# Latest News From Stern Pinball

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2015-03-11  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/news/sternnews1.html

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball announced two executive appointments on March 11, 2015: Ray Tanzer promoted to Vice President of Manufacturing after rejoining from Namco America, and Kevin Schechtel joining as Vice President of Supply Chain Management, Program Management and Quality from Suzo-Happ. Both appointments were made to support the company's growth plans and coincided with Stern's move to new facilities.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Ray Tanzer rejoined Stern Pinball from Namco America in April 2014 — _Official Stern Pinball press release dated March 11, 2015_
- [HIGH] Ray Tanzer previously worked at Premier Technologies and Sega Pinball — _Official announcement and article text_
- [HIGH] Kevin Schechtel came from Suzo-Happ where he was Vice President of North American Operations, Global Quality and Continuous Improvement — _Official Stern Pinball press release_
- [HIGH] Kevin Schechtel previously worked at Motorola and Northrup Grumman — _Official Stern Pinball press release_
- [HIGH] Kevin Schechtel holds 19 patents — _Official Stern Pinball press release_

### Notable Quotes

> "Ray and Kevin are great additions to our executive team. They fill complementary roles that are critically important to our continued growth and future success. Most importantly, they're extraordinary individuals who fit well with our culture."
> — **Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball**, March 11, 2015
> _CEO endorsement of the two new VPs and their strategic importance to company operations_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Ray Tanzer | person | Vice President of Manufacturing at Stern Pinball; mechanical engineer; previously at Namco America, Premier Technologies, and Sega Pinball |
| Kevin Schechtel | person | Vice President of Supply Chain Management, Program Management and Quality at Stern Pinball; mechanical engineer with 19 patents; previously at Suzo-Happ, Motorola, and Northrup Grumman |
| Gary Stern | person | Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball |
| Stern Pinball | company | Pinball machine manufacturer; undergoing facility relocation in 2015 |
| Namco America | company | Previous employer of Ray Tanzer; he was VP of Manufacturing and Engineering there |
| Suzo-Happ | company | Key supplier to Stern Pinball; previous employer of Kevin Schechtel |
| Sega Pinball | company | Stern Pinball's predecessor; Ray Tanzer worked there previously |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Executive appointments and leadership changes, Manufacturing operations, Supply chain management
- **Secondary:** Facility relocation, Company growth strategy

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Professional and optimistic announcement of executive hires; CEO endorsement is strong; focus on growth and strategic positioning

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Stern Pinball pursuing aggressive growth plans requiring expanded executive leadership (confidence: high) — Statement that appointments 'support its aggressive growth plans'
- **[business_signal]** Stern Pinball undergoing facility relocation and implementing Total Quality Management revamp (confidence: high) — Multiple references to 'upcoming move to new facilities' and TQM system overhaul
- **[personnel_signal]** Ray Tanzer promoted to VP Manufacturing; Kevin Schechtel hired from Suzo-Happ as VP Supply Chain (confidence: high) — Official press release with effective dates and detailed backgrounds

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## Transcript

Date: 11th March 2015

Stern Pinball today announced two new appointments - one involving the promotion of a seasoned pinball veteran, the other introducing a new face to the team.

Ray Tanzer rejoined Stern Pinball fron Namco America in April 2014 having previously worked at Premier Technologies and at Stern's predecesor, Sega Pinball. He returned to work on a number of major projects including a revamp of their Total Quality Management system and the company's move to new premises.

Ray Tanzer when he rejoined Stern Pinball last year

With that move currently underway, Ray has been appointed Vice President of Manufacturing at Stern, putting him in charge of all manufacturing operations within the company.

The second VP appointment sees Kevin Schechtel joining from Suzo-Happ as Stern Pinball's Vice President of Supply Chain Management, Program Management and Quality.

Kevin held the similar role of Vice President of North American Operations, Global Quality and Continuous Improvement at Suzo-Happ and has previously worked at Motorola and aerospace and defence company Northrup Grumman.

Here's how Stern announced the new appointments.

MELROSE PARK, IL – March 11 , 2015 – Stern Pinball, Inc. (“SPI”), the world's oldest and largest designer and producer of arcade-quality pinball machines, announced the addition of two Vice Presidents to support its aggressive growth plans.

Effective March 1st, Ray Tanzer became Vice President of Manufacturing. Ray assumes accountability for all activities connected to SPI’s manufacturing operations. Ray, a Mechanical Engineer by training, started his career as a pinball designer and formerly was responsible for Product Development at SPI. He also served as Vice President of Manufacturing and Engineering at Namco America before returning to SPI in 2014.

Since re-joining SPI, Ray has successfully led two very large projects including the company’s upcoming move to new facilities.

On March 16th, Kevin Schechtel will join SPI as Vice President of Supply Chain Management, Program Management and Quality. Kevin joins SPI from its key supplier, Suzo-Happ Group, where he most recently served as Vice President of North American Operations, Global Quality and Continuous Improvement. Earlier in his career, Kevin worked at Motorola and Northrup Grumman.

Kevin is a Mechanical Engineer who holds 19 patents. Kevin will lead the organizationwide Total Quality Improvement program and focus on improving the overall performance of SPI’s supply chain.

“Ray and Kevin are great additions to our executive team,” said Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball, Inc. “They fill complementary roles that are critically important to our continued growth and future success. Most importantly, they’re extraordinary individuals who fit well with our culture.”

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 1c8a8bdb-d93a-4e28-97b9-0310b94175aa*