Christina Ruiz Email and Phone Number

Lead all functional areas of 5 manufacturing sites in the US and Mexico with more than 800 employees. Drive learning, process optimization, and continuous improvement across the network to deliver year over year improvements in safety, performance, profitability, and service. P&L responsibility Develop 3-5 year strategies for operations and build annual operating plans ensuring capacity, budgets, staffing. Ensure enterprise goals are delivered.

Responsible for leadership of all aspects of 2 manufacturing plants in Georgia. Start-up a new glass microfiber manufacturing plant- exceeded productivity targets in the first year- developed operational philosophy of self-direction, trust, and engagement- attracted, hired, and trained all professional staff and primary workforce- designed organizational structure for maximum effectiveness at minimal cost- engaged with state and local economic development agents to secure grantsDrive a learning organization where knowledge application is leveraged to exceed business goals.Realized an 80% improvement in quality performance by collaborating across boundaries.P&L ownerLead joint S&OP process to create annual operating plans and answer to variances.Design and implement processes to improve and optimize key performance indicators.Launch a journey toward world class maintenance.Improve organizational effectiveness by coaching and developing personnel.Intentionally protect and grow a positive image in the community in which we operate.ISO9000 | AS9100d

Management responsibility for wet laid manufacturing line, its associated processes and its people to manufacture quality products to meet internal and external customer expectations; staff, train and manage the machine to ensure a safe work environment and adherence to the Health and Safety System with daily accountability for quality products and operational excellence.

Manage internal intellectual property from ideation to patent application filing. Coordinate with inventors on prior art searches, drafting invention disclosures, and submission for review by internal patent council. Manage patent applications between inventors and patent attorneys, and provide direction to patent attorneys for patent prosecution. Conduct landscape analysis for integration in corporate strategy.Integrate open innovation methodologies across the organization. Identify, vet, and recommend new technologies for acquisition via relationships with universities, start-up organizations, or technology transfer firms. Lead technical outreach initiatives in support of strategic business goals. Manage corporate relationships globally with various universities and industrial consortia.

Business and technical development of nonwovens for composites in the aerospace, industrial, and energy industries. Production processes include wet laid, dry laid, calendering, lamination, melt blown, and saturation.

Responsible for QA and QC functions, qualification of raw materials and process chemistry. Developed product specifications, technical solutions, usage recommendations, resolved issues and performed root cause analysis. Formulated and implemented corrective and preventive action plans. Responsible for ISO 9000 quality system, implemented LabVantage LIMS system. Supported production personnel on a daily basis by resolving process and material related quality problems. Ensured process capability by developing strategies with operations and product management. Supervised nine unionized employees.Engelhard was acquired and is now operated by BASF.

Led technical venture project for the corporation, designed process flow and plant layout, compiled capital estimates and manufacturing costs, performed pilot scale design verification testing. Coordinated commercialization efforts for new products for paper, industrial coatings and polymers.Developed and implemented cost reduction projects worth $4.3MM. Developed and implemented manufacturing processes for new products. Served as Exceptional Quality (EQ) coordinator for technical group (EQ is in-house version of Six Sigma). Supervised four salaried lab technicians.Engelhard was acquired and is now operated by BASF.