• Initially began by looking to improve and sustain production for vacuum heat treat, oil quench, and wash system in the HT department.• Introduced a bake-out step for fixturing, reducing oil retention in furnaces and equipment downtime• Conducted process simulation in excel and specialized software to find bottlenecks, set accurate production goals, and drive improvements• Assisted in redesign of carbon fiber and cast fixturing, comparing cost and lifespan to enhance OEE• Led a Corporate Initiative to reduce heat treating process costs, enhancing company profits and departmental throughput.• Furnace Evaluation - collaborated with manufacturing engineering to quote and spec a new furnace, ensuring optimal performance & cost-efficiency as well as looking to optimize current space by finding buyers for existing equipment.• Supplier Coordination - partnered with external heat treat suppliers to manage workload during transition period, ensuring uninterrupted production & cost savings• Strategic Decision-Making - analyzed and recommended options to management for future state of heat treating. Options include prioritizing outsourcing or investing in new in-house machinery, balancing control with capital expenditures.• Cost savings for either future state option were estimated to be $2M-$5M annually.• Simulation Software Investigation and Implementation• Spearheaded the selection of simulation software to enhance bottleneck analysis and machine capability assessments. Evaluated 4 options, considering functionality, support, and cost.• Developed team training and established a standardized process for model creation and revision, ensuring documented changes and easy reversion to previous iterations.• Co-Led Company Inventory Count• Coordinated a facility-wide inventory count during an ERP system transition, involving cross-departmental efforts and removal of obsolete or slow moving inventory.

• Six Sigma Black Belt Project - Replace Nitric Acid as the rack stripping chemical on main electroplating line• Tested a new chemical for copper & nickel stripping capabilities from lab scale to pilot before implementation• Ran a full DOE at the pilot scale to determine target operating conditions, as well as upper and lower specification limits• Performed capability studies and a cost analysis for both current state and future state process• Analyzed current tank setup and spatial constraints, assessing design modifications to accommodate a new tank configuration. Evaluated options, including redesigning the existing setup or removing a post-rinse tank to optimize space.• Developed a control plan for the new stripping chemical, ensuring consistent in-specification chemistry. Integrated preventative maintenance measures to monitor filters, bath cuts, remakes, and cleanouts, maintaining optimal process control.