Stephen Ballenger Joins Hitachi Global Air Power as Vice President Operations

Hitachi Global Air Power US, LLC, an industry leader in innovative compressed air solutions since 1965, announced Stephen Ballenger has joined the company as vice president operations, effective November 20. Ballenger will lead the company’s manufacturing in Michigan City, Ind. He has worked as a Lean consultant for Hitachi Global Air Power since July 2023.

“We are modernizing our operations using Lean methodology with great success and as a consultant, Steve has been an integral part of that transformation,” said Hitachi Global Air Power president and CEO, John Randall. “He [Steve] brings a wealth of experience in not only Lean manufacturing, but in operations management, strategy development and continuous improvement. We are very excited to have Steve officially join our team and help us continue to build a truly world-class manufacturing operation.”

Ballenger brings more than 40 years of management experience to Hitachi Global Air Power. Prior to the vice president of operations role, Ballenger was senior consultant for Lean Focus in Michigan City, Ind. He has also held senior operations leadership roles at Bosch USA, Stihl, GKN Automotive, and Camco Manufacturing. Ballenger specializes in bringing Lean Six Sigma and continuous improvement efficiency strategies to global and multi-site manufacturing environments. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree in industrial management from Clemson University.

Hitachi Global Air Power US was formerly known as Sullair.