John Grounds Email & Phone Number

Buena, New Jersey, United States

United States

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

• An international manufacturer of custom and stock packaging solutions with 8 locations, 1,400 employees, and more than $180M in annual sales revenue.
• Oversee all aspects of project management for the Phoenix facility that manufactures 1.5 million plastic, polymer, and paper bags per day for clients that include Amazon, USPS, UPS, FedEx, Walmart, and more.
• Manage an operating budget and directly supervise a Process Engineer and Continuous Improvement Coordinator.
• Oversee all contractors, subcontractors, city permitting and planning, and workplace safety compliance.
• Lead a variety of engineering projects that include building infrastructure, equipment infrastructure, and more.
• Drive the successful completion of projects and programs through KPIs, milestones, and deliverables, working directly with Plant Managers and the Senior Leadership team.

United States

• Provided strategic direction and leadership to the manufacturing engineering team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Drove product development from concept to design, prototype, and final review, and marketing to packaging for operation and shipping.
• Developed and implemented manufacturing strategies, policies, and procedures to ensure efficient production processes and consistent product quality.
• Oversaw the design, development, and optimization of manufacturing processes, equipment, and tooling for the production of vehicle components.
• Built bills of materials, work orders, quotes, and estimated selling prices for all parts and products created.
• Entered and maintained parts information in the ERP system to generate reports, quotes, and data analytics for inventory.

• Provided strategic leadership to a team of 10 managers across multiple facilities, including Engineering Brand Managers, Marketing Manager, CMC Machinist Manager, and Platform Engineering Leaders.
• Managed a $450K annual budget and identified manufacturing synergy opportunities across brands and facilities.
• Led cross-functional collaboration with engineering brand managers and ensured seamless production of new products by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) for deliverables.
• Conducted weekly engineering huddles, providing a platform for KPI review and fostering alignment across departments.
• Represented engineering at quarterly board meetings, highlighting growth, return on investments (ROI), and presenting comprehensive product development reports.
• Drove initiatives to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, improve production, and increase productivity.

• Provided strategic leadership to a team of 6 engineers, including a Lead Engineer, 3 Design Engineers, and 2 Machinists.
• Ensured on-time delivery of new products, both for internal purposes and Original Equipment (OE) requirements.
• Led the installation, mounting, and documentation of new products for vehicles, ensuring accurate and comprehensive documentation for product kits, instructions, and building processes.Key Accomplishments
• Led R&D for Daystar brand, generating $2M in new product revenue over 18 months.
• Constructed ISO9001 documentation for departments and cross-departments for facility audits.
• Initiated a cost savings of 25% on the #1 leading product, growing gross margins to 56%.

Banning, California, United States

• Generated $225K in new sales from 17 new products, achieving 70%+ gross margin on a blended average.

Jacksonville, Florida, United States