Manufacturing Technology
Dr. Padu Ramasundaram
Corp. Director, Technology - RTI International Metals, Inc.

Padu Ramasundaram joined RTI International Metals in 2008.  In his current role as Corp. Director, Technology, he is responsible for maturing new manufacturing technologies into production as well as leading process capability improvement and cost reduction initiatives at RTI’s various business units, utilizing six-sigma and physics-based problem solving approaches.  Prior to joining RTI, Ramasundaram worked in a variety of different roles at Wyman Gordon Forgings, Houston for 12 years.  His background includes forging process development for nickel-based super-alloys and titanium alloys, thermo-mechanical processing / microstructure correlation, deformation modeling, product engineering, continuous improvement and operations management.

Ramasundaram obtained his Ph. D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Ohio State University where his research focused on the fatigue and fracture behavior of high temperature inter-metallic materials.  He received his MBA from the University of Phoenix in 2007.  He is also a certified and practicing six-sigma black-belt, and has undergone training in the principles and application of lean manufacturing and the theory of constraints.

Green Blue Machining of Titanium
Mr. Dan Schiller
Chief Operating Officer -   Cool Clean Technologies Inc.

Mr. Schiller is the Chief Operating Officer of Cool Clean Technologies Inc., the world’s largest provider of CO2 systems for cooling of titanium machining operations and CO2 cleaning applications for the aerospace, medical, energy and transportation markets.  Mr. Schiller has 25 years of experience in the specialty metals machining industry in various capacities in firms such as 3M, BMC, and others. 

Mr. Schiller holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of North Dakota and a MBA from the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota.


Military/Defense
Mr. Gus Gustin
Director Military Ground Systems and Marine - TIMET, Titanium Metals Corporation

Gus Gustin is currently Director Sales, Military Land Systems and Marine of TIMET, Titanium Metals Corporation (NYSE:TIE) and based in the Operational headquarters in Exton, Pennsylvania.  He joined TIMET in August, 1997 after working 21 years at Lukens Steel Company where he held various sales, purchasing and management positions.  

Gus received his B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point,New York in 1971.  He served as a commissioned officer in the Field Artillery for five years.



Surface Treatment & Conditioning
Dr. Nori Minakawa
Senior Director, Technical Business Development
RTI International Metals, Inc.

Dr. Nori Minakawa is currently the Senior Director for Technical Business Development at RTI International Metals, Inc., and has been with the company since April 2005. His over 25 years career in Titanium Technology includes: development of titanium alloys and titanium aluminide, commercialization of products, development of manufacturing process, and technical marketing for aerospace and non-aerospace applications.  He has authored and co-authored over 50 research papers and over 20 patents in the field of Titanium Technology.


Influences on Titanium Supply and Demand within the Medical Supply Chain
Mr. Brian M. Brandstetter
Manager, Marketing - Perryman Company 

Mr. Brandstetter has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Valparaiso University (1982) and an M.B.A. from Northern Illinois University (1985).  He has held a variety of marketing management positions within the specialty metals and titanium industries for nearly 25 years.  Brian joined Perryman Company in 2008.  Perryman Company is a vertically integrated producer of specialty titanium products serving customers in the aerospace, medical, consumer, and recreation markets.

The Evolution of Supply-Chain Security for Critical Materials to Support the Defense Industrial Base
Mrs. Dawne S. Hickton
Vice Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President

Dawne S. Hickton is Vice Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of RTI International Metals, Inc., one of the world’s largest producers of titanium mill products, and an advanced manufacturer and distributor of fabricated titanium products and engineered systems for the aerospace, industrial, defense, and energy markets.  Ms. Hickton was named Vice Chairman and CEO on April 27, 2007, President on October 20, 2009, and has served as a member of RTI’s board since 2007.

Ms. Hickton has over 26 years of diversified metals experience, starting her career at U.S. Steel Corporation, and including more than 13 years in the titanium industry spanning several business cycles.

Hickton is also a Director of FNB Corporation, where she serves on the compensation committee and the corporate governance and nominating committee.  She is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Titanium Association.  And she serves as a member of the Executive Committee for the Aerospace Industries Association. She serves on the advisory board of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Institute for Regenerative Medicine and is a member of the University of Pittsburgh’s Board of Trustees serving on the Risk and Compliance and the Student Affairs Committees.

She is a 1979 graduate of the University of Rochester and received her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Law in 1983.  Hickton resides in Pittsburgh with her husband, David, and their children.


Industrial
Mr. Rob Henson
Manager, Business Development
Uniti Titanium

Rob Henson is the Manager of Business Development for Uniti Titanium. He began serving Uniti Titanium in  2003 as manager of seamless tubular products and is now working on global business development and marketing for all Uniti products. Mr. Henson has worked in the specialty metals industry for over 30 years in various capacities. Most of his tenure has been at ATI Wah Chang in Sales and Marketing working on process industry applications for reactive metals. He has given many presentations on material selection, and has been published in technical journals.


