Vectorply hires Edison Ospina as Field Engineer

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Phenix City, AL – Vectorply Corporation recently announced the hiring of Edison Ospina as Field Engineer. Ospina will fill the vacant position left by Mike Ditzler, who was promoted to Southeast Region Sales Manager.

Ospina becomes Vectorply’s second field engineer along with Drew North. The field engineering program provides on-site technical support for customers from laminate design to finished part production. Field engineers work alongside Vectorply and distributor sales and technical service managers to provide a valuable resource to composite producers.

Ospina comes to Vectorply from 3A Composites Core Materials/Baltek Inc, where he worked for 21 years as technical service engineer and lab manager. He has an extensive knowledge of all composite materials used in the transportation, aerospace, industrial, marine and wind energy markets. His experience has focused on quality and research and development of new materials and processes. Tapping into his experiences, Ospina can help guide customers to the best materials and processes to suit their application.

Vice President of Composite Engineering Trevor Gundberg is excited to bring on another technically proficient engineer who is very familiar to Vectorply.

“Most of us in Vectorply’s sales and engineering groups have worked alongside Edison on many customer projects over the past two decades and seen firsthand his level of skill, knowledge, and professionalism,” Gundberg said. “With the recent promotion of Mike Ditzler to our southeast region sales manager role, we had an important field engineering position open that required all of these attributes, and we are lucky that we able to bring on someone of his caliber.”

Vice President of Sales Tamir Levy said that Vectorply will continue to lead the way in customer support, and the field engineering program is a crucial part of that goal.

“Our main goal at Vectorply is to make it easy for customers to do business with us,” he said. “Edison’s expertise and experience allow us to help customers from beginning to end of their production process and allows us to add even more value as a supplier. We are very excited to have him on our team.”

Vectorply announces organizational promotions, new roles

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Phenix City, AL – Vectorply Corporation, a world leader in the design and production of composite reinforcement fabrics is committed to providing the highest level of support to our valued customer base. Today, to expand upon that commitment, we announce the promotions of Seth Holman and Jordan Haar to new positions, and Mike Ditzler to Southeast Region Sales Manager.

Holman joined Vectorply in 2008 as Northeast Region Sales Manager. Today, he will begin his new role as National Sales Manager, where he will lead our territory sales managers and direct sales efforts in North America. His technical expertise and customer focus have helped Vectorply consistently grow our Northeastern U.S. and Eastern Canadian customer base over the past 12 years.

“Seth has been crucial to our success over the last 12 years,” said Vectorply CEO & President Trevor Humphrey. “His attention to detail and knowledge have consistently delivered strong growth in his region, and those traits will carryover into his new position leading our sales team.”

Also taking on a new role is former Southeast Region Sales Manager Jordan Haar, who will now lead Vectorply’s market growth as Business Development Manager. Since joining Vectorply in 2011 Haar has aggressively grown our business in the Southeast region of the U.S. As Business Development Manager, he will work closely with Vectorply’s sales, engineering, and marketing teams to define, locate, develop, and close business opportunities nationally.

“Jordan’s forward-thinking approach to new business has helped cement our position as the market leader for innovative, value-added reinforcements,” Humphrey said. “We are excited to see Jordan expand his focus to the national level and continue to provide our customers with the best solutions that meet their goals.”

Assuming the position of Southeast Region Sales Manager is former Field Engineer Mike Ditzler. Ditzler, who has been with Vectorply in multiple roles since 2010, has a wealth of technical expertise and experience within the composites industry. Ditzler’s hands-on leadership has helped many customers improve their processes and products, and he has been very involved in composites education as a frequent presenter of technical demonstrations nationwide.

“Mike has a well-earned reputation as a technical expert within our industry,” said Humphrey. “His knowledge of our products and our customer base will ensure a smooth transition to Southeast Region Sales Manager and allow us to continue providing leading composite solutions for the Southeast market.”

Vice President of Sales Tamir Levy believes that these organizational changes will give Vectorply the ability to serve our customers at an even higher level.

“Seth, Jordan, and Mike have each been so important to our success as we continue to make it easy for our customers to do business with us,” Levy said. “These promotions will allow each of them to do what they do best, which will make our entire team stronger.”

 

Virtual CAMX and IBEX trade shows offer new opportunities

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Phenix City, AL – Like many other things, in-person trade shows in 2020 look a lot different than usual. Due to the global pandemic, live gatherings have been replaced by virtual events to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19. Two prominent shows in the composites industry, The Composites and Advanced Materials Expo (CAMX) and The International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference (IBEX), have announced their transition to a virtual format offering new opportunities for networking and education.

