NEW YORK — Richard J. Burns has been named chief operating officer of pipe-cladding firm MesoCoat Inc. effective immediately, parent Abakan Inc. announced Feb. 5.

Burns will oversee all internal operations, “including building company infrastructure and developing a creative, high-performance corporate culture,” Miami-based Abakan said.

His appointment will also help free up MesoCoat general manager of cladding Mario Medanic and his global expansion team, allowing them to prioritize setting up manufacturing facilities in Brazil and Indonesia as well as a research and development center in Canada, Abakan said.

MesoCoat is also working to bring its new pipe-coating facility in Euclid, Ohio, online. MesoCoat broke ground on the plant in 2011 (amm.com, April 6, 2011).

Burns joins Euclid-based MesoCoat from specialized polymer supplier PolyOne Corp., where he served as vice president and general manager of North American engineered materials. In that role, Burns oversaw the Avon Lake, Ohio-based company’s move into high-margin products and the development of a $10-million manufacturing plant, Abakan said.