Craig A. Whitt

Chapel Hill, NC // 734-***-**** // ac2udw@r.postjobfree.com

www.linkedin.com/in/craigwhitt mailto:ac2udw@r.postjobfree.com

Manufacturing Quality Engineering Supply Chain Operations Production

20 years of manufacturing, production, operational excellence, quality, and supply chain experience. Exemplary record of providing customer satisfaction from the manufacturing floor to the customer whether with an OEM or direct supplier. Credentials include MBA, Masters in Industrial Engineering (concentration in Mechanical Engineering), and BS degrees; certified as Six Sigma Master Black Belt and executive certification at MIT in Operations, Technology and Value Chain Management.

QDFIPS MINDSET CONTRIBUTION TO TEAM TARGETS OPERATOR MAINTENANCE BUSINESS TURN AROUND

CONTRIBUTE TO GOOD COMMUNICATIONS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT INCREASE & SPREAD COMPETENCE

SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS

United States Steel: Customer Quality Engineering Manager/Leader of a 12 person department directly responsible for turning around the relationship with the two largest customers Ford and Toyota.

Ford Motor Company: Progressed through the manufacturing / engineering ranks over a 17-year tenure and directed manufacturing and multi-functional team projects, generating award-winning multi-million dollar results in product improvement and customer satisfaction. As a team member implemented Ford Production System, Quality Plan, and lead a team to produce the first 6-Sigma BIW in mass production.

Force Protection Industries: Built an unprecedented portfolio of achievements in manufacturing, production, and operations through a focus on team work, good communications, KPIs, P&L levers and continuous improvement, resulting in reduced unit costs and improved quality

“In my almost 30 years of experience, I’ve not met anyone like Craig! He’s a hard-charging leader who looks for the challenges that others shy away from. If you are looking for the person to get the job done that others couldn’t do, look to Craig and then don’t look back.” – Senior Executive, Force Protection

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Whitt Enterprises Chapel Hill, NC 2017 – Present

Ford Motor Company in Vehicle Operations Detroit Chassis Plant (Executive Consultant - Contract Position)

Responsible for providing a team approach in Manufacturing & Industrial engineering improvements. Establishing the PFMEA’s as well as Operational Excellence in work station development, material flow, EH&S, process sheet development, Ford Production System implementation, implementation of Lean concepts, institution of TPM, Plant Layout upgrades, and preparation for Launch of a 2020 vehicle launch program. Develop Teams and train workers in waste elimination, good housekeeping techniques, MP&L development at the floor level, as well as establish Lagging and leading KPI’s. Established Quality Control Plan to ASQ standards.

Engineering – Product Development over sight, change control, development, engineering review approval.

Time Studies

Installed TPM – Total Predictive Maintenance

CAPEX

Launch management of future programs

Lead lean manufacturing as it models the Toyota Production System

Coach and motivate teams and management in production improvements.

Installed ANDON system and trained workers and management to be responsive.

Established takt time of line and balanced work at each station to improve efficiency and productivity by 20%.

Using the DFMEA, established PFMEA and introduced controls in high RPN operations, reducing quality failures and miss builds by 80%.

Established leading and lagging KPI’s to monitor production count and reduce stop ship situations by 80% to date.

Led Body Area Manager and Superintends in Lean (5S, etc.)& Operational Excellence projects.

oTrained Body Area Managers, Chassis Superintendents and Production supervisors work techniques

Established Variability Reduction Team and how to react to Warranty Feedback

oFloor identification area for damaged material. Scrap cost performance.

oProper tagging of damaged material by manufacturing and production engineers.

oProper accountability of damaged material by MP&L.

oProper house housekeeping techniques.

oDevelopment of TPM system and quick change over process

oEstablished performance charts (Team Boards) at appropriate areas on plant floor for operators and management.

oDeveloped Problem solving checklist

oDeveloped and led Kaizen workshops

Developing new plant layout and design for new manufacturing tools and Launch prep of 2020 program.

Conducting make/buy analysis for off the shelf components.

Establishing 8D, and CAPA process to Ford standards.

Established Quality Plan to ASQ standards, to bridge gap between Product Development Engineering (DFMEA’s) and Vehicle Operations (PFMEA’s). Between Suppliers, Plant, and Customers.

Improving work station layout and developing process sheets and standardized work documentation (put’s and take)

Developing MP&L process for improvement of material turns.

