Summit Aviation Manufacturing in Kernersville is on the move to a new home just down the road in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The move, which is currently wrapping up, will land the company smack dab in the middle of a growing area of aviation and closer to many of its customers. Summit will gain an additional 19k square feet of space compared to its current location. The 49k square- feet facility features an open floor plan and allows the company to create an optimal flow for lean manufacturing.
“We are extremely excited about this move,” said Summit’s Greensboro Director of Manufacturing Garrett Wishon. “The increased space provides us with the opportunity to expand our capabilities and add new machinery. This will allow us to produce parts that we haven’t been capable of for our customers before.”
Wishon added one example of the added machinery is a new 4 x 12-foot 5-Axis mill. It will allow Summit technicians to machine landing gear, leading edges, wing spars, etc. up to 12 feet long. Noting it will be a game-changer for them.
A ribbon-cutting at the new location will be held in the fall.
As we transition to our new location, we’re also really excited about some leadership changes in the area of quality control. Without further ado, we’d like to welcome Preston Lashley as our new Manufacturing Quality Manager for both North Carolina and Kentucky facilities.
Andy Bullock has done an amazing job in this position since 2013, but as Andy looks forward to retirement in early July, Preston is stepping into his Quality Control shoes and making the role his own.
Preston brings around 15 years and an absolute wealth of quality control experience to the role, with a demonstrated history of working in different industries, including at companies like Gilbarco Veeder-Root, Salem One, Inc., RotoMetrics, Kaba ADS Americas, and Narricot Industries. He’s skilled in DMAIC, Value Stream Mapping, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), ISO/TS 16949, and Operational Excellence.
As our Manufacturing Quality Manager, Preston will facilitate root cause corrective action investigations. He’ll ensure both facilities are compliant to internal procedures and compliant with the AS9100 standard.
He’s looking forward to integrating himself deep into the pride we already have in our quality of work here at Summit.
“I look forward to the new challenges that arise every day to help Summit grow by improving the quality of the products/parts we produce,” he said.
Welcome, Preston!
Matthew Shepherd comes to us with more than 20 years experiencing in manufacturing leadership, and we’re excited to welcome him to our Kentucky team!
His career has brought him through senior production management and industrial engineering at Hitachi, manufacturing management at Kyosan Denso Manufacturing, and operations management at Dr. Schneider Unternehmensgruppe.
As our Kentucky facility’s Director of Manufacturing, he’ll oversee the manufacture of products, ensuring production performance and quality standards are met. He’ll work with each department to ensure a quality product on time at a competitive price.
We’re as glad to have him as he is to be here.
“The people here at Summit Aviation Manufacturing are a great team to work with. I’m very impressed with the team’s product knowledge, fabrication skill and dedication to making the Kentucky Summit Aviation plant best in case. I am very thankful for the opportunity the executive team has given me at the Kentucky facility.”
When he’s not at work, Matthew enjoys spending time with his family, UK sports “Go Cats”, traveling and the outdoors. He is an active member in his church, where he volunteers for missionary work.
Welcome, Matthew!
Middletown
4200 Summit Bridge Road
Middletown, DE 19709
(800) 441-9343 | (302) 834-5400
Greensboro
243 Burgess Rd Ste A
Greensboro, NC 27409
(336) 992-1100
