Chad Hartley has had a long and successful career in industrial sales and marketing. He is currently senior vice president and general manager, conveyance solutions at Regal Rexnord, a provider of power transmission and motion control products, particularly for conveyor systems. Hartley originally joined Regal Rexnord in February 2015 and worked in various positions before assuming his current role last January. Prior to that, he spent 14 years with Emerson in a variety of supply chain jobs. Hartley holds an undergraduate degree from Wright State University in Ohio and an MBA from the University of Dayton.
Q: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE CURRENT STATE OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN?
A: While still not back to pre-pandemic norms, the supply chain is stabilizing after a few years of unprecedented challenges. Automation is becoming extremely important. Due to supply chain demands, coupled with workforce retention challenges, we’re seeing more of an openness to adopting automated conveyors [and] introducing automation through collaborative robots. Speed and efficiency, along with reliability of the systems, is what it’s all about.
Q: PEOPLE MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH THE PRODUCTS OFFERED BY REGAL REXNORD. HOW WOULD YOU SUMMARIZE THE ROLE YOUR COMPANY PLAYS IN THE INDUSTRY?
A: Our purpose statement says a lot about how we think about our place in the world: Regal Rexnord Creates a Better Tomorrow with sustainable solutions that power, transmit, and control motion. That is the essence of everything we do.
Q: WAREHOUSES ARE TRYING TO REDUCE COSTS BY BECOMING MORE SUSTAINABLE. HOW HAS THIS TREND INFLUENCED REGAL REXNORD’S APPROACH TO SOLUTIONS?
A: Our technologies are at the heart of the industrial powertrain. Creating sustainable solutions alongside our industry partners is a core of what drives our technology advancement. For example, in our gearing division, Bauer Gear Motor’s Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor technology can increase torque output with less upfront energy, and in a more compact, space-saving design. The ModSort Divert and Transfer Module is a fully electric conveying solution, running on only 24V and quiet enough to have a conversation around.
Q: WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY AT YOUR OWN COMPANY?
A: We’re very conscious of our own carbon footprint. We see a trend with our customers wanting to do business with companies that are sustainable. We have ESG initiatives in place to ensure we’re being as responsible as we can. We set a goal in 2023 to [achieve] a 10% year-over-year (YOY) reduction in our Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions. I’m proud to share that we actually saw a 15.5% YOY reduction. We also retrofitted two manufacturing sites in Europe with solar panels and built a new facility in Mexico with energy-efficiency measures in mind.
Q: MANY COMPANIES HELD ONTO THEIR CASH IN 2024, WAITING TO SEE ABOUT THE ECONOMY AND THE ELECTION. DO YOU THINK MORE COMPANIES WILL LOOK TO UPGRADE THEIR SYSTEMS IN 2025?
A: Many of our industries have been under capital constraints for the past two to three years. I believe that this will have to change over the coming one to two years. There is a lot of pent-up demand, and as interest rates drop, this will help spur that investment.
