Kimberly Houchens

North Central Regional Director
Global VP of R&D, O-I

Kimberly Houchens is vice president of research and development at Owens-Illinois, Inc. (NYSE:OI). She is based at the company's worldwide headquarters in Perrysburg, Ohio. Houchens leads research and development at O-I, focusing on next-generation manufacturing technologies to provide the company with a sustainable and innovative advantage in the marketplace. She is working in partnership with O-I's commercial and sustainability efforts to support the company's strategic priorities by developing and implementing novel product and process strategies. She joined O-I in 2011. Houchens brings to O-I more than 20 years of experience as an innovative product design, research and development leader. She joined O-I from Amcor, the world's largest global packaging company and designer and developer of packaging for iconic brands such as Coke and Pepsi. At Amcor, Houchens led a 120-person global team through reorganization and restructuring, yielding innovative and award-winning packaging concepts for an array of consumer products. 

Prior to her five years with Amcor, Houchens was chief technology officer at a nanotechnology chemical coating startup, Nano-Tex, Inc., where she was responsible for building a team of innovators that developed and launched three major new categories of chemical processes in the global fashion industry. She also has held directorial positions in technology and new product development at commercial film supplier OMNOVA Solution and was a senior researcher for The Dow Chemical Company. Houchens holds a bachelor's degree in textile science from Michigan State University; an associate's degree in design from the Fashion Institute of Technology; a master's degree from North Carolina State University in textile engineering, chemistry and science; and a Ph.D. from N.C. State in textile technology and management. Houchens was recently promoted to the status of full member of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society.