Rising Star: Ryan Martin’s Journey from Intern to Impact at Kuraray America

In celebration of Kuraray’s Centennial anniversary in June 2026, our #RisingStars series recognizes the next generation of talent continuing our legacy and contributing to the next 100 years.

Meet Ryan Martin, Production Engineer and one of Kuraray America, Inc.'s (KAI) #RisingStars, helping shape the company's future.

Ryan’s introduction to work started in a restaurant kitchen before he went on to study mechanical engineering at Methodist University. Growing up just minutes from KAI’s Fayetteville, NC, site, he took the opportunity to intern with the company in 2022, stayed on through the school year, and has never left.

Ryan progressed from intern to Process Engineer with our Advanced Interlayer Solutions (AIS) business unit at the Fayetteville site. In 2025, he stepped into a new challenge as a Production Engineer at the Bayport facility supporting our polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) business unit.

Making an Impact from Day One 
As an intern, he designed and built a trim grinder system from scratch. The project reflected the hands-on problem-solving mindset he continues to bring to his work.

As a full-time Process Engineer, Ryan led rapid improvement events that brought cross-functional teams together to solve production challenges. In one effort, the team rescheduled the lineup on a key production line, unlocking a 26% increase in throughput with virtually no capital cost.

“If an idea didn’t work, the response was never pushback. It was: ‘let’s try something else’.” he said.

Championing Digital Transformation 
At Fayetteville, operators previously had very little visibility into long-term metrics and overall performance of the production line. Ryan and his team saw the gap and built real-time Power BI dashboards that are displayed in the control room. Operators have immediate visibility, enabling timely, informed adjustments.

At Bayport, he is helping build TrendMiner dashboards powered by real-time plant data to drive faster, more confident decisions.

Building What Comes Next
Ryan's ambitions extend beyond the plant floor. In Fayetteville, he regularly visited local schools to introduce students to engineering, some of the same schools he attended as a kid.

"A couple of conversations in high school were all it took to spark my interest. I want to create that moment for someone else." He plans to continue that outreach in Houston.

That instinct to develop others is shaping his career journey as he mentors interns, shadows management meetings, and completes KAI leadership development courses, all in pursuit of his goal to eventually lead a plant. He is four years into that journey and already making an impact, exactly the kind of ambition deserving of #RisingStar spotlight.

Mar. 17, 2026