EST Launches New Technical Development Team

EST is pleased to announce that it has established a new Technical Development Team to focus on the Request for Quote through Approval Process. The goal of this team will be to accelerate the qualification and approval process to enable EST to better serve its customers. EST received 27 applications for the Technical Team and selected individuals following an evaluation and interview process.

This team will focus on six important elements:

1. Estimating all RFQs received by EST
2. Developing tooling concepts and designs for all new programs and handling the processes involved with getting the tools built
3. Defining the process for all tasks related to moving a part from masking to spray, to clean-up and any other special processes
4. Developing and writing the Tech Plan for the part
5. Spraying the part to gain approval for the coating and to set production parameters
6. Working with the targeted production sites to move the development spray process and documentation through the final quality approvals and effective transfer to the site for on-going production by site personnel

To do this effectively, EST focused on building a team with experience and hands-on thermal spray solutions expertise to give us maximum flexibility to drive many projects simultaneously. This is a multi-site team, and the team will work together to advance projects for all sites. We are pleased to announce our team members:

Don Dunaway will serve as Director of Development and lead this team for Ellison Surface Technologies. His team members will include:

Jeff Wagner – Jeff will serve as the Lead Estimator for new projects and RFQs.

Scott Hildebrand – Scott will serve as the Lead for Tooling Design and Procurement. He will also continue to coordinate non-routine engineering items.

Marc Devine - Marc will serve as the Lead for Tech Plan Development.

Denny Myers – Denny will act as the Lead for Process Engineering supporting process development and optimization.

Steve Panoushek – Steve will act as the Lead Engineer for Process Validation and Development Spraying in Vermont.

Mike Courter – Mike will act as the Lead Development Sprayer for Hebron.

Jason Flanagan – Jason will act as the Process Validation Engineer and Lead Development Sprayer in Phoenix.

Simon Slobodnik – Simon will act as a Project Engineer for the team insuring proper completion and maintenance of all technical documents, and will work to support lab functions and results documentation for the development team.

Our focus for 2007 is on significant improvement in our total company execution. The establishment of the EST Technical Development Team is the first step of our plan to drive excellence in execution.