Jon Leaver Email and Phone Number

Led start-up team of 20 people to produce specialty polymers with overall project budget of $6.5-million. Managed day-to-day operations to maximize production, minimize cost, improve quality and ensure safety. Supervised 8-professionals in building production platform.-Developed high performance safety culture with training for employees and contractors - zero lost time accidents; no losses to process or equipment; OSHA 1910; PSM; HazOp; PSSR; incident investigation.-Sourced, negotiated and procured specialty chemicals, equipment and commodities to enable production platform. -Minimized spending and drove savings within $4.5-million budget.-Secured permits and certifications in compliance with regulatory requirements - EPA, TCEQ, and local governance.-Led ISO 9001:2008 implementation and achieved 1st pass certification.

Developed partnership with Chinese supplier by targeting process improvements in their business to double output and grow revenues. Led a team of 4-engineers in the manufacture of water conservation products.-Created capacity for US-based operation to grow from $20-million to $50-million inside of 1-year.-Doubled orders in Middle East to $20-million per year by training clients on value chain, and conservation proposition.-Reduced late deliveries 50% by improving planning models and implementing timely production.-Implemented QA/QC practices that led to supplier's ISO registration.

Led and directed turnaround at $15-million uniform business employing 90 with full budgetary and results-based accountability. Turned operations from monthly loss of $300,000 to breakeven in 18-months. Instrumental in increasing revenue by 7% by targeting growth opportunities within existing accounts. Integrated two businesses into one to gain economies of scale and position for growth.-Lowered labor rate 20% by right-sizing unionized production areas to increase efficiency.-Reduced maintenance expense 25% by upgrading skill sets in engineering group.-Achieved 20% reduction in cost of inventory and obsolescence by implementing controls and procedures.-Changed paradigms in fleet maintenance and product preparation to eliminate waste. Changes resulted in fleet cost reductions of $15,000/yr.-Decreased recordable incidents by 90% by creating safety mindset and proactively leading awareness and welfare of all employees.

As a leader in operations and solutions & service delivery, reviewed and improved production process for manufacturing yellow pages for U.K., France and The Netherlands. Efforts resulted in throughput increase of 15% in department of 150 union-employees.-Improved quality of finished product through enhanced 5S and TQM methodologies. Efforts resulted in winning a 4-year contract with Dutch client.-Implemented brainstorming sessions with employees and staff to identify projects to improve machine performance. Resulted in reduction of in-process waste by 10%.-Reduced lost time accidents 25% by leading safety improvement groups to remove hazards to workflow.

Directed and managed start-up of manufacturing departments, leading staff of 100 with a budget of $15-million. Headed cross-functional team consisting of manufacturing, engineering, quality assurance, planning, materials and procurement. Led development and implementation of change process enterprise-wide achieving savings over $70-million. Led teams to improve processes, machine performance and procedures. Created, implemented and achieved budgets ranging from $15-$50 million.-Led equipment selection and start-up process: RFP, installation and commission to achieve an on-time start, under budget and with a framework for growth and expansion.-Implemented WIP and FG storage systems including pick-and-pack operation to optimize product flow and ensure timely delivery. Reached over 99% efficiency in first 6-months of operation.-Sized workforce for lean manufacturing including performance measurement and staff development.-Set targets for machine performance and enabled results driven organization. In 3-months increased baseline performance 30%.-Facilitated training for local staff to enable quality processes and workflow procedures. Achieved ISO9001 certification.-Led continuous improvement efforts across local plant of 450 employees using Six Sigma to achieve 6% improvement in operations.-Eliminated $2-million of cost from operation through re-design of workflow.-Lowered inventory-on-hand from 30 to 18-days in 1 year freeing $2-million in capital.-Negotiated price and terms and re-sized in-process materials to reduce costs $250,000.-Implemented 5S and safety program to reduce days-away case rate and lost time accidents by 50%.-Reduced operational waste by 30% ($1-million), and reduced material expense through improved ordering and procurement procedures.-Implemented vendor reviews, accountability and leveraged volume for price and services.