Accuride Corp. announced that Richard Dauch has been appointed to serve as president and chief executive officer, succeeding Bill Lasky, who has served as Accuride’s interim president and CEO since September 2008. Lasky also has served as chairman of the board since January 2009 and will continue in that role.
“I have enjoyed serving as interim president and CEO and working closely with Accuride’s strong management team throughout this very challenging economic cycle,” says Lasky. “I am equally looking forward to supporting Rick and the company as I continue in my role as chairman. Rick brings us extensive experience leading complex global businesses, an in-depth understanding of manufacturing and supply chain systems, and proven leadership skills. These make him highly qualified to lead Accuride into the upturn in the commercial vehicle industry, successfully taking us to the next level of performance and delivering exceptional results for all of our stakeholders.”
Dauch joins Accuride from Michigan-based Acument Global Technologies, a provider of mechanical fastening systems, where he had served as president and CEO since June 2008. Dauch led an extensive restructuring of Acument, divesting nonstrategic and underperforming operations, and virtually eliminating its debt, while simultaneously making critical investments and implementing lean systems across the remaining business units.
Prior to joining Acument, Dauch served as executive vice president of Worldwide Manufacturing for American Axle & Manufacturing Inc., where he was responsible for the daily operations of 17 global manufacturing facilities and 10,000 employees. In addition to serving as president of the Metal Formed Division, Dauch held a number of leadership roles within AAM during his 13-year tenure with the company, including director of strategic planning, vice president of sales and marketing, and vice president of investor relations and financial planning.
Prior to AAM, Dauch led the specialty packaged products business of United Technologies’ Carrier Division. His corporate career was preceded by his service as an officer in the U.S. Army, including qualification as an Airborne Ranger and concluding with his assignment as a Light Infantry Company Commander in the 10th Mountain Division.
