Manufacturing 2024: ANTHONY ‘TONY’ ROBINSON

Robinson took over in early August as the head of Framatome Inc., the Lynchburg-based North American subsidiary of the French nuclear equipment, services and fuel producer.

A former executive for Framatome and BWX Technologies, Robinson replaced Katherine Williams, who became CEO in 2023 and retired this year after
20 years with Framatome.

Robinson, who has about 35 years of industry experience, previously was senior vice president and chief nuclear officer of Structural Integrity Associates, a North Carolina company providing engineering services for the energy industry. Before that he had been an executive for BWXT in Lynchburg and worked for about 25 years for Framatome and its predecessor, Areva.

Robinson has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Akron and is a board member for the Central Virginia YMCA in Lynchburg.

In April, Framatome broke ground on a $49.4 million expansion at its Mill Ridge Road facility in Lynchburg, where Operational Center of Excellence employees service and maintain nuclear reactors in North America and develop ideas for small nuclear reactors. The expansion is expected to add 515 jobs to the company’s complement of about 1,350 workers in Lynchburg.