Plant Manager

SONJA WATERS

Lititz, PA *****.******@*****.*** Cell: 803-***-****

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

Managed Production, Logistics, Sanitation, Quality Lean methodologies to build department strength

Design/execute High Performance Organization

Fluent in Spanish

Certified Scrum Product Owner (2017)

HACCP and GMP trained (2013)

OSHA trained (2011)

Six Sigma Greenbelt Certified (2004)

Resonance Companies – New York City, NY August 2017 – June 2018 PLANT MANAGER

Resonance Companies is a holding company for designer brands featured in Esquire, Vogue and other great media. Plant Manager for manufacturing facility in Dominican Republic, responsible for supply chain and manufacturing technology. Reporting directly to the founders/co-CEOs.

• Designed and implemented business strategies and business development milestones for DR plant and supply chain.

• P&L ownership of manufacturing facility located in Dominican Republic (200 employees).

• Directed manufacturing technology growth through Product Engineering team in NYC as Head of Product.

• Improved Unit Cost by 45% through quality and Lean improvements.

• Increased volume over 35% through preventive/predictive maintenance programs and defect reductions.

• Responsible for $2MM brick and mortar expansion (30% footprint increase) of DR facility.

• Re-aligned KPIs into leading indicators for faster performance assessment and response.

• Managed and mentored team of 6 salaried department managers and 200 hourly employees.

• Established company policies including safety, compliance and personnel directives.

• Created and directed the Safety Committee, focusing on employee education and ownership to OSHA standards.

• Re-structured personnel of departments for more transparent and flexible production processes. Blue Apron – Jersey City / Linden, NJ January 2017 – July 2017 ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER/ OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Linden Plant consists of 2,500+ employees. Reporting to Director of Operations.

• Mentored senior staff for daily execution of the Management Operating System.

• Responsible for the design and management of the company’s first Operational Excellence department.

• Directed the onboarding of over 800 hourly employees.

• Developed and implemented training plan for new and transitioning employees from Jersey City plant to Linden plant.

• Created strategy for the company’s first High Performing Work System. Pepperidge Farm – Denver, PA March 2014 – January 2017 PRODUCTION MANAGER

Denver Plant consists of 800+ employees (including full-time and temporary employees). Manager of Cookies department: 300+ hourly and 7 salaried employees. Processes managed include scaling, mixing, baking, chocolate applications and various packaging formats. Responsible $69MM departmental budget. Reported to Ops Manager.

• Delivered $500k in savings for 2016 through Lean methodologies and strategic deployment of initiatives.

• Delivered year-over-year reduction of Quality Consumer Complaints culminating in 2016 reaching a 7 year low for the department by aggressively reducing variation through Lean manufacturing tools.

• Intensively worked to earn and build trust within the leadership team through vision sharing and consistency.

• Responsible for personnel planning - establishing labor requirements, hiring, training, and terminations.

• Coordinating R&D projects to successfully launch new products on-time and on-budget.

• Exceeded production metrics year-over-year for strongest departmental performance in the Denver plant in Fiscal 2016 through operational efficiencies management, labor management, and strategic implementation of continuous improvement methodologies.

• Created and coached the Training Systems Team, comprised of high potential leaders, that focuses on departmental training needs while instilling principles of Lean and leadership skills development.

• Driving cross-departmental teams for root-cause understanding and action planning for improvement of production weaknesses and prevention of operational failures. Pepperidge Farm – Aiken, SC October 2010 – March 2014 INTERIM PLANT MANAGER / SUPPLY CHAIN OPERATIONS MANAGER Aiken Plant product lines consist of Retail Bread and Deli-Flats for Fresh, Frozen, and Foodservice markets. Facility consists of 130 employees (including full-time and temporary employees). Manager of 70+ hourly and 6+ salaried employees. Processes managed include scaling, mixing, baking, and various packaging formats. Plant departments managed include Sanitation, Shipping, Receiving, Purchasing and Planning. Reported to Plant Manager/ Director of Ops.

• Interim Plant Manager in the multiple short and long-term absences of the Plant Manager; responsible for plant P&L.

• Provided development across each layer of the organization to transform traditional managers into coaching leaders and hourly employees into owners of the operation, creating a high performing team.

• Actively facilitated improved communication between Purchasing and Planning departments to ensure optimized usage of materials and minimize WIP inventories.

• Improved plant Shipping Customer Service Levels to target of 99%.

• Supported plant in achieving best plant safety record (no lost time accidents) for the company.

• Plant liaison for Corporate, Sales, peer visits and for PD and R&D product testing.

• Established production standards and KPIs as leading indicators of goal attainment.

• Responsible for cost control and annual budget setting for multiple departments.

• Managed Logistics department through inclement weather crises to prevent product shortages to the customer network.

• Successfully guided seasonal programs through unexpected logistics network shortfalls.

• Coordinated production volumes across 4 plants to utilize locations and products to increase plant capacity and flexibility for high-demand products.

• Re-aligned personnel and processes in Shipping/Receiving and Purchasing/Planning to increase effective and accurate communication and increase flexibility for production needs. Federal Mogul, Powertrain – Nanchang, Jiangxi, China September 2008 – October 2010 DEPARTMENT MANAGER/ SR. ENGINEER (MOLDED RUBBER GROUP) Nanchang Plant certified in TS16949 and ISO14001. Product line consists of molded rubber gaskets. Installed and managed Production and Rapid Prototyping departments which include metals stamping, welding technologies, injection molding and assembly platforms. Reported to ASIA/PAC Director of Operations.

• Developed four-year growth strategy, planning and budgeting for new parts and new technologies for the China mainland market, increasing department scope through aggressive vision development and feasibility.

• Led the international Sales department to develop 3-year strategy for Static Gasket product line and entrance into Russian market through analyzing market potential by leveraging Chinese assets.

• Led the start-up of and managed the Rapid Prototyping department through phases of strategy, design, procurement, installation, hiring and execution.

• Responsible for consistent lead time reduction of prototype parts for customer testing to ensure market competitiveness.

• Recruited, managed and mentored local staff regarding engineering, ethics, efficiency and safety.

• Responsible for vendor selection and testing of molding, stamping and lathing equipment.

• Managed raw materials including inventory reduction and international material purchasing.

• Collaborated with Customs department to ensure on time receipt of materials and on-time delivery of products.

• Responsible for maintaining customer relationships and confidence through the prototyping process; hosting customers for trials and hand-offs.

• Simultaneously supported projects in Illinois, Alabama and Mexico; quickly adapting to and understanding local processes and troubleshooting to improve performance and delivery. Federal Mogul Powertrain and Sealing – Van Wert, OH, USA March 2007 – May 2008 PROJECT ENGINEER / INTERIM SHIFT SUPERVISOR

Federal Mogul, Powertrain - Puebla, Puebla, México May 2005 – March 2007 PROCESS ENGINEER PROMOTED TO CNC PROGRAMMING DEPARTMENT SUPERVISOR Federal Mogul, Powertrain – South Bend, IN, USA May 2003 – May 2005 QUALITY ENGINEER / MANUFACTURING ENGINEER

Georgia Institute of Technology: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (2003)

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