Ben Kaufman Email & Phone Number

Hastings, Mi, Us

Hastings, Mi, Us

I currently lead a team of engineers continually improving CNC machining and automated assembly of residential and commercial fire suppression systems. I work hand-in-hand with R&D leadership to develop new products, define manufacturing requirements, and am responsible for developing processes and equipment to launch these innovative products.___________________________________________________________________________________________Position Highlights✓ Restructured the engineering team to achieve operational goals of 25 million units produced annually and 30% scrap reduction, while leading critical new product launches✓ Implemented innovative solutions for error proofing and part tracking, establishing new best-practices

Detroit, Michigan, Us

I had full engineering oversight of a high-volume manufacturing department that produces ~2.5 million automotive components annually. This role encompassed leading a team of engineers (direct and cross-functional reports) in the design, testing, maintenance, support, and enhancement of all manufacturing systems, equipment, tools, and processes. I worked with the plant leadership team to create technical strategies, and I served as a teacher and coach to manufacturing operations, quality, and engineering teams in problem-solving methods.___________________________________________________________________________________________Position Highlights✓ Established a problem-solving culture within the plant that used analytics and reporting to identify improvement opportunities✓ Created variable measurement processes and used robotic vision systems (RPA) to replace attribute pass/fail processes for manufactured parts✓ Cut false reject rate by 10% and reduce scrap costs by $250K.✓ Increased production line uptime while improving product quality within very tight tolerances

Detroit, Michigan, Us

I mentored and led a team that included manufacturing and quality engineers, a data scientist, and a metallurgist to solve problems and optimize processes at a production facility with four main units each running three production lines 24 hours a day, five days a week. I worked with the team to use proven problem-solving methodologies (Six Sigma, OPEX, Red X) to improve the manufacturing systems and processes. I also assessed and managed the production site’s compliance with Lean Global Manufacturing System (GMS), PPAP and TS 16949 certification requirements.______________________________________________________________________________________________Position Highlights✓ Delivered 24 quality engineering projects in a four-year span✓ Grew the number, visibility, and impact of the quality projects each year✓ Generated $2M in annual cost savings for 12 projects completed just in 2017

Detroit, Michigan, Us

• I relocated to Michigan to transfer the technology and processes I helped to design from the pre-production to the full production environment for the Volt Lithium-Ion Battery. This was a start-up assembly line at a newly renovated plant. My role was to establish, document, and implement the manufacturing processes, to direct the installation and setup of equipment, to manage machine qualification, to provide training and support to the manufacturing team, and to lead production operations.____________________________________________________________________________________________Position Highlights✓ Launched the assembly line on time and on budget✓ Led a project to improve production throughput by re-engineering the lift assist roller system in collaboration with the equipment vendor

Detroit, Michigan, Us

As an Advanced Manufacturing Engineer, I led project teams of up to 12 resources in the design and implementation of processes, tools, and techniques for manufacturing assembly and pre-production of new solutions. As part of this role, I led continuous process improvement programs, created cost and time estimates for assembly and test tooling, and presented forecasts and project status reports to senior management._________________________________________________________________________________________Position Highlights✓ Improved the quality and yield of the pre-production hardware for fuel cell plates used in the Chevy Equinox through root cause analysis and corrective actions✓ Designed the entire manufacturing strategy for the pre-production build of 150 lithium-ion battery packs for the Chevy Volt, including the plant retooling, production floor setup, and process flow plans for the operation

Detroit, Michigan, Us

During this role, I managed a shift team of union workers to maintain the plant production equipment while ensuring compliance with all process, quality, and safety standards.__________________________________________________________________________________________________Position Highlight✓ Delivered on a strict production equipment maintenance plan to improve manufacturing quality and yield

Detroit, Michigan, Us

As a new engineer with GM, I designed automotive component manufacturing systems and processes. As I gained experience in the role, I helped to establish Design for Manufacturability (DFM) guidelines and Bill of Process (BOP) standards. I also performed capability testing with a Japanese supplier of a new sheet metal forming technology._________________________________________________________________________________________Position Highlights✓ Patented two manufacturing processes✓ Earned the Boss Kettering Award, GM’s highest honor for technical innovation

Master Of Engineering - Meng, Manufacturing Engineering

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Mechanical Engineering