Originally a 4 month fixed term contract that became permanent in April-22. The original brief was to support and mentor the local Operations Manager to increase production volume from 21 to 24 Concrete Mixers per month and implement the M1 ERP System. Operational challenges included:• Tackle high levels of absence and Long-Term sick, recruit to budget levels, cross-skilling, subcontract in-house Assembly to create additional capacity, address material shortages and put corrective systems in place,• Shop floor performance boards established, addressed simple quality concerns, set up weekly Contract Review and Planning Meeting.The M1 ERP system was mapped, a configurator established and BOM’s constructed:• Backflush gateways established to consume materials, workforce trained to log in and scan work orders,• Simple performance metrics established,• Next steps are to establish a stock control system to control in-house manufactured parts, ensure all parts are controlled through MRP, improve the identification of product ID and tidy line side stock.

Thorlabs Inc. is a privately owned US based optical equipment company with Sales of £500M. The Tables Business Unit in Ely has Sales of £14.5M per year and manufactures precision vibration free platforms for optical research. I had full responsibility for four product groups, 80 employees including Manufacturing, Purchasing, Planning, Logistics and Inventory Control. The focus of the role was to maintain global stock levels, improve quality and minimise inventory. I managed the Tables Business Unit for 5 years through a period of great change. Achievements include:After COVID lockdown global stock had depleted, lead times increased and service levels declined,• LEAN PULL system established with continuous flow and hour-by-hour boards to monitor output,• LEAN Management System implemented on the shop floor (Tier1/2/3 meetings) with leader standard work driving daily discipline, process stability, KPI’s and problem solving,• KANBAN systems established, controlled by the shop floor, pulling product from customer demand,• Significant recruitment and training to ensure supply was balanced and capacity met demand,• Lead time reduced from 14wks to 5wks, productivity increased by 20% and supply stabilised.During the COVID lockdown I moved 4 separate factories to a brand new £10M facility all under one roof,• 100,000 sq ft facility included manufacturing, R&D, Laboratory, Logistics, Warehouse, offices,• Key member of the team that project managed the move with a £100,000 move budget,• 5 weeks of product WIP built and stored off site prior to the move to safeguard customer service,• Move originally planned to take 5 months – due to COVID this was compressed into three months!• Detailed day-by-day plan for all major items of Capital Plant including strip, move, rebuild, calibration,• Physical move included 8 x large CNC machine tools, Assembly, Warehousing, Logistics and offices,• Main production line re-laid out to promote product flow.

MDC design and manufacture vacuum chambers for prestigious scientific research companies. Customers include AWE, E2v, STFC, Kratos, Nikon and many leading Universities across the globe. Processes include 5 Axis CNC machining, CMM Inspection, welding, mechanical assembly and test.Cost of Scrap and Rework reduced by 40% in a year, equates to £20k saving on turnover of £2.5M,• Manufacturing Review process established to predict and prevent manufacturing and quality faults,• Established ‘Design Bible’ of design principles and manufacturing processes avoiding repeat errors,• Both of the above initiatives significantly reduced quality errors and the waste of down time,• Designed and built Assembly Jig achieving ‘Right First Time’ assembly on highest value product,• Secured ISO 9001:2008 certification for the site with LRQA.Improved On Time Delivery from 40% to 80% in 12 months,• Ownership of PD5500 weld procedures transferred to Engineering so product designs were based around existing weld data base. Significantly reduced manufacturing lead time and costly testing,• Material Certification approval process improved through systems automation,• Close monitoring from Engineering drawing release to manufacturing start date to avoid delays.Reduced manufacturing cost and established a culture of Continuous Improvement and ownership, • Developed simple assembly and fabrication jigs to reduce weld time by 30% and improve quality,• Relayed areas of shop floor to create cells, optimise material flow and reduce waste of movement,• Established shop floor Tier1 Performance Boards and Standard Operations for repeater product,• Established Preventative Maintenance system on all CNC machines improving reliability,• Resolved all long standing machine reliability issues that were a barrier to employee morale.

Responsible for the manufacture of food processing products and the repair and maintenance of 20MW Power Plant. Processes include Laser Cutting, Machining, Welding, Fabrication, Fitting and Assembly:• Many quality improvement and cost reduction ideas driven to conclusion,• Modified Bills of Materials and improved product identification to improve material traceability, reduce inventory and improve operator efficiency,• Developed simple but effective systems to improve Production Control and Inventory Management,• Constantly driving Cost, Quality and Delivery improvement using Employee Appraisal System.

Responsible for developing Operations Strategy and implementing the principles of Continuous Improvement across the site.

Responsible for all manufacturing related activities including Engineering, Supply Chain, Machining, Fabrication, Inspection and Test.

Accountable for achieving yearly sales value of £21.5M with responsibility for 4 Supervisors, 120 directs, Production Planning, Process and Manufacturing Engineering.