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A member of the SPE Thermoforming Division for nearly 25 years, Alongi entered the plastics industry as president of MAAC Machinery in 1997, now the the world’s largest thermoforming machinery manufacturer.

PlasticsToday Staff

September 22, 2021

2 Min Read
James Alongi headshot
Image: SPE

The “man behind the scenes who makes ideas work” at the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Thermoforming Division, James Alongi has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the division’s executive committee. He was honored at the SPE Thermoforming Awards Dinner in Grand Rapids, MI, on Sept. 21.

A member of the SPE Thermoforming Division for nearly 25 years, Alongi entered the plastics industry as president of MAAC Machinery in 1997. He quickly learned the thermoforming business and, with his brother Paul, grew the company into the world’s largest thermoforming machinery manufacturer, according to the announcement from SPE.

The division’s executive committee presented the award to him on September 21, during SPE’s Thermoforming Awards Dinner in Grand Rapids, MI.

In his role within the division’s Asset Allocation Review Committee (AARC), Alongi facilitated the delivery of MAAC ASP thermoformers to universities around the country. These machines allow students to learn the thermoforming process using equipment that is versatile enough to perform all of the basic techniques.

An active member of the SPE Thermoforming Division Board of Directors, Alongi also is a longtime member of the Machinery Technical Committee and has served as conference chair, technical program chair, and session moderator. He currently serves as Finance Committee Chair, and has also assisted with the development of technical articles for SPE Thermoforming Quarterly magazine. 

In his long-time role as division treasurer, Alongi developed financial operating procedures. He provided invaluable advice to conference and division chairs on financial operations, and for many years prepared all the required financial reports and filings for the division, said SPE. 

That resume prompted Steve Zamprelli, SPE Thermoforming Division Chair, to describe Alongi as the “man behind the scenes who handles the details and makes the ideas work. His commitment to service — in his leadership roles at MAAC and in the SPE Thermoforming Division — has directly impacted the SPE Thermoforming Division and our industry as a whole. [His] quiet but determined leadership and willingness to help in any capacity make him not only a role model, but an inspiration to us all,” said Zamprelli.

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