CAMX is the largest, most comprehensive composites and advanced materials event in North America for products, solutions, networking, and advanced industry thinking. This year the show has been re-titled, “A New CAMX for a New Time” and scheduled for Monday, September 21 – Thursday, September 24 (See CAMX Schedule HERE). As a yearly exhibitor at CAMX, Vectorply will once again participate as a virtual exhibitor at the 2020 show. Visitors who register for CAMX 2020 will be able to schedule meetings with our sales and engineering teams, view our products, and learn more about our company and capabilities. Those interested in attending CAMX are invited to register for a free exhibit hall pass as our guest via the link at the top of our home page.

The following week, IBEX will take place virtually from Tuesday, September 29 to Friday, October 2 (See IBEX Schedule HERE). IBEX is North America’s leading technical boat-building showcase which delivers a unique forum where the marine industry can do business, share ideas, and accelerate new product development. As a leading supplier to the marine market, Vectorply will also be virtually available for meetings and discussions, and will have a sample of fabric variety available for viewing.

Although we won’t be able to visit in-person this year, we invite you to join us virtually at these two important composites industry trade shows!

Vectorply Bolsters Sales Staff with Addition of Todd Green

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Phenix City, AL – Vectorply Corporation is excited to announce the hiring of Todd Green as sales manager for the North American Central North Region. Green comes to Vectorply with more than eight years of experience in composite engineering and sales.

Green holds a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University and has worked in the composites industry since 2008. In his new role, he will be responsible for Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Eastern Montana, and Northern Kentucky in the United States as well as the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Green joins a sales team comprised of four additional regional sales managers and an advanced composite business development manager. Vice President of Sales Tamir Levy believes that his addition adds even more strength to a group already known throughout the composites industry for technical expertise and customer focus.

“Todd’s composite engineering experience, as well as his past sales experience will further enhance our technical efforts in the Central North Region,” Levy said. “We are excited that Todd has joined our team and look forward to him delivering the same high level of customer support that the industry has come to expect from Vectorply.”

 

POSITION FILLED – Controller Job Posting

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Job title: Controller

Position type: Full Time/Salaried, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM EST, M-F

Reports to: Vice President of Finance

Department: Finance

About Vectorply

Vectorply is a privately-owned company with headquarters in Phenix City, AL. The company employs approximately 180 employees between administration, sales, engineering and production and produces more than 300 different styles of reinforcement fabrics for a wide variety of composites applications. Vectorply supplies the vast composites industry with materials from our 200,000 sq. ft production facility in Alabama, along with international manufacturing partners.

Job Description

The company Controller is a trusted member of our Finance Team that supports the VP of Finance with vital processes and completes all accounting-related activities with efficiency and accuracy. The working manager for the accounting department, he/she acts as an overseer of the company’s financial health.

Experience /Skills:

  • 4-year undergraduate degree (accounting preferred)
  • 5 years accounting experience
  • Strong understanding of generally accepted accounting principles
  • Ability to communicate well with others and work cohesively in a team environment
  • Outgoing personality with strong initiative
  • Strong verbal, written and organizational skills
  • Proficient in Excel, Word, PowerPoint & accounting applications

Responsibilities

  • Report financial statements with timeliness and accuracy
  • Maintain the company’s general ledger
  • Complete month end closing process
  • Daily cash management
  • Monthly compliance reporting to financial institutions
  • Prepare annual budgets and monthly forecasting
  • Calculate and update annual standard costs for manufactured goods within accounting system
  • Oversee capital expenditures and asset valuations
  • Acquire understanding of Vectorply’s ERP system (Sage 100), oversee major Sage 100 modifications and trouble shoot issues within Sage 100
  • Act as point of contact for annual external audit
  • Prepare and distribute various internal sales reports

Ongoing duties

  • Comply with all company policies and procedures
  • Protect confidential information
  • Work unscheduled time when necessary
  • Other duties as assigned

Application Instructions

Interested applicants should send your resume to employ@vectorply.com with the subject line ‘Controller Position Application’. 

General Motors Co.

Carbon Corvette bumper beam featured on CW Magazine cover

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Phenix City, AL – Vectorply carbon fabrics earned a prominent feature in the May 2020 edition of CompositesWorld Magazine.

