Michael Castor Email & Phone Number

Santa Clara, California, Us

Creating the next generation of smart agricultural and industrial machinery!

San Jose, California, Us

Principle Robotics Product Manager at Zebra Technologies / Fetch Robotics. Responsible for creating and driving the product development roadmap for Fetch autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).• Roadmap ownership for the entire portfolio of Fetch AMRs• Create and manage feature epics in Atlassian Jira • Collect and utilize voice of customer (VOC) from customers to drive product development• Interface with hardware and software engineering teams to track and manage projects• Write product requirements documents (PRDs) for next-generation products• Product lifecycle management of existing and legacy AMRs• Develop business plans and conduct ROI analyses for customer and market driven features• Continuously monitor market and competitive landscape to prioritize developments• Actively support sales and marketing organizations with product presentations, proposals, opportunities and promotions• Set target product cost for new products and evaluate cost reduction initiatives• Negotiate design trade-offs with internal stakeholders to meet deadlines while preserving product requirements• Work closely with partners and OEMs to identify and incorporate product feature requests• Identify new verticals and define strategies to expand market share

Emeryville, Ca, Us

Sole product manager, reporting directly to the CEO for Symbio’s AI software platform for industrial robots. • Create product roadmaps based on market drivers and customer feedback• Develop content for internal and external product training• Build development cycle utilizing voice of customer (VOC) for continuous product improvement• Scope and prioritize developments based on customer and market requirements• Create and administer surveys and interviews to collect VOC information• Visit customers to conduct site assessments and gather feedback on company products and services• Generate new ideas to grow market share, improve customer experience, and drive overall growth• Develop product positioning strategies and provide thought leadership on software defined manufacturing• Manage feature specifications, product backlogs, UI mockups, and create and maintain use cases• Continuously monitor competitive landscape to identify opportunities and threats to the business

Charlotte, North Carolina, Us

Responsible for managing and defining the product development roadmap for the conventional and robotic automated palletizing portfolio. • Define product roadmap based on market research, VOC, and competitive trends• Collaborate with engineering teams to create scope for product development• Utilize internal and external VOC for continuous product improvement• Train sales teams on new products and features• Provide and present executive summaries on market and product performance• Responsible for NPI creation and ROI justification

Miamisburg, Ohio, Us

At Yaskawa Motoman, I am responsible for spearheading customer and market-driven product development for industrial and collaborative material handling robots. Responsibilities: -Collect Voice of Customer (VOC) information for continuous product improvement-Work closely with engineering teams to drive product development-Create and validate business cases and present to Product Approval Committee-Product Management for all Material Handling and Collaborative robotic arms-Create customer facing videos and webinars for lead generation-Develop marketing plans for material handling robots-Research and define product development strategy using market trends and customer data -Train sales teams on new products and technologies-Actively participate in engineering design review process-Create surveys for collection of active product feedback-Draft and submit global product development requests-Develop forecasting models for new product stock levelsNotable Projects: - Successfully lead executive key initiative project team to create and implement an issue tracking database and assignment system for newly launched products- Collected VOC and defined scope to for development of the PL190/PL320 palletizing robot- Developed concepts & scope documents for trade show demos- Lead executive initiative to increase Material Handing market shareOther: - Certified for Advanced Robotic Programming on YRC1000 controller

Leeds, Gb

Responsible for product strategy, pricing and new product introductions (NPI) for Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone, Arduino, Micro:Bit and all other single board computers / microcontrollers for the Premier Farnell family of companies. Responsibilities Include:- Determine and own accessory pipeline for all Single Board Computers- Analyze market and drive development of NPIs- Creation of global kits for Raspberry Pi and Micro:Bit to enhance customer experience and grow margin- Create manufacturing and distribution partnerships with startups and companies- Collaborate with Strategic Accessories team to create new-to-world products for single board computing and IoT- Ownership of pricing which is continuously evaluated to ensure margin and margin dollar targets are metHeadline Products Include:- Raspberry Pi - BeagleBone Black- Beaglebone Blue- Beaglebone AI- Intel RealSense - Arduino- BBC micro:bit- Moto Mods

