I enjoy designing things, figuring out how to make them, using data to figure out how to make them better, and sharing my passion & experiences with those around me. I am an accomplished manager with a broad range of real-world experiences at smaller manufacturers in engineering, tooling design, manufacturing engineering, process improvement, team building/development, engineering management, ERP systems, costing, quality, quality systems (ISO/TS), data compilation/analysis, business management, ESOP’s, and automation. My experiences have involved worked with a number of larger customers including, but not limited to, Briggs & Stratton, John Deere, Emerson, Kawasaki, Mercury Marine, & Polaris. I am a results-oriented leader with proven successes adapting technology to reduce costs, develop new products/processes, and analyze data to support major business decisions. I flourish in dynamic, challenging, and rewarding situations that require outside-the-box thinking, hands-on involvement, and/or perseverance. My teams and I have not only saved the organizations for which I’ve worked millions of dollars over the years, but also those organizations’ customers. As a manager, I am a combination of a servant leader, coach/mentor, & visionary. Respect, risk-taking, humility, and humor are the cornerstones of who I am. I am truly grateful for all the opportunities, help, & guidance I’ve been given over the years and hope all those around me would say the same about me.Core Competencies & Qualities:• Visionary Leadership,• Analytical,• Database Strengths,• Detail-Oriented,• Hands-On,• Excel Expert, & • Ethical.When I am not at work, I enjoy our family – my incredible and supportive wife of 18 years, Sarah, Brooke (15), Carson (also 15 – yes, they are twins), Emma (12), Joel (10), & the family Beagle, Farley (3), maintaining/improving our acreage, projects around the house (currently finishing up a complete basement remodel project), traveling, camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, and our children’s activities (band, Scouts, 4-H, youth group, football, basketball, & baseball, just to name a few). Life is an incredible journey and you only get one shot at it. You learn from your successes, but you learn even more from your failures.
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Engineering ManagerMarshalltown Company Mar 2015 - Jul 2018Marshalltown, IowaActively led the engineering group (up to 20 direct reports and 4-6 indirect reports) in Iowa and hired personnel.Coordinated with the Plant Manager, Production, Maintenance, and Tool & Die to ensure manufacturing processes supported business growth by improving current processes, implementing new automated processes, and developing new products at the direction of the President. Directed priorities, rebuilt the Engineering team, cultivated personnel, and partnered with Engineering at production and distribution facilities in Fayetteville, Arkansas.Key Achievements:- Delivered cost reductions worth approximately $1,000,000 and generated future capital cost reductions well in excess of $1,000,000. - Coordinated the development and implementation of several automated processes.- Administered Production’s successfully launch of 3 new product lines at Lowe’s.- Spearheaded testing to improve product quality of the company’s premier brick trowels. - Oversaw and provided direction to R&D efforts to radically change a forging process resulting in much less specialized equipment with significantly lower capital costs and less vulnerability.- Key team member of a major building expansion project.
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Global Estimating/Engineering ManagerInterface Sealing Solutions (F/K/A Cooper Mfg. Co.) Apr 1999 - Mar 2015Marshalltown, IaActively led the Estimating/Engineering group (up to 8 direct reports and 6 indirect reports) and hired personnel for a global gasket and stamping fabricator.Coordinated with a global sales force and off-sight, corporate leaders to ensure new opportunities supported business goals & were developed and quotes were completed accurately & timely. Delivered everything needed to produce quality products at the quoted costs to Production. Provided data analysis for major business decisions and cost improvements. Key Achievements:- Developed cost reductions worth over $500,000 annually in the last 3 years. - Chaired job productivity improvements from 70% to 100%.- Pioneered new processes to reduce the average quote time per part by over 90% on requote projects involving 1,000’s of items and optimize inventory levels on a monthly basis resulting in finished goods inventory reductions of 30%.- Key member of many teams: o ERP implementation and support teams to optimize usage of the system to improve current processes and data used to manage the business. o Product transfers, a plant startup, several acquisitions, several plant closures, and the sale of the company. o ISO/TS 16949 development team to allow growth in the automotive industry.
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Tooling EngineerCooper Manufacturing Company Inc. Jan 1992 - Apr 2001Marshalltown, IowaResponsible for quoting, designing, and implementing new compound and progressive steel stamping dies and equipment to support the stamping processes.Key Achievements:- Learned steel tooling design through reading and working with toolmakers, press operators, production managers, and steel tooling vendors when the manager was fired and not replaced, 6 weeks after starting as a process improvement engineer.- Designed and implemented hundreds of dies with a nearly perfect track record of dies that consistently and reliably made parts to print.- Designed and implemented several new tooling concepts and production processes that helped grow an account with $2,000,000 annual sales to $10,000,000 annual sales. -
Engineering ManagerCooper Manufacturing Company Inc. Jun 1992 - Apr 1999Marshalltown, IowaSupported Production to improve on-time delivery, reduce scrap, and expand process capabilities for a domestic gasket and stamping fabricator with approximately $20,000,000 annual sales.Managed the workload and capacity for process engineering and tooling engineering, established priorities, and hired personnel.Key Achievements:- Justified and successfully managed the implementation of numerous key capital projects that were crucial in positioning our organization for growth in our industry.- Successfully supported the start up of a new plant in Searcy, Arkansas.- Increased productivity by at least 25%.
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Tool Room ManagerCooper Manufacturing Company Inc. Jul 1993 - Jun 1996Marshalltown, IowaDelivered defect free tools to Production on-time to reduce scrap, improve productivity, and allow for greater throughput for a domestic gasket and stamping fabricator with approximately $15,000,000 annual sales.Managed the load, capacity, and priorities of six union toolmakers, ordered supplies, justified and implemented capital projects, and hired personnel.Key Achievements:- Delivered dies to production that reduced the startup time of new tools by 75%.- Increased on-time completion of new dies by over 80%.- Key member of an ISO9002 implementation team that required documenting current processes.
Kent De Jong Education Details
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Mechanical Engineering
Frequently Asked Questions about Kent De Jong
What is Kent De Jong's role at the current company?
Kent De Jong's current role is Engineering Manager.
What schools did Kent De Jong attend?
Kent De Jong attended Iowa State University.
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Kent De Jong
Marshalltown, Ia -
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