Bottled water production in Baghdad, Iraq.

Quality management at SQF accredited bottled water facility

2004 to 2007 with staff of four techs and two janitors. Conducted constant improvement system to increase yields and reduce complaints while meeting IBWA and NSF guidelines. Relocated via company program to Douglas, GA in 2007 to build new 200,000 sq. ft. facility with four production lines and complete PET blow molding operation. Maintained regulatory compliances for production facility and spring siteQuality Systems ManagementImplemented SQF 2000 Level 2 in July 2008 and achieved Level 3 in November 2008 as first U.S. bottled water company to receive that rating.Developed and maintained all quality and sanitation SOPs in preparation for Lean rollout.Responsible for HACCP program development, implementation and maintenance.New Plant OpeningResponsible for commissioning of all water process tanks, lines, filtration, RO and distillation equipment in new plant in 2007.Met company deadlines for state permitting of remote spring site and plant including regulatory reporting, inspection and customer audits.Process ImprovementManaged four techs in an industrial environment with emphasis on training and communication skills.Consistently ranked as an Excellence in Manufacturing by NSF/IBWA audits. Customer audits; Bi-Lo) achieved excellent scores as did Ga. Ag Dept. regulatory quarterly audits.Improved water yields and assisted in implementation of water reclamation project for sustainability.Sponsored first plant Kaizen event to reduce one gallon water changeover times from 15 minutes to 7 minutes with reduced water loss.

Managed quality and sanitation operations with staff of four techs and one janitor for 170,000 sq. ft. facility with five production lines (2 PET, 1 gallon, 2.5 gallon and 5 gallon). Customer SatisfactionReceived, investigated and resolved all retail and 5 gallon customer complaints.Responsible for customer label development program and packaging initiatives.5 Gallon ProgramTrained all route drivers in cleaning SOP's and maintenance of customer coolers.Developed polycarbonate recycling program.Water Process ManagementImplemented ozone management systems to meet regulatory guidelines of limiting bromated formation in spring water.Installed new RO, water treatment process and mineral injection unit.Quality StandardMaintained IBWA Excellence in Manufacturing Award for three straight years.Developed monthly internal audit process for constant improvement.

Raw Material Vendor ProcessManaged quality checks of all incoming juice concentrates, oils and essences to assure specs were met.Received and tracked incoming products in AS400 system with Purchasing.Lab SupervisionManaged staff of six techs in quality assurance lab monitoring all production lines including frozen concentrates, frozen coffees, not-from-concentrate juices and reconstituted product.Responsible for maintaining microbiological and analytical standards.Assisted R&D by conducting taste panels and shelf life studies for test formulations and blend tests.Responsible for investigation of all customer complaints.

Food Process Chemical AnalysisResponsible for analysis of raw and cooked turkey and turkey by-products used for feed by farm operations.Provided maintenance of USDA Food Lab Certification to reduce regulatory compliance costs.Assisted microbiological lab in trouble-shooting potential issues in finished good processing.

Quality System SupportMonitored sanitation effectiveness of cleaned equipment after teardowns and back flushes.Assisted in USDA regulatory compliance program.Conducted GMP audits of facility to meet regulatory and corporate QA guidelines.Monitored efficiencies of all juice production and by-product processes.