Nikon AM Synergy Inc., the engineering and services division of Nikon Advanced Manufacturing (Nikon AM), has announced the appointment of its new CEO, Jesse Lea.
Lea brings over 30 years of experience in leadership positions across the manufacturing sector, including President of Rapid Product Development Group, which was acquired by 3D Systems under his leadership. Most recently, Lea served as Director of Business Development at UPTIVE’s rapid injection tooling and moulding division.
Lea takes over the role from David McKee who is set to retire at the end of July. Hamid Zarringhalam, Nikon AM CEO, thanked McKee for his contributions and welcomed Lea’s appointment, commenting Lea would “add significant value in supporting Nikon’s holistic value proposition in industrial scaling using advanced manufacturing.”
Lea said, “Building on the tremendous efforts and accomplishments of the Nikon AM Synergy and Nikon Advanced Manufacturing team, we are well-positioned to capture the critical opportunity that domestic additive manufacturing represents in the marketplace to address the needs of our defense and commercial customer base. I am honored to have the chance to work with this talented group utilizing cutting-edge Nikon technology to drive advanced manufacturing forward.”
Nikon AM Synergy was established last year as part of a strategic reorganisation of Nikon’s Morf3D Inc. subsidiary, acquired a year prior, to support its advanced manufacturing business strategy. The metal additive manufacturing specialist was relaunched under Nikon AM Synergy Inc. and operates out of Nikon's 90,000-square-foot AM Technology Center in Long Beach, California.
Major General Brett Williams (Retired USAF), Chairman of the Board of Nikon AM Synergy commented, “The United States is focused on addressing critical gaps in the Defense Industrial Base, which are key to national security and global order. Advanced manufacturing plays a key role in all branches of defense, and Jesse will develop and solidify Nikon AM Synergy operations to fully support its clients and partners to achieve their mission-critical goals.”
