near Fort Myers, Florida.
The new facility, located at 28120 Hunters Ridge Boulevard, Unit 4, Bonita Springs, FL, offers a myriad of manufacturing solutions including: machine tools, automation, quality and inspection products, engineering applications, service and support to the entire state of Florida. The building space features a showroom and turnkey area with machines on display and a conference room for training opportunities.
MATSUURA USA SERVICE DEPARTMENT
Matsuura USA selected Bill Keller as Service Engineer and Kinuko Koga as Engineering Administrative Assistant.
“Bill’s comprehensive CNC engineering knowledge and his substantial experience in the service sector will strengthen Matsuura’s strategic initiative in delivering the most technologically advanced service and support to our customers,” said Shawn Buboltz, National Service Manager for Matsuura USA.
Keller provides installation, troubleshooting maintenance and repair support on Matsuura machines and controls. He also delivers comprehensive training to distributors and customers, while maintaining the highest levels of customer satisfaction.
Keller has considerable experience in CNC Service and Programming, as well as management and leadership practice. In addition to former employment with leading machine tool corporations, Keller also served in the United States Marine Corps where he earned; Presidential Unit Citation; Navy Unit Commendation; a Certificate of Commendation, Meritorious Mast; and achieved the rank of Corporal.
He also received a Vocational Certificate in CNC Machining and Manufacturing from the Lincoln Technical Institute in Mahwah, NJ.
“Bill understands the precise services that the CNC machine tool market demands, and he anticipates its future needs. He is committed to providing support for our customers across the entire lifecycle of a machine, to ensure and increase the added value of their investment,” Buboltz explained.
Koga oversees all administrative activities in support of the Matsuura USA Engineering Department. She is also responsible for administration the Matsuura’s technical library, conducting research, compiling procedure manuals, and editing technical drawings and diagrams.
“Kinuko is self-motivated, organized and proficient and will be an excellent addition to assist the engineering team with meeting critical engineering projects,” Buboltz said.
“Kinuko has prior experience in data input, project tracking, scheduling, invoicing, and document control in fast-paced environments. Her attention to customer service will ensure project goals are achieved and customer expectations are met,” Buboltz elaborated.
Fluent in English and native Japanese speaker, Koga has most recently held a position at the Minnesota Japanese School, which is accredited and supported by the Japanese Ministry of Education. She also worked as in Sales for Fuji Seiki Co in Osaka.
“As demand for Matsuura’s high speed and high precision CNC machine tools continues, we seek proficient and knowledgeable individuals to support our customers. If you are interested in being a part of the Matsuura Team, please visit our website at MatsuuraUSA.com,” Buboltz concluded.
MATSUURA USA ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING CENTER
Matsuura USA added Shannon Collett as the company’s Matsuura LUMEX Administrator, Odwain McKenzie as a Matsuura LUMEX Service Engineer and Nick Mitchell as a LUMEX Application Engineer to the Matsuura LUMEX Department.
“With the surge in demand for Matsuura’s LUMEX Hybrid Additive Manufacturing Technology, we continue add to our knowledgeable and educated team of professionals. Shannon has extensive experience in Inventory Control, Accounting, Finance and Customer Relations areas. Her proficiency will help us more efficiently manage our Additive Manufacturing Center Operations, maintain accurate accounting of our material usage and manage our inventory of Consumable Tooling,” said Tom Houle, Director, Matsuura LUMEX, NA, Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc.
Collett graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.
McKenzie joined the team as a Matsuura LUMEX Service Engineer and supports Matsuura customers in the operation and troubleshooting of the Matsuura LUMEX Series product line for machine software, machining applications, cutting conditions and control functions.
“Odwain joins our team with many years of hands-on manufacturing experience and is an accomplished, detail-oriented Engineer, passionate about advancing additive manufacturing technologies,” Houle added.
McKenzie previously held positions in service engineering roles and has comprehensive technical experience, industry expertise and proficiency in establishing solutions for customer challenges.
Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration from Strayer University, he has completed numerous industry certifications including GD&T, Lean 6 Sigma, CQS, 5S, and others.
McKenzie is a US Marine Corps Veteran, achieving rank of Corporal, and earned the following honors: Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two Bronze Stars; Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal; Sea Service Deployment Ribbon; National Defense Service Medal; and NATO-ISAF Medal Afghanistan.
While serving in the US Military, McKenzie expanded multilateral relations with American and Afghanistan Forces to strengthen security and partnership.
