Director of Operations

JAMES W. RECOB

**** ********** ***** *******, ** 53719

Cell: 260-***-**** E-mail: *******@*****.***

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrecob/

CAREER INTERESTS: VP OPERATIONS DIRECTOR OPERATIONS

Strategic and accomplished Manufacturing Industry Executive whose 20+ year career has included success in turning around troubled manufacturing facility operations, directing union and non-union operations, and implementing Lean Manufacturing practices and robust continuous improvement strategies. Manufacturing career is complemented by solid financial knowledge and previous roles including Plant Controller and CPA.

Accelerate manufacturing performance through expertise in manufacturing best practices, Lean systems, continuous improvement events such as Kaizen, 5S and VSM, inventory management, accounting and financial reporting, change management, labor relationships, union representative relationships, and team relationships.

Gained substantial knowledge of diverse manufacturing environments including tier one automotive, vinyl coated fabric, glass manufacturing and fabrication, consumer durables, metals machining, and automotive and industrial rubber products.

Forward-thinking executive with a track record of success in change management, turnaround leadership, revenue and profit growth, crisis management, as well as staff coaching, development, and mentoring.

Deliver value to corporations by exhibiting a “manage from the plant floor” philosophy and creating a culture of employee accountability.

REPRESENTATIVE CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Spearheaded a plan to turnaround a business unit, and was instrumental in boosting revenue to $25 million and accelerating after-tax profit from 5% to 8%. Moreover, slashed inventory level $300,000, propelled on-time delivery service to 99%, and provided a distinct competitive advantage in the areas of quality, customer service, just-in-time delivery, and point-of-use delivery.

Initiated a project to ship products faster to Home Depot by using a plant in Mexico, and efforts triggered a $5 million inventory decrease. Relocated a portion of production activities in Mexico to a facility in Canada to provide faster service to customers in the Northeast and Midwest. Decision also resulted in a $1 million annualized savings.

Navigated a tier one automotive supplier operation through a 250% hyper growth period as sales in two years skyrocketed from $28 million to $100 million. Successful in sustaining OEM customer service performance and high-caliber quality during an extremely fast OEM launch and growth period. Employee base also rose from 150 to 400+.

MANUFACTURING CAREER HISTORY

EVOQUA WATER TECHNOLOGIES Waukesha, WI August 2016 to April 2019

Director of Operations – Resin Technologies Services

Team: 10 Direct Reports – Multiple Plant Managers, Engineering Manager, Quality Manager, R & D Manager, Project Manager

Responsible for management of ion exchange resin regeneration business unit - charged with improving product quality, cost, and employee engagement/labor performance for business unit consisting of 11 plants, total revenue of $170M

Consolidated two regeneration facilities in Houston, Texas area resulting in smaller capital footprint, lower overhead cost per unit and improved labor efficiencies

Initiated projects to address top field performance issue of tank leaks – hired engineering manager and chemical engineer to focus on process improvement opportunities. Organized cross functional team resulting in redesign and standardization of tank heads (IP patent protected) for all size tanks and process automation resulting in labor efficiencies while also providing 100% quality verification for all regenerated vessels.

Rebuilt plant management and production teams resulting in 50% improvement in plant wide overtime and reduction of controllable cost per unit in order to offset inflationary cost drivers

UNIROYAL ENGINEERED PRODUCTS Stoughton, WI May 2013 to August 2016

Director of Manufacturing

Team: 8 Direct Reports – Coating Manager, Printing Press/Finishing/Warehouse Manager, Controller, Facilities Manager, Process Engineering Manager, Quality Manager, HR/Safety/Environmental Manager, Scheduling & Customer Service Manager; 165 Indirect Reports

Recruited by global leading manufacturer of vinyl coated fabrics to lead turnaround operation – tasked with upgrading process standardization and discipline, improve yield, productivity and employee engagement.

Initiated projects/teams to address top yield issues – hired process engineer to management team and organized efforts around top pareto chart defects in rotogravure press operations, coating, and lamination process. Improved overall plant scrap rates by over 20% and shifted focus to new defects and projects.

Worked with Union leadership to redefine job descriptions and responsibilities to drive improved productivity, increase throughput in coating operation, and eliminate necessity for weekend overtime.

Strengthen safety team leadership and programs which has resulted in plant record for number of days worked without a lost time safety incident to over 870 days and still counting. Improved ergonomics for aging workforce.

GUARDIAN AUTOMOTIVE Ligonier, IN July 2007 to October 2012

Plant Manager

Team: 6 Direct Reports – Operations Manager, Controller, Engineering Manager, Quality Manager, HR Manager and Safety Coordinator, Maintenance and Facilities Manager; 410 Indirect Reports

Tier one automotive glass that earned nearly $100 million in annual sales and customers included General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, BMW, and Volkswagen.

Recognized for leadership success in boosting facility yields to 92% – the highest performance in the plant’s history. Plant floor management approach, clear communications of goals, and rebuilding the plant management team contributed significantly to superior performance.

Played a key role in deploying several new business platforms to support multiple OEM automotive customers. Engineered a plan to expand manufacturing operations from five days to seven days, and coached leadership team members to ensure the plant was successful during high volume OEM launches and rapid business growth.

