On January 21, 2014, ML Industries lost a key member of its management team. Mr. Kunio (Ken) Inamura passed away unexpectedly of complications from emergency open heart surgery at Riverside Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Ken is survived by his loving wife, Kathy, two daughters, and a son.

Ken began his career with ML Industries on November 1, 2010. During the past three years, Ken was instrumental in diversifying both ML Industries’ customer base and product mix by leading the company into the trim cover business. Ken was able to land top-tier, global customers such as TS Tech (Honda), NHK (Subaru), and Bloomington Seating Corporation (Mitsubishi).

President and CEO Mickey Dunn said, “Ken played a vital role in the growth of MLI over the past three years. During his time with us, the company grew from 2,000 associates to over 3,500 associates. He always thought outside-the-box, giving MLI a significant advantage over our competitors. Ken took us to levels we simply would never have achieved without his incredible personality and talent. He was a tremendous executive and a very close friend and mentor to me personally. He helped MLI understand the Japanese culture and be successful in the trim business. I personally feel like I have a hole in my heart that will take a very long time to heal. We will never be able to replace his talent, but, Ken’s spirit will live in each of us and encourage us to be the best that we can possibly be.”

ML Industries has lost a great talent in Kunio (Ken) Inamura. His expertise and direction-changing contributions will forever be part of MLI’s history.