“Odwain’s strong customer service skills and experience working directly with customers to provide troubleshooting, installation, and quality control while delivering quality results within numerous industries, make him an asset in the service of the Matsuura LUMEX products,” Houle explained.
Mitchell trains and supports distributor engineers and Matsuura customers in the operation and troubleshooting of the Matsuura LUMEX Series product line for machine software, machining applications, cutting conditions and control functions.
Mitchell is one of the company’s latest Matsuura USA LUMEX Interns. Mitchell recently graduated from Dunwoody College of Technology, earning an Associate of Applied Science Degree Engineering Drafting and Design. He is continuing with his education and is a candidate for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering Technology in 2021.
Mitchell has also earned Certified Solidworks Associate (CSWA) Certification, Certified Solidworks Professional (CSWP) Certification and Certifications from the National Institute for Metalworking Skills.
In his free time, Mitchell volunteers as a coach for Team Gilboa Ski Club of Minnesota, INC. in Bloomington, MN, motivating a group of 25 high school athletes to achieve daily, weekly, monthly and season long goals.
Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc. invests in the next generation of talent through the company’s Matsuura USA Internship Program. The Matsuura USA Internship Program is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. The program provides students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths.
“Through our internship program, we explore the talent early and seek the best to join the Matsuura USA team. Nick generated fresh ideas and demonstrated enthusiasm to gain real world experience as he worked alongside our industry-leading team to deliver Matsuura’s unique combination of technology platforms the Matsuura LUMEX Series combining selective laser sintering (SLS) along with high speed milling (HSM),” Houle said.
“As an intern, a big part of his role was taking work off of our busy Matsuura LUMEX Team’s plate to facilitate projects,” said Houle. “Nick was doing the actual work and doing it well. At the end of his internship, we provided projects without fear that they may not be done expeditiously. We have the utmost trust in Nick as he took the internship at Matsuura USA as seriously as he would a full-time job. Showing dedication, he always met deadlines and exceeded our goals,” Houle explained.
In his full-time role, Mitchell will also perform time studies, test cuts, CAM and manual programming. In addition, he will create CAD models, setup and execute machine demos for both showroom machines and technical workshops/open houses and troubleshoot machine functions and Matsuura software.
Mitchell had learned of the Matsuura LUMEX technology in his classwork. He researched Matsuura and developed an interest in the cutting-edge technology.
“When I first joined Matsuura’s LUMEX Team, I quickly realized how different and transformative it is in today’s world of 3D Metal Additive Manufacturing. This was an opportunity to grow myself along with the technology, something that has helped me to understand the process much more thoroughly,” Mitchell said.
“Working with the Matsuura LumexCAM software was my first practice of CAM programming, as my education had focused primarily on CAD design work. One of my mentors at Matsuura USA, Patrick Ethen, facilitated the development of my design skills, and provided an understanding into how design and the physical manufacturing segments work together,” Mitchell continued.
During his internship, Mitchell managed a large percentage of the Matsuura LUMEX daily machine operations and oversaw the Matsuura LUMEX Inventory, planning for lead times and setting up safety stock of needed materials.
The Matsuura LUMEX Series combines selective laser sintering (SLS) along with high speed milling (HSM) commonly called Hybrid AM. The series, manufactured for more than ten years, is now offered in North America with sales and technical support provided by Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc.
Matsuura’s unique combination of technology platforms enables the production of parts and component geometries in a method that has never been possible nor imagined. These unique machines manufacture highly complex integrated parts and molds in shapes and configurations that were once impossible using traditional milling methods.
According to Houle, Matsuura’s Hybrid additive/subtractive machining produces highly accurate parts from metal powders that are melted and sintered using a laser while surfaces are precisely milled at high speeds. This technology allows the ability to “grow” a metal component in layers with complex internal features and fine mill those internal features, as the layers are added, to give a perfect surface finish are what makes the LUMEX Series such a distinctive, unique and remarkable production platform and machine tool.
Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc., located in St. Paul, MN is the U.S. subsidiary of Matsuura Machinery Corporation in Japan. Since 1935, Matsuura has been the forerunner in designing innovative technology and manufacturing solutions to a variety of industries around the globe. Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc. delivers unmatched excellence in 5-axis, vertical, horizontal, linear motor, multi-tasking CNC machine tools and machines with a powder bed metal AM platform with machining capability.
Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc. provides the service, applications and technical field support that have always been the Matsuura standard for business. For more information on Matsuura products, contact: [email protected] or visit: www.matsuurausa.com.