Aerospace Materials & Processes
Dr. Yoji Kosaka
Manager, Metallurgy - Henderson Technical Laboratory,  TIMET, Titanium Metals Corporation

Dr. Kosaka graduated from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, and holds BE, ME and Doctor of Engineering degrees in Metallurgy and Materials Science. He has worked in the Research and Development of metallic materials including steel and titanium for approximately 30 years, and has been employed in the US titanium industry for nearly 20 years. Currently, he is Manager of Metallurgy at TIMET’s Henderson Technical Laboratory.

Dr. Kosaka’s expertise includes microstructural control, alloy development, mechanical property-microstructure relationships and thermo-mechanical processing. He has authored more than 50 papers and holds 6 US patents.


Machining of Titanium
Mr. Thomas J. Grasson
Associate Publisher/Editorial Director - GIE Media Inc.

Tom joined GIE Media Inc. in June of 2005 as Chief Editor of Today’s Medical Developments. In his current position as Associate Publisher and Editorial Director of Aerospace Manufacturing and Design, Today’s Medical Developments and Today’s Energy Solutions, he manages a staff of four editors and is responsible for all editorial content in the publications, websites and e-newsletters. Prior to joining GIE Media, Tom was employed at Penton Media Inc. as Editorial Director for American Machinist, Cutting Technology, and Welding Design & Fabrication. He has won numerous awards for his articles and editorials from ASBPE both on a regional and national level. In addition, Tom has given talks on major manufacturing issues to various organizations and businesses such as AMT, the UAW and TIMTOF just to name a few.

Before entering the publishing business, Tom worked in manufacturing for nearly 30 yrs. He began his career in manufacturing as an industrial engineer for TRW Inc. where he was employed for 25 yrs. His career path took him into a variety of positions which included manufacturing manager, operations manager, and plant manager.

Tom holds a BS degree in Industrial Management from Purdue University and a MBA from Michigan State University.


Supply Chain Management
Mr. Michael Skorija
Director – Global Supply Chain Management - RTI International Metals

Michael Skorija joined RTI International Metals as Director-Global Supply Chain Management in April  2007 with the Charter to Structure a Customer Centric Integrated Supply Chain that enables RTI to be recognized as a valued supplier of choice.

Skorija began his career with 10 years at IBM serving as Senior Methods Engineer and Program Manager.  Since then, Skorija held titles such as Director of Operations Western Hemisphere and Global Supply Chain Director.  These positions gave him the opportunity for international assignments and the ability to hone his project management and process improvement skills.

Skorija believes on staying current in supply chain concerns and has been published twice in recent years.   An article entitled "The Right Inventory at the Right Time" in the July 2006 edition of The Manufacturer, elaborated on best practices for controlling inventory utilization.  In the US Business Review April 2007, an article "Back to Basics in a Growing Global Economy" will enable readers to get moving in the right direction by focusing on key objectives rather than being frozen in the chaos of multiple strategies and global concerns.  Skorija has a Bachelor's of Science in Electrical Engineering as well as a Bachelor's of Science in Industrial Engineering.  He holds a Certified Production and Inventory Management credential through the Association for Production and Inventory Control Society.


Powder Metallurgy
Dr. Colin McCracken
Technical Director - Reading Alloys An AMETEK Company

Colin McCracken gained his B.Sc., M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Metallurgy from Brunel University of West London, UK in 1992. Colin then joined AVX Ltd - Tantalum Division as a Development Engineer working on capacitor grade tantalum powders and left AVX Ltd in 2005 as Head of R&D. Colin then moved to the US to join Reading Alloys Inc as Development Manager - Powder Products working on both electronic materials and titanium powders. In late 2010 Colin became the Director of Product and Market Development at Reading Alloys, an Ametek Company, with overall technical responsibilities for both the metal powders and master alloys in two Ametek manufacturing locations. Colin is currently a joint author on several patent applications for electronic materials, and has presented technical papers on titanium powder production at powder metallurgy conferences both in the US and in Europe.


Welding of Titanium
Ian D. Harris
Director, AMC and Technology Leader, Arc Welding - EWI

B.Sc. (Honors), Metallurgy, University of Surrey, England M.Sc. Welding Engineering, The Ohio State University Ph.D. Welding Engineering, Cranfield University, England Dr. Harris has over 28 years experience with applied research and consulting, specializing in gas shielded arc welding gas metal arc (particularly pulsed) welding (GMAW), gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), and plasma arc welding (PAW) processes. He has authored over 100 reports and published papers on arc welding, many involving welding of titanium, stainless steels, and nickel-based alloys.. As a Technology Leader Ian is responsible for EWI’s entire arc welding business, and technology growth. As Director, Additive Manufacturing Consortium (AMC) Dr. Harris is responsible for developing and leading the consortium and developing business for the AMC. The AMC has been built into a group with 22 members from industry, government and academia and focuses on the need to increase the manufacturing readiness of metals additive manufacturing, particularly in the aerospace and defense industry. He is a U.S. citizen. Professional

Affiliations; International Institute of Welding (IIW)
• U.S. Technical Expert to IIW Commission XII, "Arc Welding Processes" • Chairman, IIW Select Commission, Aerospace American Welding Society (AWS) – Handbook Chairman for AWS Welding Handbook Volume


Automotive
Mr. Mitja Mahnic, M.Sc
Project Manager
Akrapovic d.d.

