McLean, Virginia – AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology’s
Paul Warndorf, vice president – strategic planning, has been selected
for the prestigious Lawrence J. Rhoades Award, given by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM).
The award honors the memory of Rhoades, his entrepreneurial spirit
and dedication to the advancement of manufacturing processes
industry-wide. Rhoades was a former chairman of the board of directors
for AMT, as well as one of the founders of NCDMM and an inaugural member
of its board of directors.
“Paul is a globally recognized manufacturing expert and has toiled
tirelessly on behalf of the manufacturing technology industry, in areas
such as equipment and manufacturing standards, and export control
reform”, said Ralph J. Resnick, president and executive director of
NCDMM. “But probably the most significant of Paul’s contributions has
been his vision for and leadership of the MTConnect
standard. I think former MTConnect Institute Chairman Dave Edstrom said
it best: ‘Paul Warndorf has been an MTConnect shepherd, conductor, and
guiding light. There are thousands of ways MTConnect could’ve died, and
thanks to Paul, it did not.’ Paul epitomizes the purpose and spirit
intended for this award.”
“I think back to the many times I was with Larry Rhoades and what
he represented to our industry. He was an innovator, a futurist – but
most of all, he was one nice guy. He made you feel important whenever
you were around him,” Warndorf said. “I’ve been very fortunate to have a
lot of opportunities, and I’ve been able to take advantage of them
mainly because of those I worked with and those who worked for me. Larry
was good at that. He surrounded himself with the best people, but most
importantly he gave them an opportunity to achieve and create things
that had never been done before.”
“What I’d like to say to everybody is: Follow Larry’s example.
Create opportunities for our future innovators and visionaries, and most
of all, make everyone around you feel important,” Warndorf concluded.
Warndorf first joined AMT in 1996 and became vice president –
manufacturing technology in 2003 to lead in the development of AMT’s
Technology Roadmap for the Machine Tool Industry, benchmarking the
future performance needs of equipment. He also led the startup of the
Smart Machine Platform Initiative aimed at developing technologies to
meet those needs. In 2007, he managed the creation of the MTConnect
standard, which allows collection of shop floor data and communication
between equipment and devices. He formed the MTConnect Institute for AMT
to carry forward the further development of the standard and to meet
ongoing data collection requirements. Warndorf currently serves as
secretary of the MTConnect Institute.
Prior to joining AMT, Warndorf held leadership positions at General
Research Corp. and the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Sciences in
Cincinnati, Ohio. He began his manufacturing career at the age of 18 as
an electrical apprentice at Cincinnati Milacron.
Warndorf graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree
in electrical engineering, and also received an MBA from Xavier
University.
Source: AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology
