Matt Benson Email & Phone Number

Brooklyn Park, Mn

Carol Stream, Illinois

Lead engineering, supply chain, logistics, production and quality teams. Execution of ITW 80/20 principles with implementation of effective inventory management, continuous improvement, business simplification, customer back innovation, cost reduction and quality. Serve on senior management team responsible for establishing annual and long-range plans, setting organization objectives and developing effective KPIs. Strategic Planning: Reduced lead time 25% and warranty 50%, increased on-time delivery to consistently above 95%, coupled with 4% YOY revenue growth, 140% OI growth and sustained, 2 months on-hand inventory by creating and implementing operations strategy focused on customer-centric deliverables Change Management: Realigned organization, streamlined roles and responsibilities and re-engineered key processes to eliminate waste, resulting in 22% reduction in overhead and direct labor cost Process Improvement: Achieved 66% decrease in lead time and 22% in variable costs by leading product line simplification efforts on core product. Created BOM configuration tool to allow direct release from quote to production, eliminating engineering and order processing waste Quality: Established Quality department and provided direction for development and implementation of quality management system, achieving ISO 9001:2015 certification Systems Improvement: Created KPI dashboard tool linked to ERP system, allowing stakeholders instant access to current capacity planning, backlog overview and variety of other key performance metrics

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Led product management team developing and executing product plans / roadmaps. Managed full life cycle of products to ensure effective integration with external partners. Evaluated new product line opportunities via market research, competitive analysis, industry trends and voice-of-customer activities defining key attributes. Customer Relations: Formed customer advisory panel with top carbon fiber producers in the world, producing market requirements document from which next generation oxidation oven was developed Product Development: Led development from ground up on split zone oxidation oven for carbon fiber production, generating industry best cost of ownership and process cycle time as well as 2 pending patents for functional design and key process control elements Strategy Execution: Managed new product market penetration with 60MW infrared firing furnace for solar industry, achieving 70% market share

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Led global service network, technical support and spare parts organization with over 40 direct employees in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Germany, Korea and US. Oversaw escalations, training, scheduling, forecasting and P&L. Developed and implemented strategic planning / governance to increase revenue, client growth and retention. Established third-party warehousing / distribution to facilitate product support in Asian markets.  Strategy Execution: Designed value-added service products for customers and highly profitable revenue growth of 88% over 2-year period by transitioning service organization to profit center Performance Management: Transitioned service organization from hierarchal to matrix management, improving employee effectiveness, accountability and customer relations in satellite offices globally. Voted by Trina Solar as equipment and service supplier of the year Process Improvement: Increased material margins 16% while reducing total SKUs 31% and dedicated resources 33% by executing replacement parts value assessment and process simplification.

Berlin Area, Germany

Developed OEM accounts with annual sales of $20M. Served as technical liaison to promote sales growth and establishment of new EU-based accounts. Established local sales, process engineering and service support infrastructure. Led global Project Management team to support solar business unit.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Facilitated launch of new product platform into rapidly expanding photovoltaic market. Managed equipment platform development, order execution from quotation to shipment and coordination of on-site activities. Developed outside vendors for production expansion flexibility. Led DFMA exercises for manufacturing efficiency improvements. Supported sales for global market penetration to transform company position from new market entrant to market leader in single calendar year.

Manage the day to day operations of drafting department. Coordinate engineering efforts to insure overall corporate objectives are met as well as managing new product development. Provide sales, purchasing and manufacturing with engineering support as well as work with the VP of Engineering to develop and maintain engineering standards and practices that adhere to the corporate philosophy. Other primary objectives include error reduction, improved throughput, product consolidation and project management as assigned.

Manage operations within the organizations largest manufacturing facility with more than 225 employees directing the work of 9 department and shift managers. Provide single source accountability in the areas of on time delivery, budget adherence, OSHA compliance, enforcement of company policies, implementing lean manufacturing techniques and continuous improvement in manufacturing practices. Achieved measureable improvement in quality, productivity, on time delivery, safety, and employee retention.

Business Administration, 4.0

Political Science