Skip Howard Email & Phone Number

Hillsboro, Oregon

I provide critical Data Center hardware NPI prototyping services for Oracle’s internal and external partners and customers.Support the product assembly of enterprise standalone servers, storage and racked networked hardware Cloud "solutions" in the factories. Including Netra, Telco, blades, and mission critical mainframe systems. Work with appropriate functions to make sure new product introduction, validation, delivery and transition activities are completed according to company Product Life Cycle (PLC) process. Interface with product teams to best understand and optimize requirements. Technically review and approve engineering changes, determine manufacturing method, set-up factory process, shop floor databases and ensure timely shipment of product. I work with the Product Design Teams and make their cloud configurations manufacturable. I work with field service teams and incorporate 'serviceability' into the racked solutions that we ship out worldwide.In addition, I design tooling and fixturing with 3D modeling, run 3D printers. I model the entire factory facility, physical infrastructure and production lines in 3D so to create process layout videos, training and online process instructions. I review other engineers tool designs and give lean guidance on making devices as simple as possible.I design and introduce re-usable packaging solutions for inter-state movement of servers and storage devices between company facilities. I also introduce supplier packaging solutions so to increase density and reduce waste. I'm the content expert in cosmetic quality, packaging, transit and material handling equip. design.I monitor the phase in of all site ECO Engineering Change Orders that effect the sites Bills of Material. I alert and guide other engineers in maintaining the shop floor databases. I do extensive data mining to look for database process gaps.

Newark, Calif

Manufacturing Engineer, Customer Solution Integration Engineering. Supported specific customer accounts and worked directly with customers solution engineers. Support the manufacture of integrated product "solutions" in the factory. Work with appropriate functions to make sure product introduction, validation, delivery and transition activities are completed according to company Product Life Cycle (PLC) process. Interfaced with customers and/or sales teams to best understand and optimize customer requirements. Technically reviewed and approved sales quotes, determined manufacturing method, set-up factory process and ensured timely shipment of product to noted customer. Designed finished shipment packaging and labeling based on customers branding and transit tracking needs.

Analyzed and determined headcount, process output levels, tooling, equipment designs and facility modifications so to improve operations. Reviewed international sites for effectiveness. Resolved yield issues by reviewing product designs, component quality and process capability so to determine root cause.Performed statistical analysis of products and existing manufacturing capability so to determine functional requirements for automated inspection, assembly, test systems and labor usage. Managed the design and commissioning of new large scale aqueous cleaning systems and installed overseas so to meet additional production demands. I also determined the process flow, tooling design, facility demands, and floor plans.Determined projected cleanroom headcount, facility, warehousing, power and air-conditioning demands for new 3 story factory to operate on a 24 hour, 7 day schedule. Facility supported 3000+ production employees per shift.

Scotts Valley, Calif.

Took R&D product prototype concepts and generated mass production phase-in plans. Implemented entire production process flow, designed factory layouts, designed tooling and equipment. Transferred lines to mass productionWhile based in Singapore, performed weekly site audits at Thailand and Malaysia sub assembly operations so to resolve mass production yield issues. Responsible for analyzing Corporate build schedules for the year and determining budgets for the design, purchase and installation of equipment and tooling. Developed analytical factory capacity planning model to automate budget projection tasks and generation of purchase orders. Designed and implemented product build level control management system which solved problems encountered with multi-country, multi-vendor manufacturing . Defined Corporate rules, and local factory site change control authority methods in order to support 24 hour, 7 day operations.