Semi-Retired role. Helping people realize their DIY potential.

Custom Woodturning, creating handmade, high-quality, wood writing instruments and wood turnings.www.HardingPens.ca

Part of the SLT. Responsible for Engineering, Quality, Purchasing, and ERP. Rebuilt the Engineering team after Covid staff reductions. Revised processes and documentation to drive improvements in engineering, ERP, inventory accuracy, and meet ISO9000 requirements.

In charge of all Production, Order Fulfilment, and Logistics. Position ended with COVID shutdown. Successfully completed the consolidation of 2 plants and restore profitability, without interrupting orders.

Developing methods, procedures and documents to improve design, quality, and service, while also reduce errors and improve costs. I work with all areas of the company driving improved design, quality, communications, and on-time delivery.

Led all engineering activities for this office/healthcare seating company. Project Manager for all Product Development activities, Created and processed ECN’s. Ensured BIFMA certification testing was completed. Negotiated with test labs a new process to certify product families. Created 3D CAD models and drawings with SolidWorks. Answered technical information requests and RFQs/tenders. Worked with contract industrial designers to develop, evaluate and release to production of new products and changes. Project Manager for BIFMA e3 Level certification project resulting in the certification of all seating lines (1st in the industry to do this). Created prototypes, ran product testing, resolving production and customer issues. Led WHMIS update. Auditor for ISO 9000/14000.

Developed and launched new gas and electric cooking equipment products. Led cross functional team of sales, corporate engineers, and customers, to determine project scope and milestones. Reviewed products with manufacturing to resolve issues before putting products into production. Took over a critical product development project when the lead engineer quit. Turned around the project, defined scope and motivated team to meet milestones. Trained team members on lean methods and designing in quality. We hit our project deadlines for field trials despite having to redesign for flaws in the original designs. Worked closely with manufacturing and customers to resolve issues before launch. Kept management abreast of issues, solutions and impacts on milestones. Took part in project reviews with corporate team and external auditors. Won President’s award for collaboration. My product won McDonalds 2008 System First Award. First year of production sold out immediately after launch. Resolved a wide variety of issues from gas combustion, computer controls, field issues, and cost targets. Led product transition team to transfer a key product line during a plant closure in 2010. Provided support and training while new personnel learned the product. Took over electrical design work after our Electrical Engineer left.

Built a technical team to 14 people to handle issues with products manufactured in 4 plants. Led the team through decentralization, followed by a downsizing. Coached and developed individuals successfully, resulting in the promotion of 4 employees to management positions. Fixed 50,000 drawings to correct errors. Audited and approved all changes to product and drawings. Ensured engineering process met ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 standards. Developed an ECR change control process that was used to control many internal standards as well as CAD files, and was subsequently adopted by other corporate divisions. Worked with Marketing and Sales to identifying customer product issues and then led a cross-functional team to resolve design and manufacturing issues. Redeveloped product / processes to better meet customer needs. Coordinated engineering efforts across 4 plants, local affiliates, and international facilities. Addressed discrepancies, and achieved improvements in product through better manufacturing methodologies. Set up and maintained a CAD PDM vault allowing all Teknion plants to read real-time product data. Created the data flow process and trained users. The vault and ECR process resolved ongoing issues of products being manufactured to the wrong drawing level. Implemented new CAD software, coordinated upgrades and training. Resolved a critical product safety defect within an aggressive timeline. Implemented a quick fix, followed by a more cost effective long-term solution. Received formal recognition from the President.

Earned responsibility for park brake assemblies after the brake expert left the company. Developed an in depth knowledge of brakes within a short timeframe. Successfully launched the company’s first park brake assembly for the GM S/T Truck. Oversaw the correction of initial design to meet customer expectations. Helped developed a fully Poke Yoke assembly process. My product earned a GM “Supplier of the Year” award and was profitable, despite many changes in the project scope. Coached, trained, and developed two junior engineers who were subsequently promoted. Redesigned the brake lock mechanism to its slimmest form ever and used it to win a major contract. Turned around a late quote and delivered a short-notice customer presentation in Frankfurt, Germany. Worked with an outside law firm to investigate patents and successfully avoid patent infringement litigation.

As a part of the new seat track design group, helped launch the AIT track, a new structural seat truck mechanism. Developed the Ford Ranger regular cab version of the seat track. Coordinated design work with JCI and Ford. Designed on CAD, met weekly with JCI for design reviews. Arranged quotes, design changes & prototypes. Set up and learned PDGS CAD system, including the data control modules.

Responsible for all Ford and Chrysler business, including recovery of lost volume. Managed technical team of 5. Met my goal of reversing sales projections from downward to upward at Ford. Participated in the transition to lean manufacturing. Litens was one of the first lean plants in North America. Part of a team to improve ECR process to meet customer demands and the new lean production system. Managed the company’s design computers and custom belt tensioner design software.Designed and developed belt tensioners for engine accessory drives. Successfully launched one of the first supplier-system projects – 1992 Ford Tempo FEAD. For a number of years, many companies benchmarked the Tempo FEAD bracket as the best in class.

Technical Lead on a government funded research project to use diesel smoke filters in underground mining. Turned research into a new commercial product.Presented findings at several industry conferences. Research was published.