Michael Watson

**** *. ***** ***** ****

Madison, Indiana 47250

home 812-***-**** cell 812-***-****

abigfg@r.postjobfree.com

Summary of Qualifications

Experienced Manufacturing Leader with a broad base of knowledge and expertise in diverse

manufacturing environments. Possesses a demonstrated ability to partner with senior leadership

to help provide solutions that move the business forward. A strong leader and communicator,

who successfully builds trust and enjoys empowering others to think creatively to solve problems

and improve processes. Areas of expertise include:

Labor Standards Budgeting Time Studies

Routings Quality Procedures Ergonomics

Lean Manufacturing Inventory Management Productivity

Experience

DECATUR ELECTRONICS. Decatur, IL August 2007 to present

Plant Manager

Responsible for managing the manufacturing process, ranging from production associates,

production supervision, production planning, purchasing, maintenance, shipping / receiving /

warehousing and manufacturing engineering. I am responsible for quality, productivity, on time

delivery, plant safety. I have full P&L responsibility for the manufacturing division.

• Implementing an MRP system from their macola system that was not being utilized

efficiently.

• Implemented a continuous improvement process, empowering assembly associates to

make changes during their work team meetings.

• Led cross functional teams discussing new product introduction problems, product

development issues

• ISO 9001 : 2000 certified

• Changed the layout of the warehouse / shipping area improving the materials flow

improving the process.

• Improved the packaging of the products, developed costs savings of over $100K.

GROTE INDUSTRIES, LLC. Madison, IN January 1999 – May 2007

Division Manager (2000-2007)

Responsible for managing 12 direct reports including IE’s, ME’s, supervisors, planner, label

programmer and clerical. Also responsible for 200 indirect reports running two shifts producing

plastics automotive lighting. Additionally, I have full manufacturing spending P&L

responsibility, annual budget of $10.0M. Responsible for on time deliveries, quality,

productivity, costs, safety and employee relations for the division. Identified training needs and

provided all associates opportunity to train. Also, lead inventory management. Manage a plant

within a plant.

• Developed and implemented annual budgets that aligned with the overall business plan.

• Monitored departmental spending to make sure overall budgeted costs were met.

• Insured all quality procedures pertaining to QS 9000, TS 16949 and Ford Q1 certification

were correctly followed.

• Drove lean manufacturing concepts, including elimination of waste and continuous

improvement to increase overall divisional efficiency by 22%.

• Played a key role as member of joint leadership team to insure union contract and

company policies were followed fairly and consistently throughout the organization.

• Ensured the efficient and economical utilization of all resources used in the

manufacturing operation, establishing and maintaining corporate expectations for

productivity, on time deliveries and inventory reductions.

• Created on-line accessibility for maintenance personnel to price shop parts, reducing

overall machine parts expense by 10% while maintaining consistent quality and

inventory.

• Led cross-functional team to focus on efficiencies and scrap dollars spent, implementing

changes that increased utilization by 25% and reduced scrap dollars by 50%.

• Collaborated with individual work teams to identify causes and solutions for recordable

OSHA accidents, implementing a plan that reduced incidents from 30 to 15, year over

year.

• Utilized AS 400 technology to develop a systemic approach for component ordering

which reduced component work in process by 50%.

• Led start up of “take over tooling” project that initiated 7 new assembly lines, within just

two weeks, successfully producing product and meeting customer demands.

Industrial Engineer (1999-2000)

Responsible for developing and maintaining bills of material and routings, costing new product,

creating production standards with the use of time studies and standard data, implementing and

maintaining engineering change orders and establishing equipment specifications. Additionally,

initiated and justified capital expenditures.

• Implemented lean manufacturing concepts through 5S, value stream mapping, error

proofing (poke yoke), root cause analysis and Kan ban.

• Established Kan ban system for wire processing, reducing wire work in process by 75%.

• Initiated cost reductions through workstation design / redesign and process

improvements, automating and developing poke yokes within the process, leading to an

overall reduction in parts costs of 25%.

• Revised plant layout to change incoming materials and outgoing finished product flows,

improving efficiency while reducing handling of materials through workstation / plant

layout changes.

• Reconfigured conveyor system which allowed same cure time while reducing floor space

usage from 400 to 100 square feet.

• Increased overall output of line from 65% to 95% by providing additional training to

supervisors and operators in effective work cell management.

• Linearized molding machine and assembly line to make molded parts as needed, reducing

work in progress from 80,000 parts on hand to 2,000.

U.S. SHOE /NINE WEST, Cincinnati, OH and Madison, IN 1981 –1998

Corporate Industrial Engineer

Responsible for leading engineering support for 6 manufacturing plants throughout the Tri-state

area, including (1) costing of new products, (2) developing and maintaining bills of material and

routings and (3) creating time studies to establish and maintain production standards in all

locations. Developed written and pictorial operator instructions. Initiated and justified capital

expenditures.

• Developed Kan ban system and workstation layout to reduce work in process inventory

by 50%.

• Initiated cost reductions through continuous process improvement and inventory

reductions.

• Maintained production standards used during the “piece work” phase of corporate

change.

• Provided accounting support during annual budgets, as well as follow up with actual

spending verses budget.

Additional Experience included two Co-op jobs held while obtaining degree:

PROCTOR AND GAMBLE, Cincinnati, Ohio June 1980 – August 1980

• Worked in product development plant.

LOTT TOOL, Cincinnati, Ohio June 1979 – August 1979

• Repair and rebuild machine tools.

Education

1981 – Associates degree, Industrial Engineering

Cincinnati Technical College, Cincinnati, Ohio

2008 – Bachelors degree, Organizational Leadership

Millikin University, Decatur, Illinois

References Available Upon Request

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