The U.S. headquarters for Sumitomo Drive Technologies, Sumitomo Machinery Corporation of America (SMA), headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia, is pleased to welcome Jon Murphy to the executive management team as vice president of sales. Murphy will be responsible for leading the U.S. sales team, aftermarket, and customer service divisions of SMA to bring the greatest value to our customers.

Murphy graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelors of Science in Petroleum Engineering and a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. His power transmission industry experience spans 20 years, 16 of which have been with Sumitomo. Murphy’s career in the power transmission industry began with SMA in 1993, where he held the position of district sales manager. Expanding his knowledge and expertise in large industrial gearbox products, Murphy then spent four years at Rexnord as a drive specialist before rejoining SMA as a district sales manager again in 1998. Murphy quickly became a leader in sales and was promoted to corporate industry manager for the Eastern United States and Latin America, specializing in industrial gearbox power transmission solutions. Since 2010, Murphy has worked for SMA’s parent company, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. (SHI), based out of Tokyo, Japan, as global material handling manager, tasked to expand the gearbox business on a global scale. In his new position, Murphy will lead a team of over 50 highly skilled sales representatives and a strong network of authorized distributors.

As a proven leader for Sumitomo Drive Technologies, Murphy’s unique skills, knowledge and understanding of the power transmission industry will continue to be instrumental in SMA’s future growth and success. Murphy stated, “Over the past 20 years, SMA and SHI have cared for me and my family. It is now an honor to accept this position and give back to others what has been given to me. SMA is the flagship company of the Sumitomo Drive Technologies brand. We represent the cutting edge of knowledge and innovation with industry-leading technology, experience and teamwork. In my tenure with Sumitomo Drive Technologies, I’ve made sales calls in 27 countries on six continents, providing me a great understanding for the strategies that work and those that do not. I’ve been successful at developing partnerships and cooperation on a global level and plan to continue these strategies in my new leadership role here at SMA.”

Mr. Ronald Smith, CEO and president of SMA, welcomes Murphy to the executive team, stating, “Jon Murphy is the epitome of our corporate values and has shown strong leadership, technical expertise and teamwork throughout his career with Sumitomo Drive Technologies. Jon’s promotion to Vice President of Sales comes at the perfect time as we prepare for our next mid-term plan for 2014-2016. The knowledge and experience that he has gained working throughout the Western Hemisphere as well as other regions in the world will benefit the entire organization as we gear up for the future."