Andrew Reffner, 36
Plant Manager
Kaishan Compressor USA
Loxley, AL, United States
What Makes Andrew an Engineering Leader
As plant manager at Kaishan USA, Andrew has made a strong impact in just seven to eight months. He has challenged complacency, raised expectations across the manufacturing floor and helped drive significant productivity and quality gains. Under his leadership, Kaishan doubled output in its oil-free air assembly area during the first quarter of 2026 while achieving its highest first-pass yield to date.
What sets Andrew apart is his ability to pair technical execution with practical, people-first leadership. Through mentorship, accountability and continuous improvement, he is helping strengthen Kaishan’s manufacturing culture and position the company for sustained growth.
Leadership & Industry Contributions
Andrew demonstrates leadership through a commitment to developing people rather than simply managing performance. When working with a supervisor who struggled with difficult employee conversations and accountability, Andrew chose not to replace or sideline the individual. Instead, he invested time mentoring him one-on-one, helping build the communication and leadership skills needed to succeed in the role.
Andrew takes a similar approach with younger employees, coaching them through professional and personal challenges while reinforcing the expectations required in a manufacturing environment. This willingness to develop talent rather than take the easier path of replacing team members reflects his belief that strong organizations are built by investing in people and helping them reach their potential.
Andrew’s broader industry contributions span innovation, professional development and engineering mentorship. He holds multiple patents, has participated in conference speaking engagements, and actively promotes engineering best practices through his Lean Six Sigma Black Belt expertise and leadership training.
Beyond his technical contributions, Andrew has mentored early-career engineers, helping develop the next generation of manufacturing and engineering professionals through hands-on coaching and internal training initiatives. He has also supported STEM outreach efforts at the high school and collegiate levels, encouraging interest in engineering and manufacturing careers among future industry leaders.
Why Andrew Chose This Career
Andrew chose this career path because he enjoys solving real-world problems and seeing tangible results. Engineering gave him the opportunity to understand how things work, while manufacturing leadership allowed him to help improve both processes and people.
He finds the greatest satisfaction in building strong teams, developing future leaders and creating meaningful improvements that positively affect an organization. The combination of technical challenges, continuous learning and the opportunity to help others succeed is what keeps Andrew passionate about the profession.
