James Walker

James Walker joined Valin through the acquisition of Sun Automation in August 2021. He was with Sun Automation for decades and helped grow the business from scratch. The acquisition marked the expansion of Valin’s automation footprint in Arizona. James embraced the changes that came with the acquisition and became a positive and stabilizing force for his colleagues. He encouraged the team often and supported the use of CRM as a new part of their organization.

James grasped both systems and personnel, helping to ensure the integration was as smooth as possible on the sales side. His support extended to his sales colleagues by instilling confidence in the new processes. He helped customers by familiarizing them with Valin's approach and maintaining the support and reliability they had grown accustomed to. James actively collaborated with the existing Arizona sales team, engaged in joint sales calls, organized informative learning sessions, and scheduled supplier visits.

James' input and participation have played a pivotal role in exploring new prospects with the Business Development team at Semiconductor OEMs, contributing to the penetration of many large manufacturers by capitalizing on fresh opportunities within the semiconductor fabrication sector. His hard work resulted in the discovery of a significant CMP OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) tool maker. This venture expanded the business and reinforced the relationship with a crucial automation supplier. Another example of how James adopted the new sales structure happened when there was trouble connecting with a customer. He and a new teammate made a cold call where they extended an invitation to join an on-site event that Valin was hosting that summer. The customer's attendance at the event led to a year-long sales process to build a prototype to upgrade their semiconductor wafer-cleaning machine. Once the prototype is approved, the business expects to grow into one of Valin's largest OEM customers.

He has also contributed to content development for the Valin website by authoring articles on conveyors, which has garnered positive feedback from the supplier and customers. James continues to foster and support the relationships that were cultivated through Sun Automation. These partnerships now thrive within Valin Corporation, highlighting his leadership and contributions to Valin’s success.