Andy Filson and the Future of Manufacturing in Colorado (Q&A)

Each year, ColoradoBiz brings together the state’s manufacturers at our Made in Colorado event to celebrate the people and businesses behind some of the state’s most innovative products. This year’s event on December 5, 2023 will feature CoorsTek Chief Operations Officer Andy Filson. ColoradoBiz staff sat down with Mr. Filson to learn more about his background and where he sees the future of manufacturing.

CB: Where are you from originally?

Andy Filson: Albany, NY

CB: What is your degree in and where did you study?

AF: Industrial Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI); MBA from Syracuse University.

CB: Coors is well known across the world, what’s it like working for the “tek” side?

AF: CoorsTek is a separate company, with a focus on technical ceramics, and is 100% Coors family-owned; our CEOs are fifth generation family members. In the past, there were great collaborations with the brewery such as pioneering the 2-piece aluminum beverage can and, today, supplying tooling for that process. CoorsTek and the Coors family care deeply about continuing such legacies and “making the world measurably better” by working on leading edge materials that drive many industries’ macro technology trends.

CB: You joined CoorsTek as COO in 2017 after serving in numerous leadership roles at Corning, a leader in specialty glass and optics. What did you find compelling about CoorsTek, and how did the opportunity to join the company come about?

AF: There are only a few technology companies involved with the kinds of materials we use at this stage of the value chain, where my passion has been to work for the past few decades. It is a unique challenge to manage the complexities and the high capital intensity required, and yet find the synergies of serving diverse industries with advanced materials. When a recruiter called about a C-suite role for a company I was familiar with, that enabled us to move closer to where our son was living, it simply felt right.

CB: Was that a big move for you and your family?

AF: No, considering we have moved 9 times including internationally for my career, this was not a major adjustment. Leaving Corning, a company I had been with for nearly 28 years, was a huge move though. It was a leap in confidence that CoorsTek is moving in the right direction, with the type of culture and set of businesses that I can help shape.

CB: What are the most striking changes you have seen in U.S. manufacturing in your career?

AF: Three come to mind:

1. The hard reality is that countries previously deemed as emerging and low-cost are now delivering high quality and cutting-edge technology, yet at much lower cost. Our innovation and operational efficiencies are no longer advantages. China has taken a page out of South Korea’s playbook, who took a page out of Japan’s playbook from the 1970s.
2. The U.S. has experienced a 35% drop in the number of manufacturing jobs over the past 4 decades in part due to productivity innovation, offshoring of work to lower cost locations, and, I believe, due to less interest by newer generations vs. service and tech industry jobs.
3. Leading people today means taking the time to explain the “WHY” vs. decades ago, when it was simply telling people what to do. It might be viewed as more difficult if perceived as a democracy, but it is about buy-in to a company mission with the resulting greater dedication and focus and mindshare to give feedback and help make solutions stronger.

CB: What are the most striking changes you have seen in your seven years at CoorsTek?

AF: Attempting to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. is coming at a steep price relative to capital investments, tax incentive conditions, fueling inflation (especially labor cost), and fueling inefficiencies that come from deglobalization.

CB: When you talk to people about CoorsTek, what detail do you share that seems most surprising to them?

AF: We are a 113-year-old company, continuously reinventing ourselves with cutting-edge materials and innovation. We provide critical components to modern day technological advances in semiconductors, aerospace, electric vehicles, mobile communications, green energy, biomedical applications, and more. I think people are also surprised to learn about the scale and scope of our footprint. CoorsTek has over 5,000 employees and 30 global locations including North America, Europe, and Asia.

CB: What’s been the biggest challenge for CoorsTek, recently or during your time there?

AF: Like most companies and businesses, it was the heightened volatility and uncertainty surrounding COVID. It has led to deeper downturns in certain industries, quicker snap-back in demand, and the challenge of optimizing resources (equipment, people, suppliers, etc.) to remain competitive, drive stability, and deliver consistent performance to meet stakeholder expectations.

CB: What advice would you give a new graduate looking for a job in today’s market?

AF: Graduates in today’s fast-paced business climate should be flexible to different career experiences; be adaptable to an ever-changing and globally competitive environment; and succeed through results and making a positive impact, with your colleagues, for your company. I would advise employees to exercise patience in new roles, say “yes” to opportunities, and recognize the lines across roles and functions are blurry so grab opportunities to learn and fill in gaps (i.e., don’t have a “not my job” mentality). Loyalty can be a two-way street and an opportunity for career satisfaction vs. “getting ahead” by moving around too fast.

Andy Filson is Chief Operations Officer for CoorsTek, headquartered in Golden, a manufacturer of technical ceramics for a wide variety of industries including semiconductor, aerospace, defense, and medical. He joined CoorsTek in 2017 during an organizational restructuring as the company’s first Chief Operations Officer. He developed and implemented a comprehensive operational excellence production model and manufacturing strategy which included the consolidation of over 40 siloed factories worldwide into one united manufacturing function. Prior to CoorsTek, Andy held various executive leadership roles in commercial, operations, joint venture governance and general management with Corning, Inc. Andy has a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Syracuse University.