Vitrolife Group targets new era of OPEX in reproductive health

The latest news and developments in operational excellence (OPEX) including partnerships, appointments and industry collaborations. 

This week features:

• Vitrolife Group appoints Ermanno Sironi to enhance OPEX
• Brinks Inc. partners with Inauro to improve operational efficiency
• Meyer Jabara Hotels promotes Eric Churchill to COO
• OPEX drives record annual results for Exchange Income Corporation
• MacMaster University holds inaugural Operational Excellence Forum

Vitrolife Group appoints Ermanno Sironi to enhance OPEX

Reproductive health company Vitrolife Group appointed MedTech veteran Ermanno Sironi as new chief operating officer (COO) to enhance OPEX across the business. In the newly created role, Sironi will oversee the areas of consumables, technologies and genetics, along with the IT organization. The appointment aligns with the company’s strategy to implement a scalable operating model and optimize processes for synergies and digital productivity, it said in a press release.

Sironi brings over 30 years of MedTech executive experience in operations, finance and business development to the role, having served as a strategic advisor on OPEX and business transformation to Vitrolife’s executive management team over the past year.

“We are delighted that Ermanno has accepted the role of COO,” said Bronwyn Brophy O’Connor, CEO of Vitrolife Group. “His deep industry experience and strong track record of leading operational transformations will support the company to deliver on this key strategic pillar.”

Watch Pradheep Kileti, director at National Grid, discuss balancing operations with innovation

Brinks Inc. partners with Inauro to improve operational efficiency

American cash handling and management company Brinks Inc. is enhancing its OPEX in a new partnership with Inauro. By integrating Inauro’s technology, Brink’s is seeking to improve operational efficiency, optimize route planning and minimize environmental impact, according to a press release. The collaboration aims to unify critical fleet and operational data, transforming it into actionable insights to optimize decision-making, accelerate response times and mitigate risks before they impact operations.

“Brink’s is driving industry-first integrations and workflows, and Inauro has been a key partner in connecting multiple platforms, visualizing data and identifying operational outliers,” said William Ryder, VP of Fleet at Brink’s. “Their expertise supports our ‘control tower’ function for daily route optimization, cost reduction and overall operational improvements.”

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Meyer Jabara Hotels promotes Eric Churchill to COO

Meyer Jabara Hotels announced that Eric Churchill has been promoted to COO to help the US hospitality company continue its OPEX journey. Churchill will oversee portfolio operations to grow performance for owners, guests and associates, Meyer Jabara Hotels stated.

“The Meyer Jabara Hotels Journey culture is the glue that has held – and continues to hold – us together throughout the decades,” said president Justin Jabara. “Eric’s promotion is the perfect example that leading, learning and teaching results in success. His professional achievements are exemplary. His passion for people is profound, and his pursuit of an enriched work/life balance for guests, associates and owners have made him an irreplaceable asset that deserves to be recognized.”

Watch Susan Jarrell Kushnir, VP, head of investment bank talent development at Deutsche Bank, reflect on how leaders can help teams navigate transformation

OPEX drives record annual results for Exchange Income Corporation

OPEX has helped to drive record annual results for Exchange Income Corporation (EIC), an acquisition-oriented company focused on opportunities in the aerospace and aviation and manufacturing sectors. The organization recorded a revenue of $2.7 billion, an increase of $161 million (6% percent). Meanwhile, free cash flow was recorded at $409 million compared to $377 million, an increase of $32 million (8% percent).

“2024 has been another record year and it continues to demonstrate the strength of our model,” commented Mike Pyle, CEO of EIC. “Amongst our two segments we have a collection of well-run niche businesses which generate strong sustainable cash flows for our shareholders. I am even more excited about the next 20 years as we embark on further growth, including the most recently announced acquisition of Canadian North expanding our presence across Canada’s Northernmost geography.”

Explore 3 key trends from OPEX Week 2025

MacMaster University holds inaugural Operational Excellence Forum

MacMaster University, based in Hamilton, Ontario, held an inaugural Operational Excellence Forum that brought together hundreds of staff members to discuss and explore strategies for improving operations across the university.

Gathering as one university to find ways to support OPEX was of timely importance given the financial pressures Ontario universities are facing, stated Saher Fazilat, vice-president (operations and finance). “We need to work collectively to remain where we are, finding opportunities for continuous improvement in a revenue declining environment,” she said. 

Alex Sévigny, an associate professor in the department of Communication and Media Arts, delivered a keynote addressing the rapidly changing landscape around artificial intelligence (AI). Furthermore, in one of 16 workshops held throughout the day, staff from Human Resources Services, the Lewis & Ruth Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship, the MacPherson Institute and the Privacy Office shared insights from the work and exploratory projects their teams have done in incorporating generative AI operational capabilities into their work.

PEX Report 2024 global state of process excellence

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