Engineering Product Development

A. J. Joseph DiBiagio

*** *. **** *** ****** Beach, CA 92075 • 248-***-**** • *****@*******.***

OBJECTIVE

Seeking executive management position in a manufacturing company, where I can use my management, technical, and coaching skills to improve/design the process, product, and systems through empowerment, communication, and time-based management philosophies to maximize stakeholder satisfaction; my strengths in problem-solving, organization structure, program management, and lean manufacturing will produce high quality products in a reduced and cost effective timeframe; and my leadership and coaching skills will raise the level of competency in the organization by fostering an atmosphere of open communication, and idea generation to support the strategic plan.

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

An experienced manufacturing/operations professional with over twenty years success in instituting lean manufacturing systems, process development, and highly efficient and motivated organizations. My ability to make process improvements, reduce costs, develop systems, build teams, empower people, lead change, and understand/diagnose technical problems has led to new product concepts, successful start-ups, profit turnarounds, long-term contracts, highly efficient streamlined operations, and challenged leadership teams. Proven management experience in union and non-union environments, multi-plant scenarios, quality systems, R&D, technical publications, program management, product strategy and design, testing, service, and distribution has generated repeat and long-term contracts, preferred supplier and “green” status, and high standards and industry models of performance. Managed budgets ranging from $100,000 through $50 million with complete P&L accountability. A leadership style that is built on ethics with a philosophy of empowerment and delegation has led to highly motivated, results-oriented teams. A pro-active leader who promotes change when needed and a strong communicator whose excellent oral and written skills leverage consensus and facilitate change.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

MAGNAFLOW (CARSOUND EXHAUST CORPORATION)

General Manager 2016-2017

MERIDIAN SPECIALTY VEHIVLES

General Manger 2014-2015

MAG ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES INC., Tampa FL. 2011-2013

Chief Operating Officer

GIBSON GUITAR CORPORATION, Trumann AR 2010-2011

General Manager OEM Parts Division

TECSTAR, LP, Troy, MI 1997-2009

President: Complete responsibility and accountability for the operation of a Tier One supplier to GM, Ford and military contractors with revenues of $125 million. Managed a staff of 7 Directors / Managers; including operations, finance, quality, sales, HR, engineering, and testing /service. Led strategic planning initiatives, set goals, and communicated them through-out the organization. The company was liquidated due to the down-turn in the automobile industry. I agreed to stay on to facilitate this liquidation.

Executive Vice President of Manufacturing Engineering & Operations: Responsible for all operations and quality activities and input in company goals. Oversaw 6 assembly plants, 8 directors as direct reports, and 500+ people. Managed $30 million operating budget, servicing major accounts such as General Motors, and The Ford Motor Company. Established budgets to support operations controlled and authorized project costs.

Vice President, Product Development/Manufacturing Operations: Responsible for designing, manufacturing & quality systems in assembly plants. Oversaw DFM of all parts and components designed for vehicles, including sourcing parts. Managed procurement of capital equipment, plant set-up, training of personnel, and guided plant through GM Quality valve process. Supervised 15 directs, and 85 in-directs. Managed $3 million budget, $750,000 for capital equipment.

STARCRAFT AUTOMOTIVE GROUP, Goshen, IN 1996-1997

Senior Vice President, Engineering: Responsible for all engineering, compliance, prototyping, documentation, bill of materials, process engineering and styling for three divisions of company. Supervised 7 direct reports and $500,000 budget.

HOLIDAY RAMBLER CORPORATION, a Harley Davidson Company, Elkhart, IN 1984-1996

Vice President Consumer Affairs and Service: Responsible for customer service, parts, and consumer affairs; including P&L responsibilities for service, parts, and warranty at 140 dealerships nationwide. Managed recalls, field fixes, customer correspondence, technical information, owners and service manuals, technical tips and customer rallies. Managed 35 people and $1.5 million operating budget with $1 million for capital equipment. The budget for shows and rallies was $600,000.. Parts inventory carried was valued at approximately $750,000.

Vice President/General Manager Technology: Responsible for product development of RV division including engineering, prototyping, advanced engineering, testing, codes and standards, interior design, styling, and technical publications. Supervised a staff of 50 people with annual budget of $1.75 million.

Vice President/General Manager Motorized Business Unit: Complete P&L responsibility for the motorized product line within the RV division. Including; R&D, product inception, engineering, supplier development, manufacturing, testing, and sales / marketing. Supervised a staff of 6 director level positions with an operating budget of approximately $2 million.

Senior Vice President Manufacturing Operations: Oversaw manufacturing operations including production, supplier development, master scheduling, maintenance, and continuous improvement. This included five complete lines of motorized and towable products manufactured in 3 main assembly plants with 15 support plants. Supervised staff of 13 directors with an operating budget of $6 million. The production work force averaged 1400 employees.

Vice President Research & Development and Engineering: Responsible for R&D, engineering, prototyping, advanced engineering, design engineering, testing, desktop publishing of technical publications, codes and standards, interior design, product planning, and advanced styling. Supervised staff of 45 employees with operating budget of $1.5 million.