Addressed manufacturing challenges subsequent to the bankruptcy of General Motors and Chrysler in late 2009. Executed a plan to downsize 150 employees that saved $7.5 million per year in payroll expenses. In the interim, focused on coaching and redeveloping the plant team to support future corporate growth.

Influenced senior executives to provide more than $10 million for capital projects that enabled the facility to expand space, add capacity, and adopt new technologies. Pursued and received a $1 million tax abatement.

Enhanced customer PPMs to 55 during a rapid period of business growth. Delivered exceptional results through Lean Manufacturing strategies concentrated on standard work, 5S events, robust inventory management as well as new employee training.

AMERICAN STANDARD CORPORATION Piscataway, NJ March 2006 to July 2007

Director of Operations, North American Bath and Kitchen

Team: 4 Direct Reports – Plant Managers, Director of Operations in Canada; 900 Indirect Reports

Joined a $8.5 billion company, and was recruited by the Vice President of Operations to spearhead five facilities yielding $220 million in annual sales. Leveraged prior accomplishments in plant management to slash total finished goods inventory for the acrylics business and accelerate operational performance for a plant in Mexico.

Recommended senior executives shutdown part of an acrylics business in Mexico that had low margins. Decision enabled company to expand warehouse and plant manufacturing space in Mexico. Additional warehouse area was used for a direct ship program to benefit Home Depot, and the acrylics business was able to reduce outsourced purchases. This action paved the way for a $600,000 savings in outpurchased premium.

Helped drive Lean Manufacturing initiative in Mexico that focused strictly on inventory, KanBan systems, one-piece flow, and work flow balancing. Subsequently, facility was able to manufacture additional 40,000 units per year without requiring more employees. Plant also experienced a $700,000 savings and a 30% productivity gain.

KENNAMETAL CORPORATION Cleveland, OH September 2005 to March 2006

Plant Manager

Team: 7 Direct Reports – Production Manager, Facilities and Maintenance Manager, Purchasing and Materials Manager, Quality Manager, Controller, Lean Coordinator, and Human Resources Manager

Hired to direct operations of a $50 million, non-union tool manufacturing facility with 350 employees and customers such as Honda, Caterpillar, Boeing, Pratt Whitney, and General Motors.

Devoted numerous hours to restore critical relationships with day and night shift employees to strengthen the credibility of management with the manufacturing group.

Collaborated with the Production Manager and Lean Coordinator to facilitate multiple workflow balancing and plant layout projects.

AMERICAN STANDARD CORPORATION Piscataway, NJ and Tiffin, OH April 2002 to September 2005

Plant Manager

Team: 9 Direct Reports – Casting Production Manager, Finishing Production Manager, Engineering Manager, Facilities and Maintenance Manager, Quality Manager, Controller, HR Manager, IT Manager, Health and Safety Manager; 740+ Indirect Reports

Selected by the Vice President of Operations to turnaround a manufacturing facility in Ohio that was involved in a hostile labor contract agreement, faced more than 80 allegations of unfair labor practices filed by the National Labor Relations Board and struggling with productivity, morale, and operating losses.

Successful in resolving 450 open grievances and negotiating a new contract with labor union leaders. Restored profit by ending monthly losses of $500,000 to $750,000 and achieving a $250,000 monthly profit.

Integrated Lean Manufacturing practices resulting in 40% productivity improvements. Collaborated with union leadership in developing Lean culture. Recruited Lean Champion position to drive Kaizen and 5S events, visual management, six sigma tools, and employee education. Team efforts enabled Tiffin facility to shift from one of the least productive in the company to one of the global company’s top three productive beam casting facilities.

Instrumental in facility receiving an “Americas Bath and Kitchen Quality Award” in 2004 for superior performance in internal and external quality metrics. Combination of high employee morale and engagement as turnaround management played a vital role in receiving prestigious award.

Created an outstanding workforce safety environment that lowered the OSHA index from 21 to six, and saved more than $250,000 in annualized Workers Compensation expenses.

IOMEGA CORPORATION Roy, UT September 1999 to April 2002

Director, Investor Relations Senior Quality Manager

GATES RUBBER CO. Rockford, IL; Galesburg, IL; Denver, CO 1991 to 1999

Plant Manager Production Manager Plant Controller Internal Auditor

Leveraged business acumen to play a role in increasing sales from $18 million to $25 million, accelerating profit after tax from 5% to 8%, trimming inventory $300,000, and boosting on-time delivery from 75% to 99%.

Developed a quick-change tooling project that was catalyst in lowering set up cycle times 75% for significant production machines. Took actions to slash inventory $2 million and create smaller lot sizes.

COOPERS & LYBRAND/McGLADREY & PULLEN Denver, CO; Cheyenne, WY

Senior Audit Manager Staff Auditor Tax Accountant CPA

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

Masters of Business Administration / Global Executive MBA Program

Duke University Durham, NC December 2002

Bachelor of Science, Accounting

University of Wyoming Laramie, WY

Certified Public Accountant (Expired) Six Sigma Champion

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