Despatch taps Jeffrey Upin as new COO

Despatch Industries has named Jeffrey Upin as its new chief operating officer, effective Dec. 2.  In his position, the process equipment company says Upin will oversee the operation of the solar, carbon fiber, and thermal technology business units and corporate marketing.

"Jeffrey brings extensive domestic and international management experience," said Patrick Peyton, chairman/CEO of Despatch. "His background in product development, manufacturing, engineering, and strategic planning will be an invaluable asset to our organization."     

Upin said that he is "delighted to join the Despatch team. This is a dynamic company with great market position and tremendous opportunities in many thriving industries. I look forward to contributing to its continued success." 

Most recently, Upin was COO of Matica Plc, a Milan-based manufacturer of credit card production machines, where he led the integration of two acquisitions, facilitated the process to take the company public on the London Stock Exchange AIM Market, introduced quality strategies, and implemented a full quality process within the organization.

Before his stint at Matica, Upin spent more than 10 years with Fargo Electronics, a manufacturer of identification card printers, where he served as general counsel and corporate secretary and grew in his initial position from being a business unit manager to becoming the VP of business development.   

Upin holds a bachelor's degree from Brandeis University and a JD from the University of Minnesota Law School.Despatch provides integrated, thermal processing solutions to manufacturers throughout the world. 

Despatch has had a very strong year, driven in large part by sales of its solar manufacturing systems. The company says it surpassed the year's sales goal in the third quarter and successfully realigned into three business units--solar, carbon fiber, and thermal technology--to create better focus and development in the company’s core markets. It also recently expanded its Minneapolis headquarters complex.