Methods Machine Tools appoints key management

Precision machine tools and automation supplier Methods Machine Tools Inc., Sudbury, Massachusetts, has made two key management appointments. Company President Jerry Rex has been named president and CEO, and Dale Hedberg has been promoted to vice president of operations.

Rex has been president of Methods since April 2017 and prior to that, was Methods' chief operating officer.

"Methods is pleased to appoint Jerry as president and CEO. With his strong skill set, machine tool industry knowledge, and energetic management approach, we are looking forward to moving the company ahead through his continued leadership, positioning Methods as the industry's leading supplier of machine tool technology and automation for our customers throughout North America," said Scott McIver, Methods chairman and 3rd-generation owner.

Rex has an extensive amount of machine tool industry and leadership experience, including hands-on manufacturing, engineering, sales, and executive management. He served for many years as a board member of AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology and as chairman of the board of directors of AMT until April 1, 2016. He has carried the Certified Manufacturing Technology Sales Engineer (CMTSE) designation since 1997 and remains an active committee member.

Spanning 40 years, Rex’s manufacturing career began with a machinist position at GE Locomotive and he steadily rose from roles in engineering and applications to production and sales management, and executive positions at manufacturers and machine tool organizations. Before joining Methods, he served as executive vice president of Concept Machine Tools, Minneapolis, Minneapolis. Prior to that, Rex was president of Hegman Machinery LLC, a Morris Group Company, from 2013 to 2015. For the 20 years prior, he held roles including president of Morris South (Charlotte, North Carolina), vice president of Gosiger Inc. (Dayton, Ohio) and Regional Manager of J&H Machine Tools (Richmond, Virginia).

Methods’ Dale Hedberg has been promoted from director/national product manager to vice president of operations. Hedberg is now responsible for all of Methods' operations including production, shipping/receiving, inside sales, trade shows, and continuous improvement. A machine tool industry veteran, Hedberg has been a Methods' employee for nearly 20 years in engineering positions, and most recently as product manager for a high-performance CNC machining line. Prior to Methods, Hedberg was production manager at a tooling systems company for 10 years.

"Dale's proven skills for strategically managing Methods' product lines and a deep knowledge of Methods' infrastructure, as well as his extensive machine tool experience, made his promotion to vice president of operations a logical one," Rex said. "He will play a key role on our management team."