Training Specialist Andrew Routsis Passes Away

Andrew “Andy” Routsis passed away peacefully in his sleep on Nov. 4, according to a statement from his family. He was 63. Routsis founded Routsis Training (Dracut, Mass.) more than 30 years ago, starting the business after beginning his plastics career on the production floor of a processor. He subsequently purchased a toolmaker and spent time selling and rebuilding injection molding machines.

Routsis Training provides online training for individuals as well as company-wide in-house training. The company has coursework and training materials for injection molding, blow molding and extrusion, as well as design and print reading and lean manufacturing and quality, among other topics.

In a statement, Routsis’ family noted Andy’s lifelong dedication to the industry. “(Andy) spent his lifetime working in the plastics industry, which he loved. Andy was a leader in the industry for over 40 years, providing training and guidance to companies of all sizes around the world through Routsis Training. He enjoyed working, helping, and forging great relationships with all.”

On the company’s website, Routsis noted more than 2800 companies in 37 countries had utilized its training materials, including 93 learning centers and educational institutions that deploy Routsis’ interactive training programs as part of their standard curricula.

Routsis also worked as an adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell instructing in plastics engineering, mold design, part design and plastics processing from 1995 to 2015. He earned a BS in plastics engineering from UMass Lowell, graduating in 1980.

In the statement, it was announced that Steve Murphy will take over leadership of Routsis Training. Murphy has more than 40 years of experience in plastics and had worked with Andy and the team at Routsis Training for many years.