Chris Matte Email & Phone Number

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

Was responsible for the day-to-day operation of a state-of-the-art rapid prototyping lab supporting a consortium of over 50 companies. Was responsible for the maintenance, repair, consumable procurement, and daily operation of nine machines over five different additive manufacturing technologies (SLS, FDM, DLP, CJP, HPS). Developed a working knowledge of machine operation, material properties, and build failure root cause analysis. Managed both internal and external projects, understanding customer needs, setting priorities, managing expectations, and driving execution in a fast paced, high project volume environment. Was responsible for scheduling, supervision and mentoring of the student workforce. Built cross functional relationships with university personnel, service technicians, OEM resources, outsource partners, and consortium members.

Kohler, Wisconsin, United States

Acted as new product development project leader for retail and wholesale shower door projects. Ledmultiple, concurrent cross functional teams from scope, budget, and timeline development throughproject launch and post-launch continuous improvement activities. Led platform team meetings anddrove category level priority setting and action item tracking.

Kohler, Wisconsin, United States

Executed a wide range of projects related to product and process improvements, cost savings, andwarranty reduction. Managed a small team of engineers, CAD analysts, and co-ops. Helped developand lead a new global VA/VE process to prioritize, execute, and track all engineering cost savingsactivities.

Kohler, Wisconsin, United States

(Return to a previous position, see previous entry)Acted as tooling design engineer and manufacturing project manager on NPD projects andsustaining/CPD activities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. Recruited and supervised thedepartment co-op students. Was responsible for the costing, tooling development, and PPAP releaseof new products. Worked closely with NPD teams to meet cost and manufacturability requirements.Documented design guidelines for multiple product lines. Designed tooling using Pro-E / Creo andworked closely with tooling vendors to ensure quality and on-time delivery. Developed and led atooling program which resulted in numerous quality improvements, cost reductions, and preventativemaintenance programs. Led multiple Kaizen-style workshops. Was responsible for approval andimplementation of mods and other CPD activities. Worked directly with foremen and skilled laborworkers to develop fixtures, gages, and implement process improvements.

Kohler, Wisconsin, United States

Was responsible for analyzing all damage claim related faucet failures. Worked closely with labtechnicians, engineering management, and corporate insurance to accurately report the cause ofproduct failures for insurance and litigation purposes. Led numerous product failure investigations aswell as participated in third party lab testing. Developed a database for tracking claims and piloted anout-brief process for sharing claim information with NPD teams while minimizing liability.

Kohler, Wisconsin, United States

Acted as tooling design engineer and manufacturing project manager on NPD projects andsustaining/CPD activities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. Recruited and supervised thedepartment co-op students. Was responsible for the costing, tooling development, and PPAP releaseof new products. Worked closely with NPD teams to meet cost and manufacturability requirements.Documented design guidelines for multiple product lines. Designed tooling using Pro-E / Creo andworked closely with tooling vendors to ensure quality and on-time delivery. Developed and led atooling program which resulted in numerous quality improvements, cost reductions, and preventativemaintenance programs. Led multiple Kaizen-style workshops. Was responsible for approval andimplementation of mods and other CPD activities. Worked directly with foremen and skilled laborworkers to develop fixtures, gages, and implement process improvements.

Acted as product engineer and project manager on NPD projects specific to kitchen sinks and relatedaccessories. Led cross-functional teams to on time and on budget project completion for major tradeshow launches. Gained training and working knowledge of QFD, DFMEA, and other DFSS tools,including Yellow Belt certification. Participated in market research efforts and other opportunities tocapture voice of the customer information and relate that to product design. Was responsible formodel, drawing, BOM, and technical publication creation for new products. Other experiences includeextensive use of Pro-E, leading of advanced development research projects, and participation invarious continuous improvement activities.

Sussex, Wisconsin, United States

Managed projects relating to the design and manufacturing of basketball hoop systems and relatedequipment. Utilized Solidworks, IronCAD and AutoCAD. Developed the industry’s first “no-toolsrequired” portable home basketball system. Was responsible for model, drawing, BOM, and technicalpublication creation for new products. Gained project management experience in a fast paced,marketing driven environment. Worked with stampings, weldments, injection and blow moldedplastics, as well as machined parts.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

Designed and updated water purity sensors and the hardware associated with their manufacturing anduse. Gained experience using Pro-Engineer, SolidWorks, and AutoCAD. Worked with injectionmolded plastics and machined metals and plastics.