Smithers hires Lori Knous as general manager for materials testing laboratories in Akron

Akron, OH – Smithers announces the hire of Lori Knous as General Manager of the Akron based materials testing laboratories.
 
Knous will manage operations at Smithers’ materials testing laboratories including both analytical and physical properties testing of primarily rubber, plastic, and composite materials. She will oversee a team of experienced testing engineers, chemists, and technicians to deliver excellent customer service and ensure that all quality systems and processes continue to meet industry and client standards.
 
Knous will also lead the efforts to evaluate new testing techniques and instrumentation with the goal of expanding the lab’s testing capabilities to meet the changing needs of Smithers clients.
 
“Lori has sixteen years of experience in operations leadership and nearly 30 years of experience in materials and metallurgy. Throughout her prolific career, she has led product development and testing teams, so she has a firsthand understanding of the challenges our clients face throughout the development and validation process,” said Jim Popio, Vice President of North American Operations, Materials Science and Engineering, Smithers. “With her incredible background and dedication to the Smithers promise of accurate data delivered on time with excellent service, Lori will be a great asset to the diverse clients we serve at our testing laboratories in Akron.”
 
Before joining the team at Smithers, Knous worked at Alpha Technologies as Senior Director of Business Development; Senior Director of Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Safety; and Director of Engineering and Quality. Prior to her time at Alpha Technologies, she spent over sixteen years in leadership roles focused on metallurgy and continuous improvement at Allied Machine and Engineering Corp.
 
Knous has a Bachelor of Science in metallurgical and materials engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and a Master of Science in metallurgical and material science from Case Western Reserve University.