Star Rapid has announced business transformation specialist, David Hunter as its new CEO, and will begin to incorporate Industry 4.0 processes to improve the service it offers.
The company, formerly Star Prototype, is a rapid prototyping, rapid tooling and low-volume manufacturing service provider. Through 2017, the company achieved a nearly 40% increase in revenue, and this year has expanded its workforce to 280 people across the world. With Hunter now at the helm, Star Rapid is looking to harness this momentum and continue to grow, both in size and the service it provides.
Hunter’s most recent role was with Multek, a division of Flex, where he served as VP of Operations and Quality. Prior to that he occupied the VP and General Manager position at Wuxi, one of the largest electronics manufacturers in the world. He joins a company that initially leveraged 3D printing technologies to serve the rapid prototyping needs of its customers, but as the technology improved, has expanding its services to meet low-volume manufacturing and rapid tooling needs too. This trend in industry looks set to continue, and so Star Rapid has moved to appoint someone with adequate experience to help the development of the company in line with the development of the industry it operates in.
“David is a natural-born leader and his impact has been evident from day one,” commented Gordon Styles, President and CTO of Star Rapid. “His in-depth practical knowledge about how to deploy intelligent and lean manufacturing, paired with his long-term vision, will be invaluable as Star Rapid continues to expand its global presence. We look forward to continuing our company’s success and serving our global customers.”
To do this, Star Rapid is keeping a keen eye on future growth opportunities on key vertical markets. One of these is the Internet of Things (IoT), where Star Rapid is targeting the rapid prototyping and low-volume manufacturing of smart devices, which are becoming more commonly used within the automotive and medical sectors, among others. Hunter has more than three decades worth of experience in lean management, and is set to employ Industry 4.0 processes and systems that rely on real-time data to make Star Rapid’s operations more efficient. He believes this will eliminate bottlenecks , prevent the under-utilisation of certain assets and implement defect prevention measures to improve the quality of the service the company provides.
“Having experienced strong growth in 2017, we are focused upon continuously improving every aspect of customer engagement. Implementing robust, scalable processes utilising lean techniques and developing an outstanding talent pool will enable Star Rapid to enjoy sustainable growth,” said Hunter. “In addition, we are embarking upon the deployment of intelligent manufacturing technologies, connected equipment and IoT which we believe will create true competitive advantage for both ourselves and our customers.”