Developing MP&L process for reduction of on-hand material and hand shake between material order, material delivery, material demand, material usage.

Developing safe guards of (3 way match – PO, Invoice, Shipper)

Developing and implementing relationship improvement (change management) between management and workers.

Improving quality of work, and customer satisfaction, with significant reduction stop ships and quality holds (80%).

Communicate in positive manner improvements to workers and management on all actions.

Positively coach workers and management in operational changes.

United States Steel Troy, MI 2016 – 2017

Global manufacturer of Steel Products for the Auto Industry (Temporary Position)

Customer Quality Engineering Manager – Automotive Division (Customers: Ford Motor Company and Toyota)

Responsible for leading a group of 12 customer Quality Engineers (7 direct hire) covering 100% of all customer stamping and assembly manufacturing operations in Canada, US, and Mexico.

Saved over $20M USD in the first 7 months, through reduced waste and improved manufacturing efficiency.

Improved customer savings in Stamping, Body Shop – welding, and assembly by 35%

Led Body Area Manager and Superintends in Operational Excellence projects.

Reduced customer claims by 65% through the use of teaching a disciplined problem solving approach from the customer back to the steel mill or steel processor, identifying the root cause and putting into place control features to prevent reoccurrence.

Delivered, process control features to provide containment (protect the customer) while diving deep into the manufacturing, demand and logistics management process to find the process interactions for correcting legacy issues and resolved them. Thereby, improving customer satisfaction and turning around the business relationship to improve the chance for future business.

Responsible for 3 steel mills and all stamping / assembly plants in Canada, US, and Mexico for Ford & Toyota.

Saved USS over $10M in legacy claims by using a disciplined problem solving approach a solved issues in the customer manufacturing processes which were adopted and resulted in a closer working relationship and improved customer satisfaction.

Improved safety by 25% in first QTR of 2016.

Improved Operational Excellence by 45% in 2nd QTR of 2016. First time through improved from 50% to 90-98%.

Improved professional development by 35% in 2nd QTR of 2016.

Improved delivery by 50% in 2nd QTR of 2016.

GlaxoSmithKline RTP, NC 2014 – 2016

28 Billion £ UK-based global manufacturer of consumer products, vaccines and pharmaceuticals - (Laid off due to merger)

Global Value Engineering Director

Globally responsible for reducing Product Cost of Goods Sold by 4.7% year-over-year and streamlining Life Cycle Management. Drove delivery through a global wide focus through lean manufacturing.

Created a focused strategy aimed at transforming an underperforming supply chain into a customer-focused, high-performance operation.

Developed employee capabilities by embedding best practice tools and Lean Six Sigma optimization across all categories and regions. Design to Value principles and customer/regulatory specific formats were most instrumental in driving change.

TABLE ROCK INDUSTRIES, LLC Morganton, NC 2010 – 2014

$3.0M revenue private Manufacturing Consulting and Communications Company (Sold to AT&T)

Managing Partner/ Owner

Directed all functions for provider of wireless and landline communications solutions that additionally serves as an AT&T partner.

Transformed an underperforming company into a customer-focused, high-performance operation that earned recognition for its results, including an AT&T award for “Consistently Highest Sales in the Carolinas” year-over-year.

●Cut financial waste 100% and improved inventory turnaround 200% within the first 6 months by developing operating and inventory strategy and model that strengthened internal functionality.

●Raised first-year net profit margin from 3% to 22%; generated significant cost reductions in operations, expenses, and inventory through process implementations.

Served as a Consultant to Heavy Industrial / Automotive OEMs in Global Business Development Proposals as well as delivered pro-bono counsel on Operations, Manufacturing, Welding, Body Shop, Stamping, Quality, TPS, Lean, Accounting, Value Chain Management and Six Sigma.

FORCE PROTECTION INDUSTRIES, INC. Ladson, SC 2006 – 2010

$1.5B NASDAQ company World-leading provider of land vehicles for U.S. Government & NATO (Sold to General Dynamics)

SVP - Operations, Manufacturing, Engineering, Sales, Quality & Supply Chain

Directed manufacturing / engineering team of direct and indirect reports across 8 domestic / offshore facilities. Spearheaded unprecedented revenue growth from $50M to $1B+ in 3 years through win-win negotiations with customers & suppliers and last-minute fulfillment of customers’ product needs. Successfully delivered on new contracts / deals against critical deadlines within an extremely pressurized wartime environment.

