Mazak's Brian Papke Receives Al Moore Award

Brian Papke, former chairman and current executive advisor to the board of Mazak Corporation, received the prestigious Al Moore Award from The Association of Manufacturing Technology (AMT) during the recent MFG Meeting + MTForecast in Denver, Colo. Mazak says that throughout his career, Papke has promoted, supported and expanded applications of machine tools and manufacturing technology in ways that have proven instrumental to the success of North American manufacturers.

Papke's career in the machine tool industry began after his graduation from the University of Illinois. He entered the machine tool industry in a management training program, and then progressed through various sales and management positions, eventually becoming president of Mazak. In 2016, after 29 years of service with Mazak, he was named chairman.

“I am truly honored to receive this incredible award,” says Papke. “I consider myself lucky to be part of the industry and am extremely grateful for the friendships I’ve made along the way with those individuals who supported and believed in me and who shared my passion for the manufacturing industry, machine tools and Mazak.”

While at Mazak, Papke helped the company develop a lean, production-on-demand approach to manufacturing, implement Mazak’s iSMART Factory and create a network of eight technology centers and five technical centers across North America, including Mazak’s National Technology Center in Florence, Ky.

Papke has also been involved with numerous trade association committees and served on AMT’s board of directors and on the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association (AMTDA). He is also a current member on the board of Gardner Business Media.

Papke has served on the board of advisors for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and is a former member of the advisory board of the College of Business of Northern Kentucky University, where he also taught MBA courses on leadership and ethics. Throughout his tenure at Mazak, Papke has developed relationships with local leadership and educational institutions to support workforce development through apprenticeship programs and community awareness.