Katlin Pennison Takes Key Role at Compass Operating Company
Oldsmar, FL – November 29, 2022 – Compass Precision, a Charlotte-based manufacturer of custom, close-tolerance metal components for mission critical applications, announced Tuesday that Katlin Pennison has joined R&D Machine in Oldsmar, FL as the company’s new Operations Manager.
“Our operations manager positions are vital number two roles behind the president or general manager at each of our companies,” explained Compass CEO Gary Holcomb. “At Douglas and Strom, multiple people fill this role. But everywhere else, we have a solid number two. Now we have filled this position at R&D.”
Katlin comes to R&D Machine from Nemak Global USA’s operation in Sylacauga, AL where she worked for Justin Kovscek, R&D’s Vice President & General Manager. Justin joined R&D in May 2022. Nemak Global is a manufacturer of metal components and subassemblies for the auto industry.
“Can’t say enough how happy I am to be working with Katlin again,” said Justin. “She moved quickly through the ranks at Nemak, rising from process engineer to supervisor to production manager in little over three years. Her background and experiences are a good fit with us.”
Originally from Alaska, Katlin moved to the Lower 48 for college at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ. After graduating with a BS in Aerospace Engineering in 2013, she worked for firearms manufacturer Sturm, Ruger & Co in Prescott for six years before moving with her family to Alabama to join Nemak. While at Sturm, Ruger, she worked as a process engineer, then became lean department supervisor.
“I really enjoy working in manufacturing and love all aspects of machining,” stated Katlin. “I grew up in a family of pilots and have always had a love of aviation. At R&D, I’m very excited to be able to be involved in both.”
Katlin, her husband Leo, and their son Kayden are moving to the Tampa area from their home in Riverside, AL.
Katlin joins R&D Machine as the company nears the end of its first calendar year of ownership by Compass Precision. Compass was founded in 2019 by Gary Holcomb and two private equity partners based upon the simultaneous purchase of three precision CNC machining companies in North Carolina – Advanced Machining & Tooling (Salisbury, NC), Quality Products & Machine (Charlotte, NC); and Tri-Tec Industries (Charlotte, NC). Compass added Gray Manufacturing Technologies (Denver, NC) to the fold in August 2020, then acquired Douglas Machining Services (Winona, MN) in March 2021. Compass purchased R&D Machine in April 2022, then added Strom Manufacturing (North Plains, OR) in July 2022, bringing its number of operating companies to seven.
Like its sister operating companies, R&D Machine competes based on differentiated CNC machining capabilities. The company has extensive 5-axis milling capacity along with state-of-the-art coordinate measuring machines for automated dimensional inspection. R&D also has lathes and 4-axis mills. Using computer models of customer parts, the company expertly programs both the cutting tool paths needed to machine these components and the CMM’s to automatically measure every dimension.
R&D Machine specializes in producing intricate and custom metal components for blue chip customers in aerospace, defense, and space markets. The firm operates from an 10,000-square-foot facility in Oldsmar, FL, serving both local and Florida-based customers as well as clients scattered through the US. The company is home to nine 5-axis vertical machining centers, three 4-axis VMC’s, seven lathes (two with Y-axis, live tooling), and three coordinate measuring machines.
R&D’s quality system is certified to the ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D standards. This system ensures each customer receives machined components which dimensionally meet their part specifications and are finished correctly. The company’s customers can use their machined parts for further assembly without any additional work or inspection.
For more information about R&D Machine and Compass Precision, please contact Gary Holcomb, Compass CEO at [email protected].