Alex Loader Email & Phone Number

Skelmersdale, England, United Kingdom

Skelmersdale

Skelmersdale, Lancashire, Uk

Skelmersdale, Lancashire, Uk

Skelmersdale, Lancashire, Uk

Transformational Leader; responsible for continuous improvement projects, Lean training / training material, standardisation, visual management, sustaining change, product transfer and new product introduction. As ever, a key driver for change, challenging the status quo and improving our manufacturing methods and systems. Facilitating a number of Culture Change projects to make process and training central to the future continuous improvement of the business. These have been acknowledged as best practice and are being used by Scott Safety in the US and other Tyco companies.Substantial breakthrough results have now been achieved based on the projects I have instigated, managed and the systems and processes I have introduced.Scott Safety are a manufacturer of Military and industrial respirators & filters (gas masks), breathing apparatus, powered air purifying respirators and head & face protection.

Skelmersdale Uk

Managing a team of 4 Manufacturing Excellence engineers in our 3 UK sites. I was responsible for process improvement projects to reduce costs in the UK businesses and the continued implementation of Manufacturing Excellence in the 3 sites. Global Manufacturing Excellence programme (Lean / continuous improvement), using tools such as: ME KPI's, Value Stream Mapping, 5S, standard operating procedures, skills control and Total Productive Maintenance, etc

Skelmersdale / Barrow-In-Furness Uk, Houston / Boston Usa, Drammen Norway

As part of the senior leadership team, I was responsible for the global Manufacturing Excellence programme implementation for Trelleborg Offshore as part of a larger implementation from our Swedish parent company Trelleborg AB. This included standardisation of KPI’s, documentation, equipment, Lean tools, across the group. It also included benchmarking current site levels of Lean maturity through regular audits; Carrying out gap analysis and implementation of improvement activities in 8 manufacturing sites (UK, USA, Norway). Champion training was also undertaken by HOSCA for 40 change agents across the group, learning by doing in Trelleborg AB sites across Europe & North AmericaThe role also included sharing internal and external best practice manufacturing methods, mainly using global product focus teams, where $2M savings were made by global cross site sharing of best practice.As part of the document standardisation, a global SOP semi-automated template, database and training system was implemented. This template has since been adopted by a significant number of other Trelleborg companies outside of the Offshore group.

Skelmersdale Uk; Boston, Ma , Usa

Working for the Group technology department; I was part of a group responsible for production engineering innovation, best practice and improvements for the five Trelleborg Offshore companies, in the UK, USA, and Norway. I had specific responsibility for a $2 million upgrade of Trelleborg Emerson & Cuming’s hollow glass microsphere plant in Boston USA. I regularly travelled between the UK, the US and Europe, with this role. Hollow glass microspheres are used as a high performance low density filler, primarily for sub-sea buoyancy and thermal insulation. Notably these Microspheres were used on the Submersable 'Alvin', that discovered the Titanic and on the Solid Rocket Boosters of the Space Shuttle.The processes used include; chemical mixing, spray drying, heat treatment, chemical treatment, drying, quality and packaging and is unique to Trelleborg Emerson & Cuming. I researched, justified, procured, installed and qualified a number of new pieces of next generation equipment to improve yield by 25%.

Temecula, California, Us

Reporting to the Vice President of Global Operations, I was responsible for the transition of manufacturing from the Channell Ltd UK site to the Channell Corporation head office in Temecula, California. This included the recruitment and training of 10 process engineers from scratch to allow 24/7 running, hands on trouble shooting of equipment, establishing new working procedures, process improvements, sourcing alternative local suppliers and re-establishing production / quality. I was also a key member on the Channell Flow System, Lean Manufacturing implementation team. One successful Lean project allowed Channell to compete aggressively against Chinese manufactured competition with the Mini Rocker Bridging Modules for VoIP (Voice over the Internet) for the major US telecom providers. This increased production by 300% using half the labour.A simple idea I had developed saved Channell $500,000 in tooling costs for a major new style connector. I instigated a simple standardisation program for machines and moulds to allow quick tool changes in the injection moulding area, taking changeovers down from 2 hours to 30 minutes. I also eliminated unnecessary jig changes in the assembly production lines, increasing flow and productivity. I later also took responsibility for the moulding and mould maintenance departments as well as the Connector Cell Department totalling 15 people; specifically to further drive and mentor change in the organisation.

Cell Production Manager/Projects ManagerReporting to the Managing Director, I was responsible for managing all aspects of the Hekuma Connector Manufacturing Cell, production, personnel and instigating process improvements. I was also responsible for the Injection Moulding shop and all the associated personnel in the two departments. I Introduced Lean principles into the workplace, improving flow, standardisation and KANBAN. Initially 4 direct reports increasing to 30, before the plant was relocated to California.Project EngineerReporting to the Engineering Director, I was responsible for bringing new products, tooling and machinery from design, through testing and into production on time and to budget. This included amongst others; a state of the art high speed automated Hekuma Connector Manufacturing Cell for producing discrete copper connect connectors at a rate in excess of ½ Million connectors per day. This system drastically reduced the existing component cost. (Project cost £2.5 Million). The Automated system used two Netstal injection moulding machines, two world class German 96 cavity mould tools, metal contact forming, all coupled to Hekuma integrated automation.The discrete connectors, which are made up of a two piece polypropylene body, a plated brass insulation displacement contact (IDC) and waterproofing compound, are moulded and assembled at a rate of 1000 every minute, to tight production and quality criteria. The Channell 8a/1 connectors are regarded as one of the best quality telecom discrete connectors in the world.

Winsford, Cheshire

Process EngineerReporting to the Technical Manager, I was responsible for AQP of new products from tool maker trials through to manufacture. I would supervise initial toolmaker tool trials, and then personally carry out the onsite sampling of new tooling before sign off to production. New tooling had very tight performance criteria to meet, needing to achieve reject rates below 1% with full capability studies on the product and process (CPK of 1.66). I developed the document system that provided detailed processing information packs for all new products. This documentation was issued to the production department on hand over, to allow them to consistently meet these tight standards. I also ran the sampling program, planning, evaluation of new materials, masterbatches, process improvements, modifications and sub-contract tooling.I was also heavily involved in manufacturing cost reduction, through use of cell manufacture, automation, design of experiments, additive ratio reduction, material cost downs, process/efficiency improvements and updating manufacturing standards. In my final 13 months at LINPAC I made £120,000 worth of efficiency improvements to the factory, through process and automation optimisation improvements alone.Process TechnicianReporting to the Production Superintendent, I was solely responsible for sampling all new injection mould tooling in the factory and trouble shooting production problems on the shop floor. I was also a TQM team leader, whose projects included the re-siting of the material additive storage area to improve stock control and health and safety.Apprentice Polymer TechnicianWhilst attending Manchester Metropolitan University, firstly on a sandwich course basis and later on day release, I completed my ONC and HNC in Polymer Science & Technology; whilst also obtaining a solid practical grounding in all aspects of the Injection mould shop, toolroom, maintenance, production, quality and design.

Post Graguate Certificate - Design & Manufacture With Polymers, Polymer/Plastics Engineering, Distinction

Certificate In Management

Polymer Science & Technology