PJ Thompson, President & COO of Trans-Matic, Named Chairman of Precision Metalforming Association

Online, November 28, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Trans-Matic President and Chief Operating Officer, PJ Thompson, has been named the Chairman for the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) for 2012.

PMA is the full-service trade association that represents the Metalforming industry of North America. The industry processes represented include stamping, fabricating, spinning, slide forming and roll forming technologies, and other value-added processes. PMA has nearly 1,000 member companies and also includes suppliers of equipment, materials and services to the industry. PMA leads innovative member companies toward superior competitiveness and profitability through advocacy, networking, statistics, the PMA Educational Foundation, FABTECH and METALFORM tradeshows, and MetalForming magazine.

Trans-Matic supplies precision deep drawn components and assemblies for the automotive, builders' hardware, appliance, plumbing, power tool, HVAC, and other markets. The company headquarters is in Holland, MI. In 1992, Trans-Matic established a satellite location in Mesa, AZ to serve the Southwest and Mexico. In 2006, Trans-Matic started producing deep draw parts for Asian customers out of their wholly owned foreign enterprise in Suzhou, China. Trans-Matic employs approximately 300 people with 220 based in Holland, 22 in Arizona, and 57 in China. Trans-Matic manufactures product on high speed transfer presses from 5 to 600 tons. These presses have the capability to manufacture parts up to 3.8mm (.150") thick and 200mm (8") tall. Primary materials used include low carbon, stainless, brass, copper, bronze, and aluminum. Trans-Matic is TS16949 and ISO14001 certified in all three plants.

PJ Thompson joined Trans-Matic in 1997 when he returned to Holland to re-join his family's company. He has been integrally involved with the leadership and ownership succession of Trans-Matic. He became the President and COO in January of 2002. Thompson is a graduate of Albion College with a degree in Economics and received an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. During the early years of his career, he worked for the Manufacturing Consulting practice of Price Waterhouse based in Charlotte, NC. In this capacity, Thompson worked primarily implementing operating and financial control systems exclusively for manufacturing companies, many with worldwide locations.

Trans-Matic has been a member of the PMA since 1972 when CEO and founder Pat Thompson saw an opportunity to not only learn from like companies but also give back to the industry. Twenty-three years ago, in 1989, Pat also served as Chair of the PMA at the same age as PJ. The Thompson family, along with many Trans-Matic employees have, supported PMA activities regionally, nationally, and internationally. Trans-Matic continues to learn from their colleagues while giving back to the industry.

For more information on Trans-Matic, visit them online at http://transmatic.com. For questions please contact Mark Southwell, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at 616-820-2450 or [email protected].