NOVI, Mich. – Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc., parent company of Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc., has appointed Ronald Frisbie to vice president of North American operations, effective May 4. In his new position, Frisbie will oversee the company’s North American operations. Frisbie reports to Bill Pumphrey, senior vice president and president of North America, and is based at the company’s North American headquarters in Novi, Michigan.
Frisbie replaced Michael Summers, who was appointed to a newly created position of vice president of operation excellence. Summers is responsible for the implementation of best business practices across Cooper Standard’s global organization, driving standardization and optimizing the company’s capital investments and inventory levels. Summers reports directly to Keith Stephenson, chief operating officer.
“As a seasoned operations executive with more than 35 years of diverse product, process and lean experience, Ron will make a great addition to the Cooper Standard executive team,” said Pumphrey. “His skill set and impressive track record will help us further improve and innovate our business systems and continue driving our commitment to world-class global operations. We are also pleased to announce Mike’s new position, as he has made significant progress in our North American operations and we are excited to have him oversee the company’s best business practices across our global footprint.”
Frisbie brings extensive operational expertise, including more than 20 years of automotive industry experience, to his new role at Cooper Standard. At Visteon Corp., he held various director positions in a number of business units, most recently serving as the director, global total value management. Earlier, he spent 21 years at Ford Motor Co. where he held roles in the United States, Canada, Mexico and England. Prior to his departure from Ford, he was responsible for all aspects of a Shingo Prize-winning UAW plant and achieved record level improvements in cycle time and cost reduction through lean manufacturing techniques.
He most recently served as executive vice president, global operations at CareFusion, where he was responsible for world-wide manufacturing operations across multiple manufacturing sites and distribution centers. Previously, he held operational positions within the medical, and oil and gas industries at Smiths Medical, Vetco-Gray and Medtronic. Frisbie started his career at Atlantic Richfield Co. as a process design engineer.
Frisbie earned his Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering degrees from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University in East Lansing.