●Championed critical aspects of the company infrastructure, including the development of KPIs, manufacturing, quality operation, strategic suppliers, manufacturing sites in foreign countries and war zones, facilities organization and EH&S function.

●Generated dramatic improvements: Safety - realizing 200% improvement in EH&S record within 1 year; Quality - achieved ISO 9000 recertification in first 90 days of tenure; Materials - decreased inventory from $180M to $35M through continuous improvement, Lean / Six Sigma, value-stream mapping, and Kanban techniques.

●Reduced manufacturing headcount from 800 to 390 while concurrently increasing product output from 320 to 750 units.

●Personally supervised both manufacturing engineering, and design engineering groups for launching of all vehicles.

●Decreased missing / delayed deliveries from peak of 20% to 0% in 5 months.

●Implemented a preventative maintenance program, utilizing TPM, successfully improving up time by 75%.

●Improved takt time by balancing all welding in body shop which was weak link in the process.

●Trained employees in welding techniques to improve body shop.

FORD MOTOR COMPANY Dearborn, MI 1990 – 2006

Fortune 500 corporation and world-leading automobile manufacturer 300,000 employees 45 operations/joint ventures worldwide

Product Development Manager / Team Leader

Manufacturing / Engineering Six Sigma / Lean Master Black Belt

Manager in Product Development Engineering

Resident Engineer in Stamping & Assembly Division for U.S., Canada, Mexico

Buyer & SQE / Supply Chain Manager, Manufacturing

Quality Director

Body and Assembly Area Manager

Body and Assembly Superintendent

Production Supervisor

Team Leader

Production Worker

Steered implementation of a (patented) system concept adapted by the Global Stamping and Assembly Division to launch 7 different product lines with Product Development Engineering, including stamping and assembly operations start-up across 4 locations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Reported indirectly to Global Vice Presidents and Directors across purchasing, product development engineering, manufacturing production, quality, and product management.

Oversaw production at assembly and stamping plant operations across multiple locations as (first certified) Six Sigma / Lean Master Black Belt. Improvement program was focused on quality and outcomes for 5 U.S. Stamping Plants, 1 Stamping & Assembly Plant in Mexico, and 2 Assembly Plants in Canada.

●Led engineering solution testing and QA in R&D and Product Development for 2 $1.5B development initiatives, capturing $5M in savings through identification of design flaws prior to production and accelerating design-to-launch cycle.

●Engineered 180-degree turnaround for 2 troubled major vehicle programs, overcoming obstacles. Additionally created award-winning variation analysis model that reduced monthly repairs from 3,000 units to zero in the U.S. and Mexico.

●Won President’s Award for conducting 38 individual Six Sigma Projects and led 90+ employees and 100 Black Belts to deliver $414M+ in cost savings. Achieved the highest productivity, customer satisfaction improvement, and reduced cost company wide. Captured an additional $64.5M across 5 different vehicle lines while reducing the top 25 customer concerns.

●As production worker, production supervisor, Body Area Superintendent and Body Area Manager of Body Shops and 5 Stamping Plants trained employees in welding techniques, drawing and process control, process and procedure development.

“Craig has a deep passion for creative problem solving…was one of the early leaders which helped integrate 6-Sigma thinking into everyday working processes at Ford…his strong leadership skills help him bring speed and robustness to solve complex issues in high pressure situations.” – GVP of Quality & GVP Product Development Engineering, Ford Motor Company

Additional experience as Special Forces Green Beret Officer in the United States Army. Security Clearance TS / SBI Compartmented. Frequently selected for high-profile leadership assignments, with teams up to 500 indigenous and U.S. personnel and multimillion-dollar assets, including equipment and technology, while maintaining multi-million dollar operational expenses.

EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS

University of Michigan – Master of Science in Industrial & Systems Engineering, Concentration in Mechanical Engineering

Campbell University – Master of Business Administration, Concentration in Accounting

Eastern Michigan University – Bachelor of Science in Economics / Political Science

Training

Executive Education Certificate in Technology, Operations, & Value Chain Management – MIT

Six Sigma Master Black Belt & Design for Six Sigma – Six Sigma Academy & Ford Motor Company

Sarbanes-Oxley Training – PricewaterhouseCoopers / Communications & Human Relations – Dale Carnegie

Corporate Leadership Development & Change Management – Ford Motor Company & GlaxoSmithKline

Contact this candidate