Springboro, Ohio, Us

Responsible for product management of the Maker / DIY, Computer, and Electronic Component categories of MCM Electronics’ line-card, as well as creating new-to-world kits and accessories for Single Board Computers and IoT products. Responsibilities:-Conduct continuous market analysis to determine product scope and new product introductions (NPI)-Created and launched 4 new-to-world products from design to manufacture-Responsible for all aspect of Raspberry Pi retail and channel only kits and bundles-Manage the product creation pipeline-Create specification sheets and contract with outside engineering firms-Development of long-term, global strategies for Single Board Computing and IoT-Responsible for comprehensive global product introductions-Maintain active relationships with 50+ suppliers-Actively monitor and maintain product lifecycles-Assist with budget management and allocation-Create documentation for kits and accessories-Provide sales and technical support training for products-Assist in stock forecasting of top-selling products

Santa Rosa, Ca, Us

Responsible for creating, introducing, project managing, and supporting the next generation of Make: kits and their sale and distribution through online, retail, and educational channels.- Remote leadership of high-performance teams- Created Gannt Charts to track every aspect of the product development pipeline- Manage and allocate product development budget- Project manage the product development pipeline- Conduct detailed analysis to determine profitable ideas and bring them to reality- Write specification documents and contract with outside engineering firms- Work closely with engineers, contract manufacturers, and other team members to ensure projects remain on-time and on-budget- Contract with suppliers overseas for sourcing and manufacturing- Coordinate logistics to kitting and fulfillment centers

Santa Rosa, Ca, Us

Responsible for researching and finding new and exciting products to sell and market on MakerShed.comPurchasing- Research market to predict trends and identify potential products- Initialize contact and obtain sample products from prospective manufacturers- Source products that adhere to profitability and sales standards- Lead and inform selection team to make calculated decisions regarding products- Developed product review scorecard for efficient and thorough evaluation of potential products- Negotiate for exclusive products and pricingMarketing- Aid in development of new product marketing plans- Responsible for creating compelling and SEO friendly product descriptions- Sculpt ad copy to create a friendly and informative customer experience- Instrumental in creating online posts to market products- Utilize products in projects to show use- Create public documentation for new and existing products- Assist in creation of e-mail newsletter campaignsInventory Management- Conduct stock analysis and forecast reorders- Examine sales velocity of products to spot trends and account for demand- Continually analyze stock to ensure profitability and ample stock levels- Create and submit purchase orders to vendors- Communicate with vendors to ensure on time fulfillment and troubleshoot delaysRelationship Management- Maintain healthy, personal relationships with over 50 suppliers- Resolve conflicts involving pricing, delays, erroneous shipments, and unforeseen issues with optimal results- Work with suppliers to create custom and exclusive products- Provide honest, constructive feedback to vendors regarding pricing, packaging, quality, and order fulfillment- Scout and approach potential new vendors in a friendly, personal wayCustomer Relations- Responsible for technical questions from customers- Interview customers to gain market intelligence

Technology- Maintained 99% up-time on networked Windows based computer systems- Created global online storefront from the ground up using state-of-the-art integrated point of sale / e-commerce system. - Set up Quickbooks Premier to reduce accounting costs.Customer Relations- Maximized customer retention by resolving 99% of customer disputes quickly and favorably. - Lead account manager on multiple wholesale accounts, including the two largest clients that make up 24% of total wholesale revenue.Logistics- Coordinate just-in-time inventory deliveries to wholesale accounts with 100% satisfaction.- Analyzed and redesigned shipping department to reduce material waste by 50% and cut packing time in half. - Packaging of fragile items for shipping via parcel carriers and truck freight with less than 1% breakage rate. - Contract and negotiate with freight carriers for inbound and outbound freight to cut costs up to 50%.- Aid in finding, contracting and importing of goods from China, Mexico and Pakistan.Marketing- Assist marketing companies with photography and layout of printed media.- Utilize internet and publications for optimum product placement.- Collaborate with advertising firms on ad design and wording.- Implement on-line “pay per click” marketing campaigns which account for 25% of website traffic.- Analyze website analytics to increase site performance and conversion rates. - Developed e-mail marketing strategy to surge website traffic up to 140%. - Maintain top search engine rankings from industry specific keywords. Human Resources- Facilitate employee relations by using team-building and leadership skills.- Designed, implemented, and tested commission based employee rewards program to increase employee morale and productivity.- Train on point of sale system to strive for 100% accuracy upon checkout. - Assist in the recruitment of new employees.

Worked as a manager during summers while in college.

Summer job while in high school.