Diak named Director of Operations for Elster Perfection and Slane to manage Manufacturing Engineering

Cleveland, OH, November 26, 2007 Bob Diak has been promoted to Director of Operations for the Elster Perfection business unit of Elster Gas North America.

In this role, he will report directly to Bill Whitesel, Senior Vice President of Operations, with responsibility for plant operations in Madison, Geneva and Solon, OH. 

The Elster Gas North American Companies comprise a group of worldwide leaders in technology serving gas, electric and water utilities. Elster Perfection is the world’s leading manufacturer of non-metallic mechanical joining products for natural gas and propane gas distribution systems. Elster Perfection’s complete mechanical polyethylene gas distribution system allows installers to connect with integrity, safety and speed without using special tools or expensive equipment. 

Diak commented “I am very excited to help drive the success of Elster Perfection not only with the knowledge I have to offer but also as a community member for over 20 years. It is important to me to help sustain local business and see our local communities thrive.”

Diak brings over 35 years of manufacturing experience including labor relations, industrial engineering, product scheduling, outsourcing, quality and Lean implementation.  As a Black Belt in Lean and Six Sigma, Diak was recruited two years ago to improve the company’s manufacturing process, increase automation as well as the outsourcing of non-core activities.

Elster Gas North America has also appointed Ben Slane as Manager of Manufacturing Engineering for Elster Perfection, focusing on providing technical solutions for manufacturing engineering activities, capital projects, and Lean initiatives within manufacturing and industrial engineering.

“I am delighted that we have such an experienced group of professionals on our team”, said Roy Sutterfield, President Elster Gas North America Business Units . “This has been a challenging year for Elster Perfection due to the continued decline in housing starts, the impact of sub-prime financing, and other factors affecting our markets.  However, through careful management of resources, improvements in operational efficiency and sales, the organization has been able to battle back to offset the downturn.  Both Diak and Slane have been significant contributors to these accomplishments and we are fortunate to have them in these critical positions.”

Slane is certified Black Belt in Lean and six sigma and hold a BS in Geology with a minor in Mechanical Engineering, a Masters in Business Administration and an EJD Law Degree.  He has 18 years of experience with the Elster Perfection in operational, technical, sales, marketing and management roles. 

- Ends.

For further information contact:

Deborah Sill, Elster Gas North America, 440-417-1167, dsill@perfectioncorp.com

About Elster Group

Elster Group is the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of highly accurate, high quality, integrated metering and utilization solutions to the gas, electricity and water industries. In addition, through its subsidiary Ipsen International, it is the leading global manufacturer of high level thermo-chemical treatment equipment.

The group has over 8,500 staff, operations in 38 countries and serves over 115 markets around the world. Elster’s high quality products and systems reflect the wealth of knowledge and experience gained from over 170 years of dedication to measuring precious resources and energy.

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