Mitja Mahnic is currently employed as a project manager in the Research and Development Department at the Akrapovic Company (Slovenia), which produces automotive and motorcycle exhaust systems. He is in charge for the development of the motorcycle exhaust system for some of the OEM partners (BMW, …). Mahnic joined Akrapovic in 2008 after being employed at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Ljubljana for six years, where he worked as a researcher and assistant. He finished his master degree in 2008 with a dissertation on optimizing material parameters for simulations at elevated test speeds.


World Industry Supply Trends
Mr. Henry S. Seiner
Vice President – Planning and Materials, Titanium Metals Corporation

Mr. Seiner, TIMET's Vice President of Planning and Materials, oversees Raw Materials globally through management of the Purchasing and Production Planning organizations.  In this role, he has excellent visibility into both ends of TIMET's supply chain as well as the responsibility to satisfy demand for mill products and to secure the materials required in the most cost effective manner.
 
Henry is based in TIMET's Toronto, OH facility -- which is geographically and structurally in the middle of TIMET's global supply chain.  He has held various positions in Production Planning, Manufacturing, Purchasing and Marketing in his 20 year tenure at TIMET.
 
Prior to coming to TIMET, Henry spent six years at U. S. Steel Corporation in Sales, Marketing and Production Planning.  His educational background includes a Masters Degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA and a Bachelors Degree from Duke University in Durham, NC.   Henry is a native of Pittsburgh and continues to reside in Western Pennsylvania with his wife and two children.


Machining & Tooling
Mr. Stephen A. Ortiz
Global Marketing Director – ATI Stellram

A journeyman toolmaker with 33 years experience in the Metal Cutting and Metal Forming industries. Extensive senior management level experience in international sales, marketing communication and product management, specializing in product portfolio optimization involving multiple brands and sales channel optimization. This experience includes an international assignment in Europe leading the product portfolio rationalization and optimization of two major and merging cutting tool companies. Other expertise includes the “concept to commercialization” process for new product introductions, new business development ventures, brand rationalization and market positioning.  Steve has a B.S.; Biochemistry; Michigan State University and his M.B.A.; University of Michigan.

ATI Stellram, a metalcutting and metal finishing technology leader, is an operating unit within the Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI) group of Companies. ATI is a leading producer of speciality metals including titanium and titanium alloys, nickel-based alloys and superalloys, stainless steels and specialty steels, zirconium, hafnium, niobium, powder metals, grain-oriented silicon electrical steel and tool steels and tungsten and tungsten carbide based products.


New Manufacturing
Dr. Andy Woodfield
Consulting Engineer, Titanium - GE Aviation

Dr. Woodfield graduated with a PhD from Birmingham University, UK, in 1985.  In 1988 he was hired by GE Aviation and has been working in Titanium Alloy and Process Development since that time, becoming a Consulting Engineer in 2003.  He is a prominent member of the Jet Engine Titanium Quality Committee (JETQC), and is leading the technical team at GE focused on meltless titanium.


Commercial Aerospace
Mr. Wade Leach
Vice President  Sales, Marketing, and Product  Management
ATI Allvac
 
Wade Leach joined ATI Allvac in August 1983 as a Product Engineer after graduating from North Carolina State University with degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Engineering.  In September of 1985 he joined ATI Allvac’s Sales Department as an Inside Salesperson and transitioned to Field Sales for the Southeastern United States in January of 1986.  In April of 1988, Wade moved to the Los Angeles area to become Western Regional Sales Manager.   Wade was promoted to Plant Manager of ATI Allvac’s South Boston, Virginia, facility in October 1992.  In that role he oversaw a significant expansion of the plant and successfully led the effort to increase the business and product offerings of that facility.  In September 1996, he was named General Manager of Tool Steel Products for both ATI Allvac and ATI Allegheny Ludlum.  In August 1998, he became Director of Long-term Agreements for ATI Allvac and added the responsibilities for Product Management in August 2000.  Wade was appointed Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Product Management in February 2006.  In that role Wade’s responsibilities include the US-based field and inside sales groups, product management, and long-term agreements with ATI Allvac’s customers.  He has a B.S. Mechanical Engineering, North Carolina State University.