A former Marine and shop-floor production worker, Beck spent 35 years at Honeywell-Bull Electronics, ultimately serving as president, and several more years at EMC, before arriving at Spaulding Composites in March 1997. At Spaulding he has led an expansion of product development efforts in ceramics, composite, and fabrication technologies, integrated three previously autonomous facilities, and decreased production time, among other accomplishments. After attending night school for 17 years, he received a B.S. in industrial management from Northeastern University and an M.B.A. from Babson College.
Attracting and keeping good engineering talent is a critical success factor today, and that's one of a leader's challenges, Beck says.
Design News: Are the costs for producing composites coming down?
Beck: Costs for carbon fibers are coming down as supply and demand have been increasing. Once fluctuations have leveled off in the worldwide shortage of commercial-grade carbon fibers, we anticipate and have seen new commercial applications. For more traditional composites, such as glass-reinforced plastics, advancements in materials processing technologies allow us to maintain, and, in some instances, reduce cost for certain applications.
Q: Are any new processes or technologies in the works that will help bring this about?
A: We are constantly evaluating new processes and technologies that will help drive down the cost of composites while maintaining performance. We not only look at new technologies to decrease cost and improve performance of existing applications, but also new processes to produce the same parts cheaper and faster. There are several technologies that we expect will enable us to produce more with the same amount of labor. We have, in fact, added a third shift.
Q: Are advanced composites moving out of traditional areas, such as aerospace, into other industries?
A: They are moving into many areas. Military contractors have begun to seek commercial-grade composite materials as they tighten their budgets. Rocket motor casings, for example. There are emerging medical applications, too. As a NEMA-grade manufacturer, we are well positioned for this transition.
Q: Sheet-molded composites (SMC) are making big inroads in the automotive arena. Will they become equally successful in other industries?
A: We are looking at several applications for SMCs, and for resin transfer molding (RTM). The automotive industry is investigating RTM because of its higher production rates. The medical industry is investigating SMCs.
Q: What new processes or materials will come on the scene in the near future?
A: Spaulding is now producing braid-reinforced composites to both decrease the directional dependence of a composite, as well as to reinforce the composite structure only and exactly where needed, reducing cost. Composite bearings and bushings are now available as a result of this technology. We can produce foam-cored sandwich composites inexpensively for several applications. We are experimenting with the use of prepregged fiber tows for our filament winding operations that will allow faster processing speed with virtually zero waste, yet higher quality and reduced clean up. Other areas of interest include liquid cryogen applications and reverse osmosis.
Q: Which geographical region holds the most potential for Spaulding's sales growth?
A: International markets have the greatest opportunity for Spaulding products. Many OEMs are constructing plants in foreign countries, such as Mexico, or forging alliances with international manufacturers to create global products. As a component supplier of composite materials and high-quality, fabricated industrial parts, Spaulding is engaging in an aggressive assault on international markets. Specific markets include South America, Mexico, Europe, and Asia for our reverse osmosis water purification products. Our international sales manager recently accompanied a delegation from New Hampshire, including the state's governor, on a trade mission to the United Kingdom seeking new business and trade alliances.
Q: What strengths do you look for in new engineers?
A: Today's engineers not only need to have technical proficiency, but must understand how technology fits into the business equation. Spaulding's growth comes from answering the needs of our customers. Those needs are both technical and business driven. Engineers must respond with creative solutions that not only address our clients' technical criteria, but also fit their business needs as well, such as a delivery timetable or better cost-performance ratio. Spaulding engineers develop new composite material technologies and manufacturing processes, as well as interface with the customer directly. Hence, they must have a positive can-do attitude and high energy to handle the demanding multi-disciplinary assignments.
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