Managed 2 Quality Engineers and 3 Quality Technicians in the Distribution Center to improve quality and drive resolutions to packaging and order picking issues. Mentored both Quality Engineers through their Green Belt Certifications and Projects. Developed 2 of the contract Quality Technicians to gain Full-time employment with Mercury Marine. Worked with my team and my managers to implement meaningful metrics for the Quality Department addressing both Customer returns and internal packaging quality. Responsible for the implementation and documentation of the ISO-9001 internal audit process for the distribution center along with all standard operating procedures, audit records and auditor training.

Supervision of Quality Engineers and Maintenance Operations, as well as Capital purchases and Manufacturing Engineering Projects.Ensured all the critical Distribution Center equipment was running efficiently and Maintenance Technicians had good direction for daily activities. Supervised 3 Hourly employees to keep all critical equipment in the Distribution Center running on a 3-shift operation. Developed a Preventative Maintenance schedule with automated reminders for completion. Coordinated many safety and specialty projects with skilled maintenance staff, including custom tooling and safety devices.

Took responsibility for all Layout Changes, New Process Flows and Capital Equipment purchases for the Distribution Center, as well as assisting many other employees with equipment decisions for their Green Belt Projects. Coordinated transportation, maintenance requirements, training and asset transfers for all the packaging equipment when transitioning the Distribution operation from Fond du lac, WI to Brownsburg, IN. (Project Track Owner) Determined the Lift Fleet size and type requirements and completed the Capital Justifications for all vehicles in the distribution center. 53 lifts in total. Used DMAIC tools, Process Flow Diagrams and Value Stream Mapping to layout the Bulk Pack and Ship area of the Distribution Center, improving throughput by 29% while reducing processing locations by 20% all within the same footprint. Saving $835K per year. (Green Belt Project) Created and implemented a new layout for the Packaging portion of the Distribution Center, improving total processing efficiency by 36%. While positively impacting flow and safety. Reduced order to stock time by 72% (Green Belt Project) Specified, procured and installed a new multi-bowl packaging machine to improve efficiency and quality. Efficiency improvement of 71%. Took ownership of all equipment upgrade needs, including specification, capital justification and procurement. Typical annual capital budget of $1.2MControlle Completed several capital projects from remote distribution centers in Georgia, Indiana, and California. Administered and maintained multiple unique software systems for the distribution center including: iWarehouse (Lift Fleet Management), Apex (Secure access cabinets) and Pyramid (Conveyor control system) Acted as a subject matter expert when the team configured a new Warehouse Management System. Two-time recipient for the Mercury Bronze Star award for going above and beyond in relations to Safety.

Coordinated activities to address customer complaints and resolve internal picking and packing issues. Developed quality metrics and goals that were meaningful to the distribution operations. Reported out on metrics and projects on a regular basis to ensure thorough communication at multiple levels and to keep activities on track. Used Pareto Analysis to determine most prevalent issues and worked on projects to systematically reduce errors. Met quality goals of reducing internal errors by 3% year over year for all 5 years I held this position. Trained new Quality Engineers as we were able to financially justify adding them.

Acted as eyes and ears for 4 to 7 customers at a time while working with the manufacturing team to improve processes and implement continuous improvement efforts. Excelled as a liaison between the customers and the manufacturing team with regards to product quality, customer metrics and corporate goals. Led the manufacturing team in continuous improvement efforts based on factory data and customer feedback. Reduced Solder DPMO (Defects Per Million Opportunities) from 300 to 125 for a specific customer (Green Belt Project) Participated in several Kaizen events as an active team member. Examples include: enhancement of the Final Assembly stations to improve efficiency, adding automated data collection to the Rework area for accurate tracking and improving the organization of the Wave solder and Stuffing areas to reduce process times. Presented performance metrics to Plexus management teams and customer management on a regular basis to benchmark quality levels and show continuous improvement. Developed and maintained PFMEAs (Process Failure Mode Effects Analysis) for 4 to 7 customers to track opportunities for improvement and weaknesses in the process, design or detection methods. Coordinated Manufacturing Readiness Reviews at Plexus for 4 to 7 customers on each new assembly to ensure there were no process gaps prior to manufacturing to ensure delivery and quality were not compromised for New Product Introductions. Coordinated external and internal defect data and brainstormed with the Manufacturing Engineer to develop lasting process improvements, with a focus towards corporate and customer metrics. Reduced Inspection Feedback cycle time by 60% (Green Belt Project) Actively participated as a team member developing the new APQP (Advanced Product Quality Plan) process SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). Both efforts aided in standardizing the best practices across business units and reduced redundant efforts.

Reviewed existing process and equipment capabilities to identify opportunities and implement continuous improvements that would enhance throughput, quality, safety and delivery times. Utilized Lean Manufacturing principles to create a new factory layout based on process flows and flexibility for customer variations. This allowed Plexus to add an additional Focus Factory into the existing Layout to add new customers as well as additional equipment to increase throughput based on a specific customer’s needs. Additional equipment that was not being utilized was relocated to another site. Justified Capital equipment purchases for process improvements and cost reductions. Capital Projects ranged from $10K to $600K. Vertical Storage Unit project reduced material handling touches by 35% with a payback period of 6 months. Consulted with customers at their sites on new product introductions enhancing designs for manufacturability and provided one-on-one and small group training for the Plexus manufacturing team to aid in the understanding the customer requirements and expectations for specific product lines. Analyzed current process capabilities and made suggestions on areas for improvement and flexibility in the high mix / low volume environment.

Reviewed existing process and equipment capabilities to identify opportunities and implement improvements that would enhance throughput, quality, safety and delivery times. Justified and Installed capital equipment for cost reductions, process improvements and safety projects. Automated Robotic Core Stacking Systems 1 & 2. $500K per machine eliminated manual stacking of large transformer cores improving efficiency, ergonomics and safety with a payback of 4 months. Designed and procured tooling and fixtures to improve ergonomics and increase productivity. Niagara Press Template Designs (Improved Process Efficiency and Material Usage) Identified opportunities and drove projects for process improvements. Lamination Cutting Stations (Layout, Procurement and Training) This process was brought in-house as a previously outsourced operation. Provided documentation and training for new processes and equipment. Resin Product LIne Transfer (Layout, Equipment Purchase and Training) This process was brought in from another Square D facility to enhance capabilities. Provided daily support with equipment troubleshooting to maintain production operations in four departments based on supervision’s needs. Evaluated welding processes for the best equipment and materials to provide quality welds in copper and aluminum. Backed-up the maintenance supervisor and CNC Programmer.