About Irwin Research & Development
Irwin Research and Development is located in Yakima, Washington, in the United States. All of our facilities are housed in a multi-building complex in a common industrial park; a new building in 2005 added 34,000 square feet.
The company’s largest investment is the machine shop, with numerous modern CNC machining centers, plasma arc stations, EDM machines, grinders and welding facilities. It produces all the manufactured components for the thermoformers, Chesaws and tooling sets.
That gives us the ability to provide quality parts on demand for machines and tools in production, as well as emergency replacement parts that are not available from stock. It also lets us bring new design concepts to fruition quickly, getting new technology to customers sooner.
Board of directors
Jere Irwin
President, chairman of the board
Jere Irwin is President of Irwin Research & Development. Starting in 1965, he continues to guide the company with new ideas for the plastics industry. With more than 40 patents to his and the company’s credit, Jere has long been a creator of new technologies.
Rafael Fernandez
Technical director
Rafael Fernandez has been with the company about 30 years, working in electronics, electrical engineering and customer service before becoming technical director.
Josh Cooper
Supervisor, manufacturing department
Josh Cooper has worked in multiple departments over more than 15 years with the company. He keeps pushing product quality and efficiency with creative problem solving, a strong work ethic and a talent for organizing people.
Juan Corpancho
IT director
Juan Corpancho has been part of the company for almost 30 years. He started in the motion control division and later moved to IT, where he developed the ERP software still in use today, and keeps bringing new technology and automation to the company.
Josue Solorio
Sales and marketing director
Josue Solorio brings over 17 years with the company. He worked in the machine shop, in assembly and as assembly department manager before joining the sales team in 2013, where he focuses on strong customer relationships and practical thermoforming solutions.