Applied Materials, Inc., the global leader in Nanomanufacturing Technology(TM) solutions with a broad portfolio of innovative equipment, service and software products for the fabrication of semiconductor chips, flat panel displays, solar photovoltaic cells, flexible electronics and energy efficient glass, announced today that Joe Flanagan has joined the company as senior vice president of Worldwide Operations and Supply Chain, responsible for developing and executing an integrated supply chain strategy that enhances enterprise value. In this role, Flanagan will report directly to Applied Materials chairman and CEO Mike Splinter. Flanagan joins Applied Materials from Nortel Networks where he served as president of Nortel Business Services.
"Joe brings a tremendous amount of experience in global operations management to Applied," said Mike Splinter, chairman and CEO of Applied Materials. "Increasing efficiency and driving continuous improvement is critical to the long-term success of Applied Materials, and Joe's expertise will be invaluable as we work to become more agile and better able to innovate and seize global market share."
As the markets Applied Materials serves continue to undergo dramatic changes, the company has taken a number of steps to align processes and increase competitiveness. Adding Flanagan to lead global manufacturing, operations and supply chain will help reinforce Applied's commitment to re-engineering the company and help spur new ways to do business more efficiently. In this role, Flanagan will be responsible for end-to-end supply chain and operations functions across the company.
"As Applied concentrates more of its supply chain activities closer to its customers who are primarily in Asia, it is an opportunity to drive increased profitability and sustainability across all its business practices," said Flanagan. "This is a unique opportunity to implement the right systems and processes that will eliminate waste and enable the company to respond more quickly to customers."
Flanagan was named president of Nortel Business Services in 2009. He was responsible for the operational needs of Nortel businesses as they transitioned to other entities. Prior to this, he served as senior vice president of Global Operations where he managed supply chain, sourcing, services delivery, and technical and product support on a global basis.
Previously, Flanagan served as general manager of General Electric's Power Controls Division where he had full P&L responsibility. He has held a number of positions at GE, including general manager, operations, GE Consumer and Industrial EMEA; general manager, mergers and acquisitions, GE Digital Energy; and general manager, Global Industrial Controls Division. Previously, Flanagan served as manager, business development Europe at Applied Materials.
Flanagan holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the United States Merchant Marine Academy.