Product Development Engineer / Manager

William C. Attkisson

*** ********* **.

Winston-Salem, NC 27107

336-***-**** **********@*****.***

Summary

A Product and Technology Development Leader with over 20 years’ experience developing new products and processes for the automotive, medical, bedding, and consumer products industries, both as a hands-on leader and an individual contributor.

Key Competencies

• New Product Development • Nonwoven Textile Processing • Project Management

• Product Design • Business Acumen • Engineering Management

• Competitive Analysis • Product Launch • Team Leadership Work Experience

Tempur+Sealy International, Inc Trinity, NC 2017 – 2019

$3.2 billion, world’s largest bedding provider. Tempur+Sealy develops, manufactures, and markets mattresses, adjustable bases, pillows and other sleep and relaxation products. New Product Development Engineer

Technical Lead and Launch Coordinator for Tempurpedic, Sealy, and Stearns & Foster new product launches.

• Create and document all product specifications.

• Provide all critical product data for creation of Law Labels included on production items.

• Approve packaging artwork and create product packaging specifications.

• Manage Prototype and Specification Built units for Product Validation testing, including Federal burn requirements 16 CFR part 1632, and 16 CFR part 1633.

• Designate required testing and document results for new product Claims Substantiation.

• Technical consultant to legal counsel for examination of applicable intellectual property.

• Technical Lead and Cross-Functional Team Leader for development and launch of 4 new pillow lines and 4 new memory foam beds, achieving industry-leading cooling standards. ConvaTec, Greensboro, NC 2016 – 2016

A $1.7 billion, global leader in Ostomy Care and Specialty Wound Care technology. Senior Process Engineer (contract position during ConvaTec’s move to the Dominican Republic) Manage and maintain all manufacturing equipment for Ostomy and Wound Care production.

• Provide technical, cost effective solutions to project and production issues.

• Identify Lean opportunities, strategies, and guide kaizen teams / events.

• Define, develop, evaluate, and implement operational improvements using Lean principles.

• Lead cross-function teams in creation of Process FMEAs, and process development.

• Created methodology to compile and coordinate experiential knowledge transfer for all manufacturing lines moving to Dominican Republic.

Avery Dennison, RFID, Greensboro, NC 2015 – 2015

A $4.3 billion, global leader in printed apparel branding and consumer packaging with integrated RFID tracking. Avery Dennison relocated all its North Carolina facilities to Juarez Mexico. Senior Process and Product Development Engineer

Managed and maintained all manufacturing equipment for RFID production. Design and develop new RFID technologies, including materials and process technology.

• Created all laser recipes for manufacture of new RFID antennas.

• Oversaw all trial and manufacturing runs of laser cut antennas and automated chip attachment.

• Responsible for troubleshooting and repairing processes on chip attachment line and laser cutter, consisting of nine 900 watt lasers.

• Managed construction of all sample RFID enabled tags for apparel industry.

• Developed and implemented all sample manufacturing equipment and procedures, covering lamination and precision die cutting.

Fortune Personnel Consultants of Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 2013 – 2014 A leader in executive search and recruiting for executive and management jobs, serving Fortune 500 recruiting needs nationally.

Director, Engineering Recruiting

• Specializing in placing executive manufacturing, and engineering professionals in the nonwovens, automotive, and medical devices industries.

Filtrona, Filter Products Division, Greensboro, NC 2012 – 2013 A $350 million global manufacturer of cigarette filters. Business Process Manager

Cigarette filter technology development.

• Directed development staff of 7.

• Directed all activities for samples, prototypes and new product launch.

• Knowledgeable in specialty filter making processes including: dual and triple filters, coaxial cores, fluted wraps, carbon cavities, carbon dalmations, and capsule insertion. Lorillard Tobacco Co., Greensboro, NC 2009 – 2011

A $6 Billion manufacturer of tobacco products.

Research Engineer

Member of a group charged with developing new technology yielding safer tobacco products.

• Challenged traditional filtration knowledge and developed a filtration concept that dramatically increased filtration efficiency using existing materials. Filter length decreased by 56%.

• Developed new method and device for capturing and separating cigarette smoke for safe e-cigarette flavor augmentation.

• Developed automated smoking machine to simultaneously measure smoke temperature, pressure drop, and chemical analyte production. First such device and measurements known in cigarette industry.

• Created GC / Mass Spec method to analyze for 20 chemical analytes in a single run, reducing test time by 55%.

• Knowledgeable processes included: filter making, tobacco rod making, and finished cigarette making. Vita Nonwovens (Vitafoam, Inc.), High Point, NC 2005 – 2007 The U.S. Division of British Vita. This business was put on up for sale in 2007. Product Development Manager / Product Engineer

Developed nonwoven textile products for the bedding, automotive and air filtration industries.

