Summary

I am currently seeking a position that will allow me to utilize my many years of manufacturing experience

and use the skills I have gained to bring value to the enterprise as well as increase my personal job

satisfaction.

I have 25 years of Caterpillar Aurora which has given me a strong background in Manufacturing

Management, Process Control, Manufacturing Engineering, 6 Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Logistics and

Supply Chain, Inventory Management and Cost Reduction.

Manufacturing Career Experience

Sr. Manufacturing Engineer (SG25) 2011 – Present (3 years) Aurora, Ill

Performed a worldwide study of gear manufacturing to determine the feasibility of setting up regional

manufacturing facilities and where. Elements considered were the availability of reliable utilities, the

proximity of material suppliers, the technical capabilities of the local area, the cost of transportation etc.

This project was put on hold due to a downturn in business.

Led the cost reduction efforts for the Lower Powertrain Business Unit to identify opportunities to drive

cost reduction through process improvement, material cost reduction or negotiation with suppliers. Over

$1M in savings were realized through these efforts.

Completed CPS Black Belt Training

Six Sigma Black Belt III (SG25) 2009 – 2011 (2 years) Aurora, Ill

Led projects to reduce inventory and spending by creating and implementing a plan to bring all of the

material at a contract warehouse into Aurora saving $4M annually. To sustain these savings, I worked

with Purchasing to put the majority of those materials on pull replenishment to avoid the future

occurrence of needing an offsite warehouse.

Led a team that successfully implemented the first successful tool vending process in the corporation. The

vending machines required the person consuming the materials to badge in identifying who was taking

the material as well as the items consumed. Twenty six machines were installed in the facility at a total

cost of $550,000. The savings the first 12 months after implementation was $400,000 and full ROI was

reached in 15 months. This model is now being implemented across Caterpillar.

Manufacturing Engineering Superintendent (SG 24-25) 2005 – 2009 (4 years) Aurora,

Ill

Led a department of 65 salaried and management manufacturing engineers and tool designers tasked to

provide manufacturing support to the 1.3 million sq. /ft. fabrication building. Led the rearrangement of

the entire building to improve material flow, install new capital equipment, reduce material handling and

improve quality. Oversaw the purchase and installation of $50 million in capital equipment. Supported the

implementation of the Caterpillar Production System to drive Lean Manufacturing practices throughout

the fabrication building.

Operations General Supervisor (SG23) 2003 – 2005 (2 years) Aurora, Ill

Supported the Hydraulic Excavator assembly operation. Set up visual factory point of use material

locations throughout the assembly area. Each area contained a days’ worth of inventory allowing the

Supervisor to quickly determine if they had all the material needed for that day. Led a quality

improvement initiative by inviting an Engineer and Quality Inspector to follow a machine through the

assembly process and providing guidance and instruction to the assemblers on how to avoid defects. This

activity dropped the number of assembly related defects by >50%. Led a weekly machine walk around

where assemblers, inspectors and engineers gathered around a finished machine. The inspector who did

the final inspection would lead the group around the machine and point out areas that needed to be

repaired. This raised awareness of what was a defect and aided in the overall defect reduction.

Logistics Planning Supervisor (SG23) 2002 – 2003 (1 year) Aurora, Ill

Led a team of 9 Logistics Engineers. Department actives were the first attempt to begin the process of

creating a logistics plan for every part, develop and implement the use of returnable racks to reduce

dunnage and packaging costs, work with Operations to set up a pull system of replenishment for sub-

assemblies to go directly to the point of use.

Logistics Planning Engineer (SG22) 2001 – 2002 (1 year) Aurora, Ill

Planned the movement of material internal to the Aurora Manufacturing Facility. Set up an area to kit

parts for the assembly lines using visual management methods and a FIFO inventory system.

Manufacturing Project Specialist (SG22) 1998 – 2001 (3 years) Aurora, Ill

Supported the assembly operations of Hydraulic Excavators. Led quality improvement teams, led 5S

walks, and filled in for Operations Supervisors when they were absent.

Assembly Operations Supervisor (SG21) 1997-1998 (1 year) Aurora, Ill

Managed 30 Production Employees assembling Hydraulic Excavator Prime Products. Directed

manufacturing operations, investigated safety incidents to determine the root cause and implement

corrective action, performed root cause analysis of quality related issues, led department ISO certification

activities.

Special Assignment (SG21) 1997 (6 months) Aurora, Ill.

Led a future vision team for the Hydraulic Excavator assembly area. The team successfully created a

future layout that included point of use material locations, balanced line flow and improved processes.

Fabrications Operations Supervisor (SG21) 1989 –1996 (7 years) Aurora, Ill

Managed 30 to 40 Production Employees producing Hydraulic Excavator fabrications. Directed

manufacturing operations, investigated safety incidents to determine the root cause and implement

corrective action, performed root cause analysis of quality related issues, led department ISO certification

activities.

Factory Supervisor Bentson Industries Aurora. Ill. 1987-1989 (2 years)

Managed 45 production employees in the fabrication shop, scheduled material through the fabrication

process based upon the demands from the assembly line.

Decker’s Market Leland Ill. 1980-1987 (7 years)

Owned and operated a small grocery store. Responsibilities included inventory ordering and

management, customer service, budgeting, employee management and other duties required to operate a

small business.

Community support activities

Leland School District #1 Leland, Illinois May 2013 – Present (1+ years)

Member of the Board of Education for Leland Schools. Chairman of the District Finance Committee.

Leland Town and Country Association 2009-Present (5 years)

Member of local civic organization working to build community spirit and engagement

Leland Foundation for Excellence in Education Leland Illinois 2000 – 2008 (8

years)

President of the Foundation chartered to help provide materials and opportunities to enhance the

educational experience for the K through 12 level students and Leland Schools.

Village of Leland Illinois May 1987 – 1997 (10 years)

Served on the Village Board of the Village of Leland. Positions held include four years as the Public

Works Commissioner, four years and Finance Commissioner/Deputy Mayor and 2 years as Mayor.

Leland Fire Department Leland Illinois 1978 – 2004 (26 years)

Served as a Firefighter, Lieutenant and Captain with responsibilities for Firefighter Development,

Incident Scene command, Personnel Records. Achieved Illinois Firefighter II Certification as well as an

EMT-B.

Education/Training

Aurora University Aurora, Ill. B.S. Organizational Management (Cum Laude) 1999

Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Ill. M.S. Industrial Management 2013

Six Sigma Training

Certified DMAIC Six Sigma Black Belt 2010

CPS Black Belt 2014

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