Rockford Systems, LLC, a leading manufacturer of machine safeguarding products solutions, has announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Joe Nitiss as CEO, effective immediately. Nitiss previously was General Manager of the North American business unit of Elster, a provider of gas, electricity and water meters.
Capitalizing on his experience with Fortune 500 companies, Nitiss will be leading Rockford Systems in advancing its place as a trusted supplier and advisor for a broad range of machine applications in industrial markets. Moving beyond products, Rockford Systems provides services such as risk assessment, training, machine surveys and compliance validation to promote a safer and healthier industrial workplace for employees. Nitiss aims to expand this market strategy, developing new and diverse consulting solutions to keep customers compliant with stringent OSHA and ANISI machine safeguarding regulations.
“I am very excited to be leading these efforts to accelerate growth at Rockford Systems,” said Nitiss. “The company is in a very strong place with a deep bench of machine safety experts to help consult on customers’ projects, coupled with a line-up of innovative products to fuel our momentum.”
Along with serving as GM at Elster, Nitiss spearheaded major strategy and technical shifts as President North America of Emerson’s Chloride Group. During his tenure overseeing Genesis Cable (now Honeywell Cable) as General Manager, the division outperformed competitors in the residential structured wiring and home automation market space. Prior to those positions, Nitiss was Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Honeywell International and Vice President of Marketing for Emerson Electric Co.
Nitiss holds an MBA in Finance and Marketing from The University of Chicago where he also received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration, Economics.
According to the United States Department of Labor, Machinery and Machine Guarding was one of the top ten most frequently cited OSHA violations in 2015. When used correctly, Rockford Systems OSHA-approved products prevent severe injuries by shielding hazardous areas of a machine to prevent contact with the operator, and to control dangerous by-products, such as metal chips, from exiting the machine.