Engineer Project

Christian Poppinga

**** ********** *****, ********, ** 50131

Phone: 515-***-**** Email: **********@*****.***

www.chrispoppinga.com

Professional Summary

Low maintenance self-starter who requires little supervision. Comfortable working on multidisciplinary

teams in a matrix organization. Currently a full-time graduate student pursuing master’s degree in systems

engineering.

Professional Experience

Mechanical Design Engineer (February 1997 – January 2010)

Ryko Manufacturing Company

Grimes, IA

www.ryko.com

Ryko is the largest manufacturer of automatic car wash systems in North America.

Selected Key Accomplishments

• Managed a project to implement the use of lower cost gear reducers across all current

product lines and legacy systems that resulted in a 10% annual cost savings ($100,000 per

year). The project required negotiation of design requirements with reducer manufacturer

and in-depth coordination with the supplier, Ryko manufacturing department, and Ryko field

service department.

• Managed a project to integrate a major piece of equipment from a competitor/supplier into

Ryko’s conveyor car wash system. Developed improved control method to improve wash

quality, and reduction of vehicle damage. Conducted training sessions with Field Service

Managers to communicate product installation and service requirements. Project resulted in

improvement of overall conveyor wash system sales.

• Provided company-wide technical leadership in engineering activities related to mechanical

engineering in general.

Experience Gained

• Project management in a matrix organization. Frequently required to coach and motivate

people with whom I did not have supervisory authority.

• Gathered customer requirements. Translated requirements into system specifications.

• Product design and development.

• Directed the work of drafters and technicians.

• Conducted design reviews with senior management.

• Performed cost trade studies to improve profitability through design decisions.

• Worked within the ISO 9000 Quality System and a lean manufacturing environment.

Engineer (August 1994 – February 1997)

Mac-Lander, Inc.

Osceola, IA

www.mac-lander.com

Mac-Lander is a small manufacturer of flatbed trailers. The company was a subsidiary of Miller

Products Company at the time of employment. Only engineer at the company.

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Selected Key Accomplishments

• Member of a management team that turned the company from a subsidiary that had negative

profits for 20 years to being profitable.

• Lead the engineering efforts to transform the company from a custom trailer product line to a

standardized product line. Expanded product line from 5 models to 20 models.

• Lead the implementation of an ERP software system. Developed processes and methods to

successfully integrate the ERP software with actual business functions.

Experience Gained

• Have understanding of all areas of business operations since this is a small company, and I

was deeply involved in many aspects of the business beyond engineering.

• Managed supply chain functions.

• Supervised a buyer.

• Product design and development.

Student Engineer (January 1992 – August 1993)

Dow Chemical Company

Midland, MI and Fresno, CA

www.dow.com

Dow Chemical is a large multi-national chemical company. Was a member of Dow’s coop program.

Selected Key Accomplishments

• Performed a research study of methods to identify and sort shredded vehicle residue by

plastic type. Tested shredded vehicle plastics for potential recycling applications. Results of

study identified several potential applications of recycled plastic from shredded vehicles.

• Completed several improvement projects for Ziploc® bag manufacturing process.

Experience Gained

• Research and development experience.

• Experience in a high volume manufacturing environment.

• Experience in a bulk pharmaceutical plant.

Education

Iowa State University

Pursuing Master of Engineering in Systems Engineering

GPA: 4.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Expected Graduation Date: December 2010

Iowa State University

Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering

GPA: 3.2 on a 4.0 scale.

Graduation Date: 1994

Other Qualifications

• Expert with Excel, Crystal Ball, Word, PowerPoint, AutoCAD, Mechanical Desktop, Outlook, and

Lotus Notes.

• Proficient with SolidWorks 2010, Pro ENGINEER Wildfire, Microsoft Project, Visio, MATLAB and

CORE requirements management software.

• Languages: C++, C#, Visual Basic, and SQL.

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References Available Upon Request

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