AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology is proud to announce that Paul Warndorf, AMT’s 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 Mr. Rhoades, his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to the advancement of manufacturing processes industry-wide. Mr. 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,” concluded Warndorf.
Mr. 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. Mr. Warndorf currently serves as Secretary of the MTConnect Institute.
Prior to joining AMT, Mr. Warndorf held leadership positions at General Research Corporation 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.
Mr. Warndorf graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in electrical engineering, and also received an MBA from Xavier University.
