TriMas Corporation Announces Charles Manz as President of Norris Cylinder; Jerry Van Auken to Retire

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

TriMas Corporation TRS – a diversified global manufacturer of engineered and applied products – today announced the transition of leadership within its Norris Cylinder business. Jerry Van Auken, president of Norris Cylinder, has retired as president, and Charles Manz, currently vice president of operations at Norris, has succeeded Van Auken as president. Manz will report directly to TriMas President and Chief Executive Officer Dave Wathen. Van Auken will remain with the company in an advisory role and assist in facilitating the transition.

"We are pleased Chuck has accepted the appointment as president. With his experienced operational and leadership skills, he is well positioned to lead Norris Cylinder into the future," said Wathen. "We thank Jerry for his guidance, expertise and leadership during the last eight years, and are fortunate he is staying with the company in an advisory role. During Jerry's tenure as president, Norris has achieved sales growth that outpaced general industrial growth, as a result of organic initiatives and disciplined bolt-on acquisitions. By leveraging these assets and driving continued productivity, Norris has also successfully raised its margin and return on capital levels during this period of time."

Norris Cylinder is a leading provider of a complete line of high-pressure and low-pressure steel cylinders for the transportation, storage and dispensing of compressed gases including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, helium and other gases for the industrial and health care markets. Norris also offers low-pressure steel cylinders used to contain and dispense acetylene gas for welding and cutting industries. Major domestic and international industrial gas producers and distributors, welding equipment distributors and buying groups, as well as equipment manufacturers, are end customers for Norris' products.

Manz joined Norris in 2010 as the vice president of operations and has assumed increasing responsibilities since that time. Prior to Norris, he spent 12 years at Danfoss Drives, the last seven as president. Manz has more than 25 years of increasing responsibilities across multiple functional areas including operations, sales, finance, controllership, information technology and human resources. Manz received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Lakeland College in Wisconsin.

Van Auken was appointed president of Norris Cylinder in 2008, after joining the company in 2007 as general manager. Before joining Norris, he held general manager and vice president positions with companies such as Pressed Steel Tank Company, Tax-Airfreight, Planar (Standish Industries) and Eppendorf North America. Van Auken also sits on both the Executive and Board of Directors for the Compressed Gas Association (CGA), which develops and promotes safety standards and safe practices in the industrial gas industry.

About TriMas

Headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, TriMas Corporation TRS provides engineered and applied products for growing markets worldwide. TriMas is organized into four reportable segments: Packaging, Aerospace, Energy and Engineered Components. TriMas has approximately 4,000 employees at more than 50 facilities in 16 countries. For more information, visit www.trimascorp.com.

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