About John R Henry America's Changeover/SMED Specialist
John Henry didn't start out studying lean manufacturing in a classroom. He started out turning wrenches.
From 1967 to 1974, John served in the U.S. Navy as a Machinist Mate, training in propulsion engineering, nuclear power, and refrigeration systems — the kind of hands-on mechanical grounding that no business degree can replicate.
After the Navy, he spent nearly a decade at Alcon Laboratories in Puerto Rico, rising from Maintenance Supervisor to Manager of Facility Operations. Along the way, he served as owner's representative for a major plant expansion — three
From 1967 to 1974, John served in the U.S. Navy as a Machinist Mate, training in propulsion engineering, nuclear power, and refrigeration systems — the kind of hands-on mechanical grounding that no business degree can replicate.
After the Navy, he spent nearly a decade at Alcon Laboratories in Puerto Rico, rising from Maintenance Supervisor to Manager of Facility Operations. Along the way, he served as owner's representative for a major plant expansion — three
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new manufacturing facilities and supporting infrastructure — and developed a cogeneration project so significant it triggered a legal dispute with the local utility, ultimately contributing to federal regulations on third-party power interconnection.
In 1985, John purchased Automation Sales of Puerto Rico, an independent machinery sales company serving Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and Central America. Over 22 years, roughly half his sales were to pharmaceutical manufacturers, with the rest spanning medical devices, food and beverage, electronics, chemicals, cosmetics, and plastics — building the cross-industry breadth that defines his work today.
The pivot to changeover came over dinner in 1992. A former boss, who had just purchased a contract manufacturing company in San Antonio, spent two hours explaining Shigeo Shingo's SMED methodology and his plan to make his new company the most flexible manufacturer in the industry. John had lived the changeover problem for years — he just hadn't known it had a name, or a fix. It clicked immediately.
A client project followed, then another. Within a few years, John was splitting his time evenly between machinery sales and SMED consulting. In 2007, an acquaintance expressed interest in the machinery business. John sold him Automation Sales of Puerto Rico on the spot — and Changeover.com became his full-time focus.
In 1985, John purchased Automation Sales of Puerto Rico, an independent machinery sales company serving Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and Central America. Over 22 years, roughly half his sales were to pharmaceutical manufacturers, with the rest spanning medical devices, food and beverage, electronics, chemicals, cosmetics, and plastics — building the cross-industry breadth that defines his work today.
The pivot to changeover came over dinner in 1992. A former boss, who had just purchased a contract manufacturing company in San Antonio, spent two hours explaining Shigeo Shingo's SMED methodology and his plan to make his new company the most flexible manufacturer in the industry. John had lived the changeover problem for years — he just hadn't known it had a name, or a fix. It clicked immediately.
A client project followed, then another. Within a few years, John was splitting his time evenly between machinery sales and SMED consulting. In 2007, an acquaintance expressed interest in the machinery business. John sold him Automation Sales of Puerto Rico on the spot — and Changeover.com became his full-time focus.
Recognized by Shingo's Own Publisher
In 2011, Productivity Press — the publisher behind Shigeo Shingo's original SMED work — approached John to write a follow-up. The result, Achieving Lean Changeover: Putting SMED to Work (2013), adapts Shingo's heavy-industry concepts for lighter manufacturing — assembly, packaging, molding, and stamping — and adds a chapter Shingo's original never addressed: the financial case for changeover, built for a Western audience where payback, not just process improvement, drives decisions.
Credentials
MBA, InterAmerican University — Industrial & Operations Management, and Interpersonal RelationsMS, Southern New Hampshire University — Business EducationBachelor of Arts, InterAmerican University — Business AdministrationAssociate of Science, InterAmerican University — OceanographyCertified Packaging Professional (CPP) — earned through professional experience and a published research paper on changeover
A Parallel Career in the Classroom
While building his consulting practice, John spent over three decades teaching at the graduate level — not for the income, but because he genuinely enjoys it.
Southern New Hampshire University (1982-2009): Adjunct professor in the graduate business school, teaching Operations Management, Strategic Planning, Organizational Development, and Labor Relations — first at the Roosevelt Roads satellite campus, later in SNHU's international online MBA program.Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico (2005-2010): Developed and taught a graduate course in Packaging Technology for the university's Industrial Engineering master's programs.Institute of Packaging Professionals (2007-Present): Developed and continues to teach the three-day Packaging Machinery Basics course at Frain Industries, held twice yearly near Chicago's O'Hare Airport.
Southern New Hampshire University (1982-2009): Adjunct professor in the graduate business school, teaching Operations Management, Strategic Planning, Organizational Development, and Labor Relations — first at the Roosevelt Roads satellite campus, later in SNHU's international online MBA program.Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico (2005-2010): Developed and taught a graduate course in Packaging Technology for the university's Industrial Engineering master's programs.Institute of Packaging Professionals (2007-Present): Developed and continues to teach the three-day Packaging Machinery Basics course at Frain Industries, held twice yearly near Chicago's O'Hare Airport.
Author of Six Books on Packaging and Changeover
John's books are used as course texts at universities including Michigan State, Clemson, Rutgers, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and the University of Wisconsin.
Machinery Matters — (2011)Packaging Machinery Handbook (2012)Achieving Lean Changeover: Putting SMED to Work (Productivity Press, 2013)Secrets of Buying Packaging Machinery, co-authored with Rich Frain (2013)Secrets of Liquid Filling (2024)Secrets of Changeover (2025)
All books are available on Amazon. Full information & links at www.Packmachbook.com
Machinery Matters — (2011)Packaging Machinery Handbook (2012)Achieving Lean Changeover: Putting SMED to Work (Productivity Press, 2013)Secrets of Buying Packaging Machinery, co-authored with Rich Frain (2013)Secrets of Liquid Filling (2024)Secrets of Changeover (2025)
All books are available on Amazon. Full information & links at www.Packmachbook.com
200+ Published Articles
John has written over 200 bylined articles since 1998, including peer-reviewed work in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Journal of Packaging Professionals. He spent over two decades as a contributing writer for Packaging Digest and Food & Drug Packaging, and created a recurring character, "KC Boxbottom," whose semi-humorous adventures solving offbeat packaging problems ran for five years. His work has also appeared in Packaging World, Food Engineering, Design News, and other industry publications.