Customer Service Manager
Resume:
Arthur C. Smith, Jr.
Permanent Address
Paris, Tennessee 38242
***.*******@*****.***
Objective
I am a passionate leader seeking to contribute in a plant or general
management position with high integrity, dynamic team that emphasizes
delivering quality to the customers, leading associates to achieve overall
operational excellence, continuous improvement, and strategic
planning/implementation. The strengths I will utilize to make a positive
impact include integrity; an intense drive for continuous improvement and
enhanced competitiveness; communication skills (interpersonal, written, and
oral); team development and achievement directed team motivation; a multi-
faceted, strategic approach to problem solving; the ability to successfully
manage multiple projects; and a cross-functional experience base. I am an
excellent worker and leader seeking an excellent team with whom to work.
Areas of Expertise
Safety-Job Safe Practices/Policy Operations Management/Team Building
Operational Planning/Key Metrics
Lean Six Sigma/Kaizen/5S/Visual/TQM Toyota Production System Staff
Development/Management
Materials/Logistics/Value Stream Sales/Customer Service/VOC
Marketing/Business Development
Quality Engineering/Systems (ISO/QS) Industrial/Manufacturing
Engineering Training Facilitator/Change Leader
Purchasing/Negotiation Management Start-up and Turnaround Experience
New Product Launch/APQP
Preventive Maintenance Finance/Budgeting/Cost Accounting
Acquisition/Divestment Analysis
MIS/MRP/ERP Implementation Multiple Industry/Operations Experience
Strategic/Tactical Planning
Professional Experience
Opportunity Solution Associates - Management Consulting
Principal/Partner March 2008 to Present
Strategic planning and business plan development; business
acquisition analysis; continuous improvement/Lean
Manufacturing; business start-up. Private investment management.
Evergy, Inc. (A Division of Tecumseh Products Company) - Stamping, Hermetic
Motor and Motor-Generator Manufacturing
Director of Lean and Business Planning September 2004 to March 2008
Continued responsibilities as below; initiated and coordinating
Group's Lean program, including event facilitation; Group
Lead for Corporate strategic planning and analysis including
acquisition analysis and site rationalizations; Group Lead for
implementation of global business process optimization and Oracle
eBusiness Suite; Sales Manager for Electrical Leads
business; championed implementation of Job Safe Practices and Safety
Policy as management rep on Safety Committee.
Director of Administration (Program Manager) March 2002 to August
2004
Project launch manager for the product launch of an uninterruptible
alternative power supply system (telecom and
industrial). Supervision of vendors from completion of design through
optimization for production; coordinator for internal
operations; development of strategic plans; development of departmental
and consolidated budgets; manage installation
personnel; advertising design and buy; sales and marketing for non-
telecom markets; develop and manage customer service
functions; manage industry tradeshow exhibitions; Group Steering
Committee.
Kaiser Aluminum Engineered Components (QS-9000 and ISO-9002 certified) -
Automotive and Defense Forging & Machining
Business Manager--June 2000 to March 2002
Increased focus on new customer/product development (cross-
functional); marketing and sales; and strategic business
planning. Continued supervision of customer service and materials
areas, as well as additional responsibilities in supervision
of plant operations, Industrial Engineering, purchasing, feeder
operations, manpower planning and shop-floor control.
Materials and Customer Service Manager--January 1999 to May 2000
Supervision of customer service, new customer/product development,
inside sales, materials planning, shipping, receiving,
production (in the absence of the Operations Manager) and four
subcontractors (high volume machining and anodizing);
marketing analysis; and strategic planning (marketing, production and
financial).
Customer Service Manager--December 1997 to December 1998
Communication of customers' requirements logistically, technically
and financially; marketing analysis; strategic planning;
NAFTA compliance and special projects.
The Gideons International (international Christian business and
professional association)
USA Field Representative--April 1993 to June 1997
Recruitment and training of new and existing members, coordination of
ministry promotion in such areas as the International
Convention, and general administrative duties. Undertook assignments
to Argentina, Thailand and the Ukraine.
Emerson Electric Specialty Motor Division (ISO-9001 certified) - Electric
Motor Manufacturing
Senior Quality Project Engineer--November 1992 to April 1993--Rogers,
Arkansas
Supervision of quality auditors and test personnel with specific
responsibilities for plant feeder (stamping, die casting, and machining)
areas.
Customer Service/Scheduling Supervisor--January 1992 to November 1992-
-Rogers, Arkansas
Transitioned the Customer Service and Master Scheduling functions
from Headquarters Marketing to a focused factory and
continued responsibilities in Process Engineering
Senior Process Engineer--July 1990 to December 1991--Rogers, Arkansas
Manufacturing Engineering (equipment specification, modification and
installation), supervision of Maintenance personnel,
Industrial Engineering (process flow improvements, plant layout, cost
reductions, appropriation requests/analysis and
traditional Industrial Engineering functions).
Manager of Market Planning--April 1989 to June 1990--Division
Headquarters--St. Louis, Missouri
Coordinated the development of the five year strategic plan for the
division (direct responsibility for marketing and liaison for
all other departments), as well as performing competitive analysis,
economic and industry forecasting, acquisition analysis,
served as division NEMA marketing representative, and various
strategic planning special projects.
Productivity Improvement Coordinator--January 1989 to March 1989--
Division Headquarters--St. Louis, Missouri
Financial and operational analysis for seven plants, traditional
Industrial Engineering functions (including WIP analysis and
budgeting), and interaction with Plant and Headquarters staff at all
levels.
