Nick Douthat Email & Phone Number

Reading, Pa, Us

Duluth, Georgia, Us

I've been privileged to take part in the expansion of the premier off-road shock absorber in the industry! In addition to designing a new facility with machining, anodizing, and assembly operations, I led my team in launching our first line on time and in budget, laying the groundwork for future installations. In addition, I oversaw manufacturing engineering and maintenance operations in both Gainesville, GA, and El Cajon, CA. After the new factory opened, me and my team led the engineering portion of launching multiple new projects concurrently on both existing and new assembly lines, as well as implementing new process controls and monitoring methods to drive efficiency in both labor usage and quality control.

This was a new joint venture with the goal of serving both the domestic and global commercial suspension market, with a focus on dampers. We started from a greenfield site, with the opportunity to create a highly competitive company based on the western model that can compete on a global level. Key actions taken were as follows: -Launched a new joint venture producing commercial vehicle shock absorbers for the China and export market. -Developed the production process, manufacturing system, and quality system for the new factory. -Designed the production process to incorporate lean manufacturing principles, such as: standard work, one-piece flow, error proofing, and kanban. -Hired the factory staff and trained them in factory management processes. -Developed a comprehensive KPI tracking system for direct reports, utilizing key performance metrics, the introduction of visual tracking, and regular performance dialogues. -Developed the essential equipment designs and released purchase orders to approved suppliers. -Implemented factory quality, safety, logistics, and production procedures. -Led the staff in achieving TS 16949 certification. -Guided the design process to ensure that designs were able to be effectively and efficiently manufactured. -Managed the cash flow and budgeting to ensure proper use of limited funding to achieve business goals.

Red Dot is a manufacturer of HVAC systems for the heavy industrial market, with customers such as Caterpillar, John Deere, and JCB. The China facility was very young, and the footprint in China was still in the development phase. I was able to accomplish the following:-Laid the groundwork for achieving ISO 9001 certification.-Prepared the facility for ongoing localized production of both HVAC kits and finished units.-Implemented robust manufacturing and quality systems taken from the automotive industry to gain increased control over the production process.-Strengthened contacts between the China facility and local customers, both domestic and global.-Sought out opportunities for partnerships with domestic companies in a similar industry in order to expand visibility in the domestic market.

BNYG is a 70% American-owned joint venture between Burgess-Norton and Yingguang. The workforce had a State-Owned Enterprise background, and had very little exposure or training in world-class manufacturing methods. The process was also very manual in nature. Despite these challenges, I was able to:-Lead plant operations in 70% American-owned joint venture producing engine piston pins for the Chinese domestic market.-Lead an increase in sales of 22% over a two-year period, while concurrently increasing profitability (EBITDA as a percent of Sales) by 21%.-Implement lean manufacturing initiatives, including a Continuous Improvement Department, to increase productivity by 34% while decreasing headcount by 22% during the same period.-Decrease Work-In-Process by 30% over the course of one year and reduced raw material inventories by 40%.-Initiate an intensive Safety and PPE program, utilizing root-cause analysis and corrective action tracking of safety incidents, resulting in 0 safety incidents over a period of six months.-Decrease external PPM from 5,202 in FY 2010 to 115 in FY 2012 by implementing structured and focused problem-solving methods and targeted quality teams.-Direct line management of all functional departments, including Sales and Finance.

-Prepared new facility to begin production of automotive dampers. -Led managers and plant staff to prepare them for production start-up and eventual ramp-up to full capacity. -Integrated plant product design staff and Shanghai-based design staff to increase product development efficiency. -Restructured plant production staff utilizing lean manufacturing and business process principles, reducing labor costs and increasing capacity usage.-Managed P&L to ensure maximum usage of limited funds to pay off debt and finance continuing operations.-Led efforts to introduce new sources of revenue, to include original ways of utilizing plant resources to deliver needed services.-Oversaw transfer activities to new buyer when ArvinMeritor exited the chassis business.

