December 10, 2009 - Jervis B. Webb Company appointed Brian Stewart as President & Co-CEO. Stewart replaces Ryuichi Kitaguchi who is retiring from the company. Prior to his appointment as President & Co-CEO, Stewart served as Executive Vice President & COO of Webb. He joined the Webb Company in 1981 as a junior engineer and has held numerous positions, including Vice President of Engineering and Senior Vice President of Operations.
During his 14-year tenure as Vice President of Engineering, Stewart was involved in all aspects of material handling. Under his direction, Webb's airport baggage handling standards were established, which continue to be the foundation for airport products today. “We are fortunate to have a leader like Brian who can move the company forward during this critical time,” said Masaki Hojo, President & Co-CEO of Daifuku Co., Ltd.
“He not only has extensive operations and engineering experience, which will be instrumental in our global expansion, but also has an extensive knowledge of the Webb Company.”Stewart received his bachelor's of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan. He is a member of Engineering Society of Detroit’s Board of Directors, as well as Webb’s Board of Directors.The company also announced new additions to the Webb Board of Directors including Aki Nishimura, Senior Vice President of Daifuku America Company’s AFA Division; Lon McAllister, Vice President of Webb’s Manufacturing, Quality & Procurement; and Ken Hamel, Vice President of Webb’s Airport Systems.
About Jervis B. Webb Company
Jervis B. Webb Company is a subsidiary of Daifuku Co. Ltd and leading developer of innovative material handling technology and systems, including Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGVs), conveyors, baggage handling systems and Automated Storage & Retrieval Systems (AS/RS). Webb specializes in the design, engineering, installation and support of integrated systems used in the automotive, airport, beverage, bulk handling, warehousing and manufacturing industries.
Webb is headquartered in Farmington Hills, Mich., with manufacturing locations in Harbor Springs and Boyne City, Mich.; Carlisle, S.C.; Canada; India; and China.
The company was founded in 1919 by Jervis B. Webb who invented the forged rivetless chain conveyor that helped revolutionize mass production.