Chad Sneath Email & Phone Number

- Body Armor and Load Carriage Systems* Managed up to 15 engineers and engineering technicians in the development of the most advanced body armor solutions.* Established Internal Research and Development (IR&D) technical roadmap and budget to align development efforts with future customer needs, and ensure a competitive supply chain to achieve future product Design to Cost (DTC) targets.* Prepared, monitored, and reviewed performance and developmental objectives and goals for direct reports in alignment with technical roadmap and business plan.* Established strategic partnerships with key suppliers, and served as their primary technical point of contact.* Proposed concepts and won numerous developmental contracts from the US Military to help supplement IR&D budget. * Assisted Business Development in the capture of US Military production contracts, and served as their primary technical point of contact.* Managed financial, schedule, and technical status of engineering projects ranging from small development contracts to large scale production contracts.* Managed engineering capital expenditures for current and future product development efforts.* Conducted design, phase, and contract status reviews in accordance with internal lifecycle management system.* Conducted root cause investigations and prepared corrective action reports in response to internal and external product non-compliances.* Prepared and submitted Engineering Change Proposals (ECPs) to customers for product and/or process change approvals.* Provided hands on process engineering support for body armor production lines to ensure production metrics met bid assumptions.* Prepared technical data packages, including product drawings, risk and opportunities registers, compliance matrices, Design Failure Mode and Effects Analyses (DFMEAs), and Process Control Plans (PCPs).* Utilized experience in applied statistics to access and optimize product reliability and process controls.

- Body Armor, Load Carriage, Flotation, and Parachute Systems* Responsible for manufacturing and project engineering activities for soft goods operation of nearly 200 operators, producing products ranging from simple load carriage pouches to intricate parachute assemblies.* Established facilities, equipment, and tooling requirements, and managed their implementation.* Developed one piece flow process layouts to minimize work in process, improve product quality, and optimize line efficiency.* Prepared Bill of Materials (BOMs), work flow routings, Standard Works Instructions (SWIs), Standard Process Specifications (SPSs), Process Failure Mode Analyses (PFMEAs), and bid labor estimates.

- Precision Tooling and Stampings* Developed and qualified innovative method for fabricating small-gaps based technology heat sinks for IBM.* Assisted development of company’s first commercially marketed turn-key thin film stamping system.

- Thermal Batteries for Strategic Ballistic Missile Systems* Developed and implemented successful dual path strategy to quickly set up and qualify Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) line, while simultaneously developing and qualifying a fully automated thermal battery assembly line.* Lead Engineer on 10 United States Patent and Technology Office (USPTO) patents regarding the methods and automated technologies used to manufacture thermal batteries.* Acquired experience with automated pick and place and advanced vision system technologies.

- Automotive Cockpit and Airbag Modules* Supervised cockpit and airbag module Design Validation (DV) builds to ensure future product manufacturability and quality.* Established manufacturing processes, authored equipment specifications, and worked with several engineering firms to design, fabricate, and install equipment for cockpit and airbag module assembly.* Qualified In Line Vehicle Sequenced (ILVS) cockpit module assembly line inside Nissan assembly plant. * Obtained experience with laser etching and hot plate, ultrasonic, and vibration welding technologies.

Tempe, Arizona

- Automotive Airbags and Airbag Gas Generators* Developed pilot air bag assembly production processes and transferred technologies to production facility in the United Kingdom.* Assisted project engineering in the development and qualification of the company’s first gas generator.* Established manufacturing processes, designed facility layout, authored equipment specifications, and assisted several engineering firms in the design and fabrication of gas generator production line.* Developed and managed gas generator Production Launch Plan to ensure strict adherence to budget constraints, timely Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) submission, and successful ramp to rate.* Completed Explosive Firing Site and Laboratory Safety Course at New Mexico Tech’s Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC).

Mesa, Arizona

- Initiators and Micro Gas Generators for Automotive Safety Restraints* Optimized injection molding processing parameters and tooling designs resulting in substantial reductions in scrap and first pass yield rates and significant improvements in overall line efficiency.Implemented Statistical Process Control (SPC) to identify and correct potential shifts in the process before they result in non-compliances.* Assisted company-wide effort to successfully obtain and maintain QS-9000 certification.* Lead manufacturing engineer for the development of the company’s first Micro Gas Generator.* Gained experience with injection molding, laser and percussive arc welding, and x-ray technologies.

Bachelor Of Science, Industrial Engineering

Industrial Engineering