Engineer Manager

Robert W. Fox

Ford Senior Engineer for First Time Through (FTT), Hidden Factory Cost

Program and New Product Launch Management

Summary:

Bob is a Senior Engineer responsible for Analyzing, Developing and Implementing Continuous Improvement Actions

to eliminate bottlenecks and increase First Time Through (FTT) at Ford’s Louisville Assembly Plant. Bob has more

than 35 years of vehicle program and launch management experience, new product development, assembly process

engineering, assembly plant supervision and new supplier APQP, Lean and Continuous Improvement process

development. Bob started his career more than 35 years ago at LAP and has held additional positions at Vehicle

Operations in Allen Park, Michigan and Advanced Product, Systems Engineering and Manufacturing Technology

Development in Dearborn, MI. Bob is a native of Louisville and has BS and MBA degrees from the University of

Louisville.

Professional Work Experience

Ford Motor Company – Fern Valley Road (Contract) Louisville, KY 2011 Present

Senior FTT and Launch Management Engineer: Key Responsibilities included:

Product Quality, including engineering change management, quality

systems and warranty.

Flow Analysis and Value Stream Mapping to reduce Bottlenecks and

Increase FTT.

Employee Mentoring APQP, FMEAs, Control Plans, Root Cause Analysis, Lean and 5S.

Developing and implementing more than $10 million in more robust torque fastening solutions.

Professional Work Experience

Sypris Technologies (Contract) Louisville, KY 2011

Continuous Improvement / Lean Manager: Key Responsibilities included:

Process Flow Analysis and Value Stream Mapping of Forging and

Machining.

Process Bottleneck and Cycle Time Reduction.

One Piece Part and Process Flow, Material Handling, Packaging and Dunnage.

APQP, FMEAs, Control Plans, Root Cause Analysis, Lean and 5S.

Design and Process Verification through SPS, Gauge Inspection and Blue Bucks.

Faurecia (Contract / Aerotek) Fountain Inn, SC 2010

Senior Quality Engineer for BMW JIT Seating Systems Facility. Key Responsibilities included