Providence, RI — June 13, 2003 — Manufacturing conglomerate Textron this week made key supply chain appointments, naming Peter Riley as vice president for supply chain and William Ellis as vice president of Textron Six Sigma and transformation.
Riley and Ellis will both report to Textron Chief Operating Officer Steven Loranger. Ellis will also report to Textron Chairman, President and CEO Lewis Campbell.
In a related move, Edward Orzetti, who previously oversaw Textron's supply chain and Six Sigma efforts as vice president of enterprise excellence, has been named president of Textron's Fluid Handling Products and Power Transmission businesses.
Textron is an $11 billion multi-industry company with 49,000 employees in 40 countries. The company works in such industries as aircraft, fastening systems, industrial products and components and finance, and its brands include such well-known names as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO and Greenlee, among others.
Creating a World-class Supply Chain
Riley, 44, will be responsible for driving Textron's effort to leverage its purchasing power and improve manufacturing processes across and among its business units. His charge includes creating a world-class, high-speed supply chain that delivers stepped-up operating performance and customer satisfaction. He has been named a corporate officer and will serve on Textron's Transformation Leadership Team (TLT), comprised of the corporation's top 20 executives.
"Improving our supply chain performance is a critical goal for Textron, and I am confident that Pete's expertise and energy will accelerate this initiative, creating greater value for our customers and shareholders," said Loranger.
Riley brings experience in both aerospace and automotive manufacturing, joining Textron from Honeywell, where he spent eight years in positions of increasing responsibility, including four years with AlliedSignal prior to its merger with Honeywell in 1999. Most recently, he held the position of vice president of integrated supply chain for Honeywell's Engines, Systems and Services group. Prior to joining AlliedSignal, Riley served as vice president of manufacturing operations at Kelsey Hayes.
Riley's experience includes work across diverse geographies and cultures. "Pete's international experience in Mexico, the Czech Republic and China will be a tremendous asset as Textron seeks sourcing opportunities in Eastern Europe, Asia and South America," Loranger added.
Riley is trained as a Six Sigma Black Belt and Green Belt. He will be based out of Textron's Michigan regional office.
Ellis Six Sigma Veep
Ellis will assume a newly combined post, overseeing deployment of Textron's Six Sigma program as well as other initiatives related to Textron's efforts to transform itself into a network of globally branded businesses in various industries, with the ultimate goal of becoming the top multi-industry company.
Since joining Textron two years ago, Ellis, 41, served as vice president for supply chain, then vice president Six Sigma with Textron Fastening Systems, a $1.6 billion provider of engineered fastening systems, automated assembly systems and solutions, and related engineering services. Prior to joining Textron, Ellis spent 10 years at General Electric in positions of increased responsibility spanning Six Sigma, supply chain, operations, materials services, quality and audit. He also served six years in the U.S. Army.
Ellis will lead Textron's cross-business Six Sigma Council and will be an officer of Textron, as well as a member of the TLT. He also will be based in Textron's Michigan regional office.
"Over the past two years, Bill has demonstrated exemplary leadership in both the Six Sigma and supply chain areas," said Loranger. "His proven capability to lead large-scale change in a dynamic environment will be a tremendous asset as he takes on this critical role."
Six Sigma Vet Moves Up
Finally, Orzetti, 37, will lead Textron's newly combined Fluid and Power organization, comprised of its Fluid Handling Products and Power Transmission businesses, which manufacture industrial pumps and gears. Orzetti will continue to serve on Textron's TLT.
Orzetti joined Textron in October 2000 and has helped initiate several enterprise-wide initiatives, including a deployment of Textron Six Sigma and a new, integrated approach to managing the supply chain. He joined Textron from General Electric and has more than 15 years of experience in supply chain, operations and manufacturing positions.
"Ed has done an exceptional job creating and leading the implementation of Textron's unique approach to Six Sigma," said Loranger. "By all accounts, Textron's deployment leads other companies who have adopted Six Sigma, due in part to Ed's tremendous leadership. His manufacturing and management expertise will now help us achieve synergies and growth at our fluid and power businesses."
For a look at how one Textron division is using a document management system to streamline its customer service processes while reducing costs, read the iSourceonline article "Streamlining Customer Service by Dropping the Paper."
