Customer Service Supply Chain

CLAUDE P. CIELONKO

**** ****** *** *** ***** Park, TX 78613

Home: 512-***-**** Cell: 512-***-****

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

PROFILE

Business professional with twenty years of diverse manufacturing experience

and a proven record of success in the printing, packaging, and educational

publishing industry. Demonstrated success in working across departments

and divisions to enhance service, quality, organization and cost structure

problems. Excellent ability to work closely with executive management to

revitalize operations, motivate staff and maximize productivity and

profitability. Proven ability in the areas of:

. Operations and Supply Chain Management

. Strategic and Tactical Business Planning

. Global Sourcing

. Human Resources Management and Development/Team Building

. Reengineering Processes and Project Management

. Acquisition Implementation and Integration

. Global Business Practice and Analysis

. Book Manufacturing and Paper Purchasing

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

HARCOURT EDUCATION GROUP

A $1.5B educational publisher to the K-12 school and adult learning markets

Director-Strategic Sourcing and Supplier Management

2007 - 2008

Directed a new department within Global Operations to align supplier

strategies with corporate objectives. Evaluated historical spending

patterns, suppliers, cost matrixes, and production processes to identify

opportunities for improved efficiency. Developed key supplier

relationships, outlined savings targets across initiatives, and created Key

Performance Indicator reporting.

. With cost containment as a driver; consolidated supplier base for

specialized services delivering 20% price reduction, negotiated reduced

pricing contracts for targeted spend categories, increased offshore

sourcing for select product and engaged alternative Canadian supplier

with 12% price savings and volume agreement.

. Altered purchase strategies and secured pricing concessions for raw

materials- delivered $2.7M savings to P/L.

. Established protocols to ensure product safety compliance by

manufacturers and sought additional independent product testing and

research if warranted. Served as the liaison for the legal department

in resolving non-compliance issues.

. Implemented scale pricing for both domestic and offshore vendors and

moving work offshore to reduce costs. Savings for 2007 estimated at

$8M.

. Consolidating vendors and moved production offshore to reduce costs and

improve service resulting in savings of $3M by the end of 2008.

. Implemented aggressive offshore sourcing of printing to China with

planned savings of $4M in 2008.

. Implemented best practices procedures for new product and reprint

manufacturing across both Texas and

Florida locations to improve margin and reduce production turn-around

time.

Director of Manufacturing-Harcourt Achieve Publishers

2003 - 2007

Directed all manufacturing operations, print production, and global

outsourcing of publishing and marketing projects. Worked with the

inventory department for planned reprints and executed production schedules

for product delivery, negotiated contracts for printing and binding as well

as outsource publishing production.

Active member of the Harcourt Global Supply Chain team; developed and

implemented Harcourt wide initiatives to improve cost and service across

the business units.

. Centralized and integrated Rigby Education, from Barrington, Illinois and

Saxon, from Norman, Oklahoma, into the Austin operation.

. Consolidated print purchases with the Harcourt preferred vendors and

played an active role as part of the Global Supply Chain to manage spend

across all of the Harcourt business units.

. Took complete advantage of the offshore sourcing model from Rigby, and

moved Steck-Vaughn and Saxon imprints, saving an average 35% from

domestic costs and saved $10M dollars over the last four years.

. Implemented competitive bidding, and contracting and preferred vendor

processes for Harcourt Achieve's procurement of publishing operations.

. Built an organization capable of supporting the large investment in new

publishing programs Literacy By Design ($20M investment) and Saxon K-6

Texas, National and California ($13.9M investment)

Print Production Manager-Rigby-Harcourt Publishers

1996 - 2003

. Implemented competitive bidding and preferred vendor processes for Rigby.

. Built an organization capable of supporting the large investment in new

publishing projects.

. Implemented domestic global supply chain and cost saving solutions

. Responsible for all printing of catalogs, direct mail marketing promotion-

total spend of $2.5M dollars

. Managed and mentored a staff of three employees

. Built the model, later to be utilized for all of Harcourt, for sourcing

educational publishing printing to China and other country's to meet

growing demand and margin improvement objectives.

PRINTING BACKGROUND

Customer Service and Scheduling- Repro Graphics, Elk Grove Village, IL

1993-1996

Handled all aspects of production and delivery, once the order was in the

plant

Print Sales- H.C Johnson Press, Rockford, IL

1992-1993

Sold $1 million dollars in new business/marketing collateral as well as

managed existing accounts.

Customer Service and Sales- The D.B. Hess Company, Woodstock, IL

1988-1992

Managed an account package of 3 major educational publishers and 15

commerical/ business to business accounts. Handled all of the processes to

get the job through the plant and delivered on time. Specialized in

customer communication and problem solving.

HONORS

Harcourt- President's Advisory Committee 2007

Nominated Member of this committee to address employee morale,

communication, team building activities and develop corporate community

Harcourt Achieve Values Team 2004

Elected member of this team to help with developing a unified corporate

culture and managing change

Rigby President's Club Award 2001

Received this award for outstanding accomplishments in publishing

operations (Cost savings of $2.1M)

EDUCATION

B.S., Industrial Technology, Graphic Arts Management

University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, Wisconsin

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