Customer Service Project Manager

Thomas L. Houston

**** *. ******* **. **** Valley, CA 93063 805-***-****

*******.***@*********.***

PROFESSIONAL Summary

Manufacturing/Operations management professional with a track record in

lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, total quality, inventory

control and customer service excellence. Demonstrated leadership in

streamlining processes, managing change, identification and elimination of

waste and driving continuous improvements. Able to resolve complex issues;

participative open-door management style with outstanding communication,

computer and problem solving skills.

( Lean/JIT Manufacturing

( Training/Development

( Total Quality Management

( ERP/MRP Implementations

( P & L Management

( Multi-facility Management

( ISO 9001, AS 9100

( SPC and Six Sigma

( Kaizen Event Mgmt.

Professional ACHIEVEMENTS

MRV Communications, Chatsworth, CA (April 2007 to March 2009)

Producer of high speed networking products for the Telecommunications

industry.

Director of Operations

Management of Distribution-Light Manufacturing facility including

Production Assembly (Test, Final Configuration), Shipping, Receiving,

Material/Production Planning, Purchasing, Manufacturing/Supplier

Engineering and Facilities, (80 employees). ISO9000, TL9000 Management

Teams

. Responsible for Lean Manufacturing Training and Implementation for all

Operations departments

. 30% Lead time reduction to customers

. 52% WIP reduction, 90% reduction in past due jobs

. On-Time delivery improvement from 60% to 98%

. Conducted/Developed training methods/curriculum to facilitate division

Lean manufacturing initiatives

. Work closely with HR for New Hire and overall workforce development

. Member of NPI (New Product Introduction) team

Hydra-Electric Company, Burbank, CA (July 2004 to March 2007)

Producer of precision electro/mechanical switches for the Airline, Military

and Aerospace industries.

Director of Operations

Management of CNC Machine Centers, Precision Electro/Mechanical Assembly,

Material/Production Planning, Purchasing, Facilities, FAA Repair Center and

Quality Assurance. (170 employees). ISO9001, AS9100

. Responsible for Lean Manufacturing\Kaizen implementation for all

departments

. 60% Lead time reduction to customers

. On-Time delivery improvement from 40% to 95%

. Management of on-time delivery programs in a Make-to-Stock and Make-to-

Order environment

. Conducted/Developed training in support of company-wide Lean

manufacturing initiatives

. Work closely with HR for New Hire and overall workforce development

Empower, Inc, Foster City, CA (2000 to 2003)

Consultant firm delivering Team Performance training to Fortune 500 clients

Sr. Project Manager/Director

Managed/directed field projects in support of company goals and

commitments. Provided project management, technical curriculum

development/delivery and various computer support operations (Internet) for

remote offices.

. Conducted Customer Service Training for KPMG, SGI and Unilever

. Introduced Lean Manufacturing concepts to client companies

. Implemented an Oracle based CRM system in support of Call Center

requirements

. Trained Client Employees in Team Building and Problem Resolution

reducing start-up time by 52%

. Managed an environment where three very diverse industry cultures

could operate together as a cohesive team

Tom Houston, Page 2

Intermedia Communications (Worldcom), Camarillo, CA (1995 to 2000)

A global $450 million manufacturer of Electronic Telecommunications

Equipment

Director of Operations/Plant Manager

Managed successful P/L operation of a 165K sq. ft. Manufacturing facility

engaged in product engineering, procurement, planning, production,

inventory control, distribution, and repair\refurbishment for an electronic

telecommunications product line. Direct responsibility for Manufacturing

Operations, Materials, and Human Resources that resulted in consistent

annual profitability. Approximately 150 employees.

. Led division turnaround effort utilizing Lean, Kanban, Just-In-Time

and inventory control programs

. Managed domestic manufacturing/distribution for 18 authorized repair

centers resulting in 72% reduction in system downtimes for material

shortages

. Improved the accuracy of bills of materials leading to an 80%

reduction of MRP errors and exceptions.

. Reduced non-conforming incoming material by 80% through effective use

of MRB, supplier partnership and certification programs

. Brought in additional work (Voice over IP product assembly) to offset

facility expenses in critical assembly areas using point of use

inventory management and lean techniques

. Reduced finished goods inventories through lean principles by 40%

Manpower Professional Staffing, Thousand Oaks, CA (1994 to 1995)

A $100 million professional (temporary) staffing organization

Operations Manager

Provided management for daily operations and employee training in Advanced

(Lean) Manufacturing and SPC for Wheelabrater Clean Air Systems and

Technicolor Optical Media Services in Southern California.

. Participated in corporate re-organization of division, 24%

productivity increase (Altech/Wheelabrator)

. Managed daily operations for purchasing, planning, inventory,

logistics, and manufacturing (Altech)

. Managed all California state ETP and JTPC training contracts

(Technicolor)

. Provided training development and presentation for SPC, TQM and JIT as

they applied to optical media (CD) manufacturing (Technicolor)

MetOne, Inc, Grants Pass, OR (1993 to 1994)

A $100 million Environmental Monitoring Equipment Manufacturer

Systems Group Manager

Provided direction for the systems integration and installation training

group utilizing MetOne environmental monitoring instruments configured for

comprehensive computer data analysis of various environmental, clean room

and industrial applications.

. Provided overall direction for the domestic and international systems

integration/installation group

. Developed customer equipment installation services and repair for

major environmental (clean room) applications of MetOne equipment both

domestically and international

. Directed a support staff of 8 managers located in diverse geographic

locations

Litton Guidance and Control Division, Grants Pass, Or - Woodland Hills, CA

(1989 to 1993)

A $2 billion manufacturer and defense products for the US Military

Sr. Operations Research Specialist

Provided senior staff project management, custom training development, and

concurrent engineering direction for 3 manufacturing facilities. Duties

included corporate reporting responsibilities for Advanced Manufacturing

Engineering. Acted as chairperson for group CFC reduction activities.

Products include defense guidance systems, gyroscopes, inertial navigation

systems and commercial products.

Tom Houston, Page 3

. Successful implementation of Lean Manufacturing (JIT) for three

facilities engaged in defense related product development and

manufacturing

. Implemented demand flow system resulting in 50% reduction of inventory

and cycle time reduction of 85%

. Led the Advanced Manufacturing Engineering and CFC reduction efforts

for the division

. Designed and produced a 6 tape VHS training program in support of

division wide implementation of JIT

Early Career History

Terminal Data Corp. - Mgr, Operations Engineering, New Technologies 1987 to

1989

Harris Corp. - Project Technician, Mfg. Operations Mgr, - Mfg. Eng. Mgr, -

Plant Mgr. 1976 to 1987

Education & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Trinity University, Baton Rouge, LA 2001 BSIE

Meyers - Briggs Training and Development 2000

Pierce College, Woodland Hills - CSUN - Moorpark College, CA - 1987 ASIE

Professional Technical Institute, Ventura, CA. Computer Science

Certification.

Certified by APICS (CPIM - 1987) and SME (CMfgE 1993).

Graduate of the JIT Institute of Technology - Denver, CO 1985

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