Dave Dirks Email & Phone Number

Ames

Responsible for global operations of the Medium Power Business UnitResponsibilities include manufacturing, supply chain, and quality for the business unit locations globally with overall facility leadership for the plant in Ames and the plant in Povazka-Bystrica, Slovakia.

Shanghai, China

• Relocated to Shanghai China
• Hiring and developing a local team to establish the assembly operations and provide on-going support
• Developing business cases and setting in motion product development teams for several new products needed in the Chinese market.
• Leading a small team identifying acquisition targets, building business cases, and structuring offers

Ames, Iowa

• Lead a $300M business with more than 400 people and multiple product lines in three facilities.
• Responsible for production operations, product engineering, purchasing, material planning, and factilities.
• Using lean tools and structured problem solving techniques, team improved gross profit by nearly 10% over three years on the largest volume product making it the most profitable product in the company.
• Team more than doubled the manufacturing output in an 18 month period. This included moving several product lines in from a facility that was closing.
• Recruited and developed a strong leadership team, many who have since been promoted to higher positions within and outside the company.

Ames, IA

• Lead the production teams responsible for three product lines.
• Team greatly improved the internal first pass yield and external (outgoing) quality levels of a specialty transmission product for John Deere.
• Helped lead a transition from a functional organizational structure to a product line organization (where each product line was organized as its own small business).

Ames, IA

• Lead six different engineering groups in four countries designing and supporting a variety of open circuit gear pumps and piston pumps.
• Improved and consolidated a variety of local engineering processes into global processes and helped streamline the product range.
• Participating in the development of new team and production line in Slovakia.

Ames, IA

• Lead two engineering design teams and was responsible for overall profit and loss of open circuit piston pumps.
• Established an engineering and manufacturing operation in Dubnica, Slovakia.
• Lead team which expanded and developed the product offering which continues today to be one of the most profitable and fastest growing product in the company.

Ames, IA

• Lead of group of engineers, drafters, and technicians in developing a new line of products.
• Supported and designed various piston pump products and hydro-mechanical transmissions.
• Granted or co-granted 7 patents

Peoria, IL

• 1989-1991, 1992-1994
• Developed dynamic simulation models and conducted vehicle performance tests at the Caterpillar Proving Grounds

Livermore, CA

• Created dynamic simulation software for vehicle analysis

Master Of Science (M.S.), Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor'S Of Science (B.S.), Mechanical Engineering