The carbon, which is highlighted in the form of Shape Corp’s 2020 Corvette Stingray bumper beam, was also chosen for the cover photo on the leading composites industry publication.
In 2014, Vectorply joined forces with Shape Corp. to begin developing specialized carbon fabrics and laminate schedules for the automotive world’s first curved pultruded carbon fiber bumper beam. General Motors Co. made waves in the auto industry in July 2019 with the release of the highly anticipated Corvette Stingray and Shape’s innovative bumper beam has been notably featured in the composites industry since the release.

Along with the four-page story on the carbon fiber beam, CompositesWorld also created a sidebar detailing Vectorply’s involvement in the material development and selection. The sidebar can be viewed at the following link: Material choices for the Corvette rear bumper beam

Vectorply Announces Acquisition by Neenah, Inc.

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Phenix City, AL. – Vectorply Corporation, a portfolio company of MSouth Equity Partners, yesterday announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with Neenah, Inc., under which Neenah will acquire Vectorply for $155 million in cash. Closing is expected to occur on April 1 and is subject to customary conditions.

Neenah is a leading global specialty materials company, focused on premium niche markets that value performance and image. Key products and markets include advanced filtration media, specialized performance substrates used for digital transfer, tape and abrasive backings, labels and other products, and premium printing and packaging papers. This acquisition expands Neenah’s technical products platform into the rapidly growing advanced composites industry and is expected to be immediately accretive to its margins and earnings.

Vectorply President Trevor Humphrey commented:  “We are very excited about becoming part of the Neenah family of companies.  Vectorply’s composite business will be a strong complement to Neenah’s other specialty materials businesses.  Our Vectorply team appreciates Neenah’s commitment to growth and innovation, and we look forward to working together in the future.”

Brookwood Associates acted as financial advisor to Vectorply Corporation, and Eversheds Sutherland LLP served as Vectorply Corporation’s legal advisors.

About Vectorply Corporation

Vectorply is a world leader in the development, manufacturing and distribution of composite reinforcement fabrics engineered to optimize the stiffness, strength, weight and cost of customer-specific applications. The company produces more than 350 unique styles of fabrics for an unlimited number of composite applications. Fibers such as E-glass, carbon, aramid are stitch-bonded in a variety of weights and architectures to help customers achieve their goals with optimized laminates.

Vectorply wins Shape Corp. 2020 Supplier of the Year Award

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Spring Lake, MI – On Thursday, February 27, Shape Corp. held their 2020 Supplier of the Year Award ceremony with more than 60 key suppliers in attendance. Vectorply Corporation, who has partnered with Shape since 2014 on development and material selection for Shape’s innovative curved, composite pultrusion process, was recognized at the ceremony with a selection as a Shape Corp. Supplier of the Year.

“Receiving the Supplier of the Year Award from Shape Corp. is a true honor for our entire team at Vectorply.” Said Vectorply President and CEO Trevor Humphrey”. “There’s no doubt that Shape is and will continue to be a key strategic partner of ours. Our companies share many common goals, and throughout our history our teams have worked closely together to provide high quality products for the automotive market.”

In 2014, Shape Corp. called on Vectorply to begin developing specialized carbon fabrics and laminate schedules for the automotive industry’s first curved, multi-hollow pultruded carbon fiber bumper beam. Initially, Vectorply’s sales and engineering teams assisted Shape Plastic and Composites Engineering Manager Toby Jacobson with dialing in the ideal fabrics for their revolutionary new curved pultrusion process. The historic part produced from this process was included on an equally historic automobile – General Motors Co.’s first mid-engine Corvette – the 2020 Corvette C8 Stingray.

“Through Shape’s innovative production process and willingness to push the boundaries of what is possible with composite materials, we have been fortunate enough to contribute to the automotive world’s first curved, pultruded carbon part for the 2020 mid-engine Corvette,” Humphrey said.

An equally important member of the collaborative team is Composites One, a leading North American distributor of composite materials and technical expertise. The success at Shape has resulted, in large part, because of Composites One’s technical support and consistent delivery according to Humphrey.

“I would also like to thank another great Vectorply partner, Composites One, for introducing us to Shape six years ago and for their continued support since that time,” he said. “Composites One’s dedication to supply excellence has been crucial to our combined success as a team.”

As a world-leader in the development of advanced composite reinforcements for high-end products, Vectorply relies on creative partners such as Shape to continue to innovate and push the limits of composite materials.

“As an engineering-driven company we cannot continue to improve as a supplier without customers who are willing to take risks to develop new processes and products that test our capabilities. For that, we are extremely thankful for our relationship with Shape Corp., and humbled to receive this wonderful award,” said Humphrey.