After nearly 20 years with the company, Brian Jones has resigned as president and CEO global contract manufacturer/molder/moldmaker Nypro, leaving a legacy of lean initiatives and explosive growth, as Nypro expanded from 21 plants and $166 million in revenue in 1995 to 67 plants in 18 countries with more than $1 billion in revenue in 2005. Ted Lapres, with the company for 17 years and a member of the board, has been promoted from corporate VP and chief financial officer to acting president.

Jones, who couldn''t be reached for comment, joined Nypro in 1987 as VP of quality and held several interim roles before becoming president in 2001. In his time with the company he initiated several company-wide programs, including a plastics distance-learning facility and an annual World Management Forum. More recently he had promoted massive investments in China, planning to add 10 more plants there, which would double employment from 7000 to 14000. His sponsorship of lean thinking earned him a place in the Shingo Prize Hall of Fame in 2004.