Forbo's Hoffman to retire in February

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C.—Wayne E. Hoffman has spent 46 years in the industrial rubber products industry and experienced virtually every possible high and low the sector can dish out.

Each experience has been a new adventure for the longtime veteran—and sometimes another obstacle to overcome. But he admitted he has enjoyed each and every one of those experiences.

Hoffman has finally decided to hang up his gloves in February—not because it has been mandated by his employer of the last 24 years, Forbo Siegling L.L.C.—but because he figures it is time to retire to St. Augustine, Fla., with his wife, Karen. Hoffman disclosed his plans at the recent NIBA—the Belting Association meeting held in Indianapolis.

He will be replaced as president of Forbo Siegling's North American region by Bob Ciurczak, who has 26 years of experience, primarily with the Schneider Electric Group, in different industries relevant to Forbo Siegling's business both on the original equipment and end user sides.

"My career has reflected the many ups and downs in the industry," Hoffman said in a recent interview. "But that goes with any career." For him personally, the executive said, "it has been mostly ups."

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Hoffman headed off to the University of Akron after high school in his quest to become an engineer. He worked the overnight shift at an aluminum company while going to school full time to earn his degree and graduate in 1971.

Hoffman quickly landed a position as an industrial engineer at B.F. Goodrich Co. in Akron. "It was a tremendous learning experience," he said, adding that BFG's Akron complex was a city within a city.

"I was at BFG during the Hey MAC (Make Akron Competitive) days of the early 1970s, a time when the entire Akron complex was trying to address its ability to compete against more modern facilities, which were often located in the Southern section of the U.S.," he recalled.

"The Akron complex was huge, employed over 10,000 and produced everything from tires to golf balls to rubber bands to conveyor belts, industrial hoses and fire hoses," he said. "There was also a growing aerospace division. It was an amazing place."

BFG's V-belts department was the first large operation that the company relocated south, setting up the business in Elgin, S.C., in 1972. That set the stage for Hoffman to transfer to the site as a young engineer, with hopes of being part of something new and big.

He said he had no fear that the giant Akron operation would be relocated or sold business by business, which eventually happened. The opportunity of a new professional adventure lured him to Elgin, Hoffman said.

His job was to help launch the company's newest factory at the time. He remained there until 1982 when he was promoted to plant manager, responsible for modernizing the firm's industrial hose manufacturing facility in Salisbury, N.C.

After 15 years with BFG, Hoffman left the company to manage KRC Inc., an industrial hose manufacturing business, at the beginning of 1986. He stayed with KRC until August 1990 when he became marketing manager for Scandura Belting Co., which would later become part of Fenner Dunlop Americas Inc.

"My career in conveyor belting really began in August 1990," Hoffman said. "I had spent approximately 10 years in V-belt manufacturing and 10 years in industrial hose manufacturing, so in hindsight transitioning to marketing in conveyor belting was clearly a watershed moment."

In March 1993, Hoffman left Scandura and moved on to Siegling America Inc., where he soon was named vice president of finance. He became president of the company on Jan. 1, 1995, and was promoted to president of the Americas with added responsibilities for Mexico and South America in 1996, posts he has held until today.

Forbo acquired Siegling in 1994 but did not change its name to Forbo Siegling L.L.C., the U.S. arm of Switzerland-based Forbo International S.A., until 2007.

Looking at the industry today compared to his early years in the rubber products business, Hoffman said that a common thread for him is that while there seems to be constant change today in the sector, it's no more so than it was in the early 1970s.

"The big difference today is that the industry is global, and companies are competing on a much broader scale," he said. Back in the 1970s, firms were attempting to remake themselves as American operations, Hoffman noted.

In the 1980s, he said, "we were all worried we'd be working for Japanese companies with the appetite they demonstrated through U.S. acquisitions. Further, the 1980s were marked by significant factory closures in the U.S., particularly Northern U.S. operations. Whole industrial manufacturing operations were being closed at an unprecedented rate.

"By the 1990s, manufacturing companies were making large investments in computers with little or no benefits, but focused on the new reality of developing global competition. Manufacturing was growing much faster in Asia and Mexico than in the U.S."

In the 2000s, computers finally began to provide realistic support of business systems and the sophistication of reporting advanced rapidly, Hoffman said. "It was a period where management learned more quantitative information about their individual operations than they ever imagined."

He noted that Forbo Siegling has changed along the way, "but because we've always used very advanced technology, our ability to support our expanding customer base has improved. I personally have learned a lot of lessons along the way managing through this sea of change."

In his long career, Hoffman experienced his greatest difficulties in late 2008 when the global financial system collapsed and, even though Forbo Siegling enjoyed a broad market base of customers, the rapid economic decline impacted companies across the board tremendously, he said. "Developing strategy very quickly to ensure ongoing success was more than demanding facing such unprecedented unknowns in a short period of time."

On the flip side, his best experiences came in 2001 when he was president of both Forbo Siegling and NIBA—in which he has been very active over the years—at the same time. "That was personally very gratifying, but also tremendously time consuming."

Another highlight was his assignment in Asia for Forbo Siegling during 2005 and 2006. "I was asked to take over all our Asian operations in addition to the Americas for about 18 months, and again, was extremely gratified with the progress made during that extraordinary period in Japan and China's industrial development period."

Some of the important lesions he's learned along the way include:

"Sales are the results of people with people, not computers at the core. Computers enable us to be efficient with extraordinary information content but will not replace the impact of face to face communications.

"Leadership is critical to a successful manufacturing operation. Ensuring that all are equally communicated with in a fair, firm and friendly way will be respected.

"The only thing for certain is change, and learning to excel in that environment leads to success.

"Integrity in business is not lost in 2016 but sought after.

"Don't assume everyone will view your decisions equally from the same experience base."

Hoffman said he was leaving Forbo Siegling and the conveyor belting industry "with a lot of optimism that they will prosper for many, many years to come. Processes and procedures will change with the times, but the fundamental basis for conveyor belting as a supply chain component is well in place."