We are pleased to announce our January Member Spotlight – Laval and Jonathon Azzopardi.
Laval Tool & Mould Ltd was founded by Larry Azzopardi in 1975. Jonathon, the youngest of 9 children, followed in his father’s footsteps to become the President and CEO of Laval International, after spending 20 years in the manufacturing industry. Laval stands out as being consistent, innovative and dedicated to growth and diversity.
Jonathon Azzopardi is the chair of the CAMM board of directors and is passionate about the industry. He takes pride in his participation on many committees, boards and charitable organizations, and remains humble as he sets an example in the community.
I had the opportunity to ask Jonathon a few questions about himself and Laval.
When did Laval join CAMM? Why? LAVAL was not part of the founders but was part of the original first group of members to form WAMM which was the predecessor to CAMM 35 year ago.
What are the top 3 things people should know about Laval? LAVAL invests in its people first and our 15 year history without a layoff is proof that our team comes before all else.LAVAL is a diversified company with sales in many markets and sectors making us a stable and competitive employer and supplier. LAVAL is a full turn key composite part solution provider to OEM’s and its supply chain.
What were Laval’s biggest accomplishments in 2021? LAVAL biggest accomplishment of 2021 was the team we built and our ability to over come the adversity of trying to maintain operations in a pandemic. This team not only managed growth during this period of uncertainty but met our customers expectations while keeping our staff healthy and safe. I am very proud of what that they accomplished with all the struggles we encountered this year.
What are your goals for 2022? Our Innovations division requires further investment to grow our composite parts division and this will require a large financial investment and structural changes in the upcoming year. We aspire to be the number one composite part solution provider in North America. To our company this means getting good at something that no other company is good at which is full turn key composites part solutions. Our goal for 2022 is to make the right investments in people and equipment to be this company.
What is one thing that people should know about the industry? No one should ever underestimate the resilience and the reliability of Canadian Mould making industry. This industry has not only survived a global financial crisis and the threat of global competition from lower costs countries it has grown. We can also now say we survived pandemic and in the face of all this adversity we are stronger today than we have ever been.
What is a fun fact about you? Fun fact about me is contrary to popular belief I am a true introvert. I aspire to be a good listener rather than be the first to be heard. I only become an extrovert to defend that which I hold dear to my heart.
We appreciate Jonathon and Laval’s participation in our Member Spotlight. If you have a suggestion for next month’s issue, please email it to [email protected].