• Directed design engineering staff of 3 and oversaw a $750K budget.

• Responsible for modifying existing processes and specifying processing equipment for new product lines. o Ensured manufacturing capacity and capabilities would meet or exceed acceptable ranges.

• Knowledgeable textile processes include: opening, blending, garnetting, carding, cross lapping, web impregnation, needle-punching, calendaring, lamination, converting, slitting, high-loft thermal bonding, and roll wind-up.

• Developed flame retardant materials that met federal fire retardant standard, 16 CFR part 1633, and customer specific requirements. First bedding FR material manufacturer in the US to meet the new standard of 2007.

• Created all brand names, naming criteria and brand logos for all products along with packaging, labels and marketing brochures.

Lydall, Inc., Hamptonville and Winston-Salem, NC 1995 – 2005 A $400 Million manufacturer of engineered filtration products and industrial thermal insulation solutions. Senior Research and Development Engineer, Lydall’s Charter Medical Group, 2003 – 2005 Recruited to this Lydall Group to develop specialized blood filters and disposable containers for bio-pharmaceutical manufacturers.

• Managed an engineering, design and technical staff of 7 and a $5 million product design budget.

• Directed all launch activities for new parts and products.

• Knowledgeable processes included: carding, needle-punching, calendaring, lamination, converting, slitting, and thermal welding.

• Functioned as a change agent to challenge existing methods of operation and implement new solutions and improvements.

• Investigated / troubleshot product and process failures. Identified root-causes for timely correction.

• Developed automated manufacturing line for assembling disposable biopharmaceutical media containers.

• Ensured manufacturing capacity and capabilities would meet or exceed acceptable ranges.

• Developed a co-extruded single film layer, replacing multi-layer plastic film processing, simplifying manufacturing, reducing process errors by 80% and improving product qualification properties. Product Technology Manager/Advanced Research, Lydall Automotive, 2000 – 2003 Created and managed a product development engineering team of 10, consisting of engineers, CAD designers and testing/prototype technicians.

• Managed all intellectual property activities on new and existing patent/trademark activity (3 new patents/5 trademarks).

• Developed 3 new product lines for automotive thermal and acoustic insulation markets, generating over $10 million in revenue in year one.

• Specified processing equipment for new product lines. Responsible for modifying existing processes and specifying / procuring new processes.

o Ensured manufacturing capacity and capabilities would meet or exceed acceptable ranges.

• Knowledgeable textile processes include: Nonwovens - opening, garnetting, carding, cross lapping, web impregnation, needle-punching, calendaring, lamination, converting, slitting, roll wind-up, and die cutting; Metals and Molding - die-cutting, lamination, hot molding, and cold molding.

• Functioned as a change agent to challenge existing methods of operation and implement new solutions and improvements.

• Led an advanced research project to develop power generating automotive heat shields using a new generation of thermo electronics. Managed relationship with Research Triangle Institute for builds and intercompany contractual development.

Manager, Product Testing and Engineering Launch, Lydall Automotive, 1998-2000

• Managed all product testing, overseeing 3 engineers and 4 technicians.

• Qualified and tested new processing equipment to validate for manufacturing processes.

• Brought all testing lab procedures and equipment up to American Association for Laboratory Accreditation

(A2LA) standards and earned A2LA, ISO9001 and QS9000 certifications.

• Created Program Engineering Groups aligned with key product lines providing in-depth technical support.

• Developed instrumentation and test procedures for ranking under-hood and underbody heat shield materials and designs. Adopted as the SAE standard across the automotive industry. Lead Design Engineer, Lydall Automotive, 1995-1998

• Promoted from Design Engineer in 1996.

• Developed, implemented, and maintained standardized Release Package system to manage development of new parts to customer specifications and document for release to manufacturing. o Release documents created included: Design Records, Process Flow, DFMEA, PFMEA, Control Plans, Engineering Drawings, Engineering Approval, Engineering Change Notifications, Gage R&R, Qualification Testing Records, Appearance Approval Report, and Part Submission Warrant

• Designed automotive heat shields; managed design/build for prototype tooling; created and managed all engineering cost quotes for new parts.

Education

• B.S. (Cum Laude), Mechanical Engineering

N.C. State University, Raleigh, NC, 1994

Accomplishments

• Pi Tau Sigma, Engineering Honor Society, N.C. State University

• Eagle Scout, Troop 200, Lexington, NC, 1988

• 4-year Rotary Scholar, Lexington Senior High School Volunteer Service

• Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 200, Lexington, NC, 1990-2007

• Cub Scout Master, Pack 206, Lexington, NC, 2007-2017

• Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 207, Winston Salem, NC, 2017-present

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