Vice President Research & Development: Responsible for R&D including prototyping, advanced styling, advanced engineering, interior design, and testing. Supervised a staff of 25 employees with an operating budget of $1.25 million.

Director of Engineering: Brought into the company to create a R&D and engineering group that could respond to the needs of the fast paced RV Industry. Supervised a staff of 10 employees with an overall budget of $4 million.

AVANTI MOTOR CORPORATION; South Bend, IN 1982-1984

Vice President Manufacturing: Responsible for design and manufacture of specialty automobile in $25,000 to $49,000 price range. Oversaw design, prototyping, testing, procurement, manufacturing, distribution, and service of a hand-built specialty vehicle. Supervised staff of 5 directs and work force of 75 employees. The total operating budget was approximately $250,000.

EDUCATION

B.S. – Industrial Engineering, Westmar College, LeMars, Iowa

Civil Engineering (50 hrs.) University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Organizational Learning, MIT, Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, MA

AFFILIATIONS

Society of Automotive Engineers, Institute of Industrial Engineers, Manufacturer’s Alliance for Productivity and Innovation, R.V.I.A. A119 Committee

SELECT ACHIEVEMENTS

Created new company from scratch to manufacture Second Stage vehicles for General Motors. Company was awarded contract from GM to design, test, manufacture, and ship new vehicles from a Louisiana location. As a founding member of the new company, designed all of systems to support production of a new Second Stage vehicle for GM under a 4-year contact. Staffed both the corporate office and the production facility. Designed production system that went on to serve as the “template” for Second Stage manufacturing. RESULT: Company became “leader” in Second Stage manufacturing for GM, winning “Supplier of the Year” award. Produced over 500,000 vehicles. Generated revenue in excess of $150 million. Received three new contracts worth additional $35 million.

Organized and implemented a template to support the production process. A newly formed company needed to establish a process/template for Production. As V.P. of Product Development & Manufacturing Engineering, developed a template that all production documentation would follow. It had to be flexible for change but robust enough to adhere to ISO requirements. Implemented Production Documentation that was made up of three main areas - the Production Router, the Process Flow sheets, and the PADs (process assembly document). Designed it to be a progressive system built on each element before it. The Router had to be complete before the Process Flow document could be established. Once Process Flows were completed, then PADs could be developed to support the build process. RESULT: Production process was 45% faster than a non-templated process.

Created an analytical tool, FTQ (First Time Quality) system, to improve tracking throughout the quality process. There was need to convey the status of every vehicle produced from a quality standpoint, so that all concerned would understand the level of quality being produced from each facility on a daily basis. As Vice President of Product Development & Manufacturing Engineering, implemented “Source Quality Control System.” This meant that operators were responsible for their work and would sign off on their partners’ work for every vehicle produced. This rolled up into an overall quality score for each line every day, regardless of the number of vehicles produced. Published the report daily from each facility. Analyzed data to find trends or problems in the production process, parts, or operation execution. Instructed engineers to take appropriate action to correct any problem. RESULT: System became the measure of all production in the facility. Raised the quality level to the overall FTQ score to 98.5%. This was reflected in the overall cost of warranty for all units produced to under $1.00 / unit.

Led a fast-to-market design team to utilize existing engineering / systems to develop new products. Company needed to have way of developing product faster to stay ahead of competition, while utilizing existing documentation but not adding to the complexity of the BOM. As VP of Research & Development, created the EDS group. This group of experienced engineers used networked computers, cut & pasted parts of existing designs to produce complete engineering packages ready for production. RESULT: Company brought new products to market 35% faster, which positively affected the BOM, allowing for continued use of existing parts rather than sourcing new. Company achieved a 15% drop in new parts, netting 35% in cost savings.

Erected new “green field” plant to meet customer’s demand to hit a specific production start date. Having received a contract from GM to manufacture a new line of trucks coming out of their assembly plant in Canada, Company was unable to find an existing facility that would meet the requirements. Had six months to be ready for production. Designed and program managed construction of a new 80,000 sq foot facility to be ready for production as required by customer. Worked with general contractor and local trade unions and negotiated union permission to allow engineers and facility people to work on site during construction. Shortened set-up time for all production, and building equipment. Got building production ready (but not totally complete) in six months after ground-breaking. It became a facility that customer relied on to produce vehicles and supply parts/components to their plants in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. RESULT: Generated $25 million in revenue and established good will between Company and customer, which led to being first to receive a follow-up contract worth and additional $20 million.

Established new manufacturing organization focused on empowerment, communication and time-based management. Company’s traditional production hierarchy was large, cumbersome, and defiant in the roles. Designed new production operating system companywide. Invested three months of planning and three months of communication to ensure it worked smoothly. RESULT: Reduced throughput by 20%, raised productivity by 10%, reduced WIP by 20% and material costs by 2%. Reduced overall headcount by 18% and reclaimed more than 20 % in production space. Also, this contributed to heading off the organization of a Labor Union in the plants.

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