Production Control Coordinator--July 1987 to December 1988-- Division
Headquarters--St. Louis, Missouri
Maintained the Master Schedule of two plants, manufacturing and
forecast analysis, streamlining of production orders and
reports, interfacing with the Systems group, and continual
interaction with Plant and Marketing staff at all levels.
August 1986 to July 1987--Substitute teacher and various duties in family's
HVAC business.
Selected Highlights
. Exceptional communication skills, skill sets, and experience that
enable the ability to build effective teams at all levels, from
the plant floor to the board room.
. Strong proponent and change leader for implementing Continuous
Improvement Culture tied to defined metrics and
Performance based compensation. Advocate of "common sense"
implementation tailored to specific environments instead of
the common buzzword and fad implementations often used in industry.
. Championed development and implementation of Job Safe Practices and
Safety Policy.
. Led operations teams to achieve record weekly production with
multiple companies.
. Developed and mentored self-directed work teams.
. Initiated professional development program for direct reports,
enhancing skills and leading to advancement for team
members.
. Primary responsibility for development of strategic/tactical plans
and performance reviews with multiple companies.
. Applied principles of Total Quality Management (Six Sigma, 5S, SPC,
Kaizen, Kanban, Toyota Production System, 8D,
Theory of Constraints et al) across multiple organizations.
. Implemented Key Performance Indicators management systems, including
Balanced Scorecards and Dashboards.
. Developed programs and led training for Group Lean Six Sigma Yellow
Belt and Green Belt programs.
. Champion for Group Lean Six Sigma Black Belts.
. Coordinated Group Lean Six Sigma producing multi-million dollar
savings with no capital investment.
. Implemented aggressive Kaizen program (focused on cost
reduction/process improvement) for new product launch,
surpassing targeted goals. Components include castings, machining,
stampings, fabrications, windings, engines, enclosures,
proprietary integrated circuit boards, and complex electronic controls.
This program includes numerous vendors and departments, as well as major
redesigns.
. Developed and implementing APQP-based manufacturing system for
company launching innovative truck exhaust system.
. Facilitated design (including value stream mapping, equipment,
process flows, standard work, and team development) for
focus factories.
. Initiated and coordinated value engineering design simplification
program for new product launch.
. Primarily responsible for the coordination and initiation of a
division-wide process simplification program (Kaizen) which
realized dramatic throughput and cost improvements in all areas.
. Designed and implemented quotation system that facilitated effective
development of new business.
. Developed departmental and consolidated budgets, as well as conducted
operational and strategic financial analysis.
. Led team to become Kaizen/Lean Manufacturing champions (plant-wide
events - several with annual savings over $100k).
- Kaizen implementation of visual inventory system
- 18% improvement in on-time delivery (achieved 100% for entire year)
- 413% increase in WIP turns, 127% increase in raw inventory turns,
43% decrease in inventory DOH
- Reduced A/R DSO by over 10 days
. Facilitation of value-stream mapping and integration of support and
production organizations.
- Streamlined, standardized and documented all repetitive tasks
- Initiated and coordinated development of Industrial
Engineering/Cost Accounting and Maintenance databases
. Developed footprint analysis and site rationalization assessments for
Group.
. Member of leadership teams managing turnaround operations during
downsizings, plant closures and Chapter 11.
. Member of focus team that developed pay-for-performance compensation
system.
. Designed and implemented integrated sales forecasting/Master
Production Schedule system.
- Achieved actual vs. forecast deviation of less than 2% first year
and less than 1% in consecutive years
- Developed analytical tools for customers sales forecasts
. Implemented management development and cross-functional training
programs.
. Focused team on 100% completion rate (a rarity previously) and record
production on a schedule that increased over 75%.
. Developed a preventive maintenance program.
- Downtime reduced in excess of 25%
. Developed automated summary reporting for plant consolidated
(operations, budget) information.
. Reduced targeted setups by over 75% through implementation of focused
FG program.
. Provided strong leadership in corporate-wide Simple Common Global
Growth program focusing on optimizing business
processes and implementing Oracle eBusiness Suite.
. Developed market studies (multiple industries) and analysis for use
in new market development.
. Developed complete divestment/acquisition analysis (including
detailed financials and funding proposal) for business unit.
. Coordinated intra-company consolidation of Leads production/sales
yielding annual savings in excess of $400k with no
capital investment.
. Developed candidate list and qualification of prospective
distributors and manufacturing reps for new product.
. Designed advertising layouts and coordinated advertising buy for new
product launch.
. Coordinated legal and compliance issues related to product launch.
. Successfully facilitated expansion of Kaiser Aluminum customer base
beyond both aluminum and automotive.
. Member of corporate export compliance task force.
. Responsible for quality engineering in preparation for ISO-9001
certification in a focused factory and plant-wide.
. Developed focused teams to address major quality opportunities plant-
wide.
Educational Background
Master of Business Administration--1985 to August 1986--University of
Missouri-Columbia. Emphasis - Production/ Operations Management. Special
research focus in design simplification and system implementation.
Bachelor of Science--1981 to May 1985--University of Missouri-Rolla.
Majoring in Engineering Management (a hybrid Industrial Engineering degree)
with an emphasis in Electrical Engineering (Systems).
Registered Engineer-In-Training--Missouri State Board for Architects,
Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. EIT31179-E. May 1985.
Certified in Production and Inventory Management (American Production and
Inventory Control Society)--November 1988.
Continuous Improvement/Lean Six Sigma--Formal training through TBM.
Extensive self-directed training over twenty years including the
development of training programs and mentoring leaders and practitioners of
Lean/Kaizen/Six Sigma at all levels.
References
Suitable business and personal references will be submitted upon request.
Contact this candidate