Proterra, an innovator in heavy-duty electric transportation, has announced that Josh Ensign has joined its management team as chief operating officer. A military veteran and former executive of Honeywell International and Tesla Motors, Ensign’s track record includes leading global operations for 42 factories in 15 countries and managing the supporting supply chains. Ensign will support Proterra’s next phase of strategic growth by scaling existing operations at Proterra’s Greenville, South Carolina, facility and bringing its Los Angeles County facility and battery manufacturing operations online in early 2017. Under Ensign’s leadership, Proterra expects to triple production in its East Coast facility and initiate production in Southern California in 2017.
“Mass transit in North America represents a $3 billion market opportunity, and my top priority will be to help Proterra establish a competitive U.S. manufacturing presence to meet market demand and to support the industry’s transition to an all-electric future,” said Ensign.
As vice president of manufacturing at Tesla Motors, Ensign was responsible for all manufacturing activities at the Fremont, California, production site. This included the installation of the current Model S high volume production line, the launch of both the dual-motor platform and the Model X, and the establishment of Tesla’s new seat manufacturing facility. Before Tesla, Ensign led global operations in Honeywell International’s automotive and aerospace businesses. Ensign has extensive functional experience in supply chain, logistics, purchasing and manufacturing and has lived and operated abroad in Germany, Mexico, China and Switzerland.
“Keeping pace with mounting customer demand is a tall order, but we are confident in Ensign’s ability to lead Proterra’s operations through this high-growth period. We are very pleased to have him at the helm of Catalyst vehicle production,” said Ryan Popple, CEO of Proterra. “His operational expertise is exactly what Proterra needs to bring the Catalyst mainstream and to maintain our pursuit of a clean, diesel-free future.”
