Patti Spotlight: Ed Minch
Ed Minch and Patti Engineering first crossed paths in the early 1990s at FANUC. Ed was a Process Engineer and Patti Engineering was Sam Hoff + a laptop. Since then, we've crossed paths several times, including when Ed worked in business development and sales at Patti for a brief time! Now the Director of Sales for Automotive Component and GI Paint at FANUC, Ed has had a very interesting career in an industry that didn’t exist when he graduated from college.
After graduating from Nazareth College at Kalamazoo with a BS in Chemistry and a Biology minor, Ed started his career at BASF as a Research Chemist for automotive finishes. “At that time, there were literally no paint robots in auto plants, outside of the first few hydraulic systems that were being implemented by GM, in their joint venture with FANUC (aka GMF),” Ed says. “In 1989, when the opportunity arose to join FANUC, it was obvious that robots were going to proliferate automotive paint shops. Not so obvious, was how they would proliferate all phases of manufacturing.”
Ed spent 20 years of his career at FANUC America as robots emerged as the leading technology in automotive paint shops. He began as a Paint Process Engineer, straddled engineering and sales as a Proposal Engineer, and eventually moved into a full sales role as Paint Shop Automation Sales Account Manager.
Ed was hit by the shock wave of the recession in 2009 when nearly two decades at FANUC ended with a lay off. “I was very fortunate to quickly find a challenging contract program management role and spent the next 10 months supporting the construction and commissioning of a glass manufacturing plant for a solar panel start-up, in Mesa, Arizona.” Ed recounts. “Not an ideal location to spend July and August unless you’re a cactus, but a great way to recover confidence after career upheaval.”
When that project ended, Ed returned up north, and it was then that Ed joined the team at Patti Engineering. “I worked with Sam in a business development/sales role with Patti Engineering, focusing primarily on SCADA Systems, PLC and HMI Control System updates and modifications, IT hardware and engineering services,” Ed recalls. “My time at Patti Engineering was short, but the generosity of the company to include me and the competency of the engineering and support staff made me a life-long fan and later, a satisfied customer of Patti Engineering.”
After his tenure at Patti Engineering, Ed spent some time at Kawasaki Robotics. His mission was to gain back Ford business that Kawasaki had lost to FANUC. “This was a career growth opportunity that significantly stretched my previous experience base,” Ed says. “Over the course of my time with Kawasaki, many of the daily business operations were added to my list of functions, including customer service, spare parts, inventory control, logistics, purchasing and training.” Ed’s hard work paid off – the team secured major orders from Ford, the first significant order that Kawasaki had received from Ford North America in over 16 years.
In the midst of that success, a year ago, Ed returned to FANUC America under heart-breaking circumstances. “The man that recruited me to come to FANUC in 1989 passed away unexpectedly, from a brain aneurysm. Keith Torp was my brother-in-law, mentor, competitor and lifelong friend. He was also the long-time Director of Sales for AC/GI Paint at FANUC and a fierce competitor in our industry. Shortly after Keith passed, FANUC inquired if I would consider returning, in Keith’s role. At first, I struggled with the decision. Over the previous 5 years I’d spent my time strategizing to compete with FANUC and to protect the business I had from being taken. I had a lot invested in that effort but it was exhausting! After discussion with my family, Keith’s family, and some trusted advisors, I made the decision to return.”
When asked about the current challenges in the paint shop automation industry, Ed cites the need for technology that can generate a robot program based on a 3D image of a part. This technology would allow robotic automotive paint booths to process hundreds of different parts without having to program the robot for each one, and greatly expand the size of the market.
Ed and his wife, Rebecca, have two adult children – both were business majors. Alex is a Kalamzoo College graduate with a minor in Spanish. He now is a program manager for the Electrical Division at Lear Corporation in Southfield, MI. Cameron graduated from Western Michigan’s Supply Chain Management program with a minor in business analytics. He’s now a buyer and material planner for SunMed, a durable medical equipment company.
A life-long resident of Michigan, Ed and his wife have traveled extensively throughout their beloved state, but only this month did they take their first vacation in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula!
Ed offers some advice he has learned throughout his successful career, “Remember what you learned in kindergarten. Be reliable, responsible and respectful, and everything else will fall into place. Good employees make everyone’s job a lot better.”