-Developed the manufacturing strategy for a new facility in Wuhu, China, including the level of capitalization required, the technical level of the equipment purchased, and the ability of the equipment to produce multiple product designs.-Led the purchase, design, and installation of production manufacturing equipment single-handedly, working with both Chinese and foreign equipment suppliers.-Functioned as a manufacturing expert in advising the China executive management staff on new facility infrastructure and system implementation.-Acted as primary conduit between design staff in the U.S. and Chinese technical center in preparing the test/prototype facility and product designs for mass production.-Mentored the Chinese manufacturing facility staff in preparation for their roles in assuming primary responsibility for production results. -Performed process and performance audits with multiple Asian suppliers and used those results to drive corrective action plans. -Communicated performance improvement plans to customer factories in North America and acted as liaison between the NA facilities and each individual supplier.-Represented ArvinMeritor in the resolution of problems with Asian customers, including functioning as Asia technical lead for ARM chassis products.-Surveyed and evaluated multiple suppliers for potential inclusion in the Asian supply base to North America.

-Led an inexperienced production team, consisting of over 150 hourly and salaried individuals, in achieving production targets while implementing lean manufacturing principles.-Implemented kanban, preventive maintenance programs, and standard work.-Implemented tracking systems to track maintenance and production progress in achieving goals.-Reduced overall headcount by 10% while cross-training operators to perform multiple jobs.-Instrumental in designating an individual responsible for implementing continuous improvement and safety-related initiatives, reducing OSHA recordable safety incidents from 20/month to an average of one/month in less than 6 months, in an environment in which 20% of the production processes involved manual welding.-Reduced work-in-process by 75% and reduced finished goods inventory by 50%, while achieving a delivery rating of 100%.-Led Operations efforts to achieve both ISO 14001 and TS-16949 certification.-Implemented a performance review system for hourly employees that removed subjectivity from previous evaluation methods and included team performance.-Initiated cell kaizen events and subject matter training that improved team cohesiveness and performance.-Implemented team leader system of production management, leading to tighter control of production processes and improved manufacturing cell performance.

-Led an engineering team consisting of both salaried engineers and hourly technicians in implementing new products and production processes that were new to the corporation.-Successfully managed the launch of three Honda and two DCX programs, achieving a flawless launch on-time and under-budget while remaining flexible enough to accommodate last-minute design changes.-Purchased equipment from both India and Spain, leading to decreased capital equipment costs and improved contacts with overseas suppliers.-Led engineering initiatives to reduce plant customer quality PPM to an average of 4, while achieving two months out of three with a PPM of 0.-Streamlined and improved plant PPAP activities, working closely with the Quality and Production departments to make the process more effective and efficient.-Developed a Team Leader training program in engineering, production, and quality processes that enabled them to become more effective members of the facility team.-Developed production cost estimation methods to enable the Sales and Program Management teams to more effectively measure the cost of new business, leading to new programs being awarded by both Honda and DCX.

-Designed and implemented new process equipment for dampener manufacturing, including spending three months in Spain and one month in Japan overseeing the final build stages of two separate automated assembly cells. -Laid out existing process flows to take advantage of lean manufacturing principles and reduce headcount while maintaining or improving safety, quality, and production deliverables.-Led plant teams in the launch of new products. -Developed and maintained process documentation and production/engineering metrics, using that information to improve processes. -Supervised and conducted the training of operators and team leaders in new equipment and changes in existing equipment.-Performed duties as a manufacturing process engineer, including improving existing equipment, developing maintenance schedules, and participating in quality and safety improvement teams.

Arlington, Virginia, Us

Graduate of the U.S. Army Primary Leadership Development Course, and performed duties as an NCO gunner while supervising two enlisted personnel. Supervised and performed maintenance on machinery and weapons systems. Managed unit chemical defense equipment maintenance and training operations.

Master’S Degree, Management

Bachelor’S Degree, Mechanical Engineering Technology

Education record