Andres Lopez promoted by Owens-Illinois
Longtime manager candidate for top spot
Andres Lopez, who has held a variety of management roles at Owens-Illinois Inc., will become the company’s chief operating officer and president of glass containers on Feb. 1.
Monday’s announcement makes Mr. Lopez, 52, a prime candidate to eventually hold the top job at the world’s leading manufacturer of glass containers.
Al Stroucken, 67, has been chairman and chief executive officer of the Perrysburg-based Fortune 500 company since 2006. His contract expires in mid 2016, a company spokesman said.
“Lopez’s appointment to this role constitutes the next phase in the ongoing CEO succession planning process that O-I’s board of directors has been actively managing,” the company said in a news release.
Earlier this year, Mr. Lopez was named president of O-I Americas, with responsibility for all North American and Latin American operations, which include 13 plants in Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Ecuador, and Peru. He was previously in charge of O-I’s Latin American operations.
“Andres is an exceptional and creative leader, a strategist, a strong communicator, and developer of talent,” Mr. Stroucken said in a news release. “He has a deep understanding of our customers, our technology, and our markets, knowledge that coalesces perfectly in this new position.”
The president of glass containers title is a new one for Owens-Illinois, which has 22,500 employees in 21 countries. The company has had chief operating officers in the past, but not recently.
Mr. Lopez is a native of Colombia and joined O-I as an engineer in that country in 1986.
He has served O-I as vice president of finance and administration, vice president of North American manufacturing, and vice president of global manufacturing and engineering.
Mr. Lopez will continue to oversee North American and South American operations until a successor is named.
Also Monday, Owens-Illinois announced that Erik Bouts, president of the company’s European operations, will leave the company Jan. 31 to pursue other opportunities.