Engineer Customer

James Robert Fleckner III

Kent, OH *****

*********@*******.*** 419-***-**** LinkedIn/jfleckner

Product Management

Automotive Industry Customer Solution Focused

Driven, detail oriented, and enthusiastic hands-on professional with a diverse background of product marketing, and engineering roles. I utilize my analytical skill set to understand the market needs, my technical expertise to manage the products and provide customer solutions, and my business acumen to drive the products throughout the lifecycle.

•Strategic Product Lifecycle Planning

•Product Design and Engineering

•Market Trends and VOC Research

•Customer Portfolio Management

•Competitive Intelligence

•Project Management

Professional Experience

COOPER TIRE AND RUBBER COMPANY

Product Segment Manager, Corporate, Findlay, Ohio 2015 to 2018

•Directly responsible for portfolio across house brand, private and co-branded products for national retail channel including Pep Boys, Discount Tire, ATD/Hercules, Les Schwab, TBC/Del Nat, and Sears.

•Managed product lifecycles for UHP (ultra-high performance), Passenger/CUV touring, SUV/LT (light truck) highway, SUV/LT all-terrain, LT mud-terrain, and winter tire portfolio including new and replacement products from concept to replacement.

•Led and worked directly with engineering, sales, marketing, manufacturing, supply chain, sourcing, and finance departments to identify strategic opportunities, develop and manage requirements for new and replacement products, consumer focused features and benefits, voice-of-the-customer, consumer segmentation studies, SWOT analysis, market segment and size analysis, profit/loss and pricing studies, program integration, and launch support.

•Reviewed customer product screens and provided recommendations through operating market analysis, SKU optimization, and inventory management requirements.

•Provided customers with pricing quotes for new, replacement, and size additions to current products.

•Trained customers/dealers, call-center, and consumers via on-site, ride & drive, and tradeshow support including dealer specific events as well as national events such as SEMA.

•Assisted in creation of marketing materials such as elearning training modules, point-of-sale product brochures and handouts, video, digital and web-based assets.

•Developed a methodology and process to screen product lines and customer portfolios to rationalize SKU count and optimize both inventory and market coverage.

•Successfully launched numerous products across various customers and channels.

Product Segment Analyst, Corporate, Findlay, Ohio 2013 to 2015

•Conducted market and key competitive analysis for numerous product segments.

•Assisted Product Segment Managers and provided support for product charter development, launch, point-of-sale, and training materials. Aided in the launch of seven products across various channels.

•Developed production planning process used in the SAP/ERP system.

•Compiled and conducted numerous customer product line and screen reviews.

Product Design Engineer, Technical Center, Findlay, Ohio 2006 to 2013

•Lead tread designer of 2012 Consumer Reports #1 All-Terrain tire, Cooper Discoverer A/T3. Winner of 2014 Overland Journals Editor’s Choice and Value Choice awards.

•Holder of numerous US and global design patents in tire tread design.

•Utilized PTC Pro/Engineer (Creo) from concept to production proposal to design tire tread, sidewall, lettering, logos, and profile shape.

•Led and conducted various test programs for study in groove wander (tramlining), hydroplaning, manufacturing integrity, and tire noise generation.

James Robert Fleckner III *********@*******.*** Page Two

Mold Procurement Engineer, Mold Operations, Findlay, Ohio 2003 to 2006

•Created parametric mold and support drawings using PTC Pro/Engineer (Creo).

•Key member of development project to improve speed-to-market of sidewall mold drawings. The project reduced design time by nearly twelve hours and saved over $400,000 per year.

•Led various project teams to update mold drawings to meet internal and government regulatory requirements.

Education

KETTERING UNIVERSITY

Masters of Business Administration, 2020

•Started Spring 2018

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI

Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering, 2003

•Member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), 2002 to 2003

Certifications

•Fundamentals of Engineering (FE), 2003

Specialized Skills

•Technical Skills: AutoCAD, PTC Pro/Engineer, MS Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Access, Project, Outlook).

•Technical Expertise: Product management, market research, competitive intelligence, customer portfolio management, lifecycle planning, customer and consumer training, and product design.

Professional Development

•Product Quality Review committee member, 2015-2018

•Patent Review committee member, 2016-2018

•Sustainability Report committee member, 2017-2018

•Leadership at Every Level – Individual Contributor (DMAIC/Six Sigma Toolkit)

•Empowering Leadership for Lean

•Vehicle Dynamics for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks (SAE)

•Lead trainer for Tires 101, 2014-2018

•SAP/ERP Requirement-to-Product

•Doing Business in China

•Making Effective Decisions (Bowling Green State University)

•Basic Project Management, Communication Strategies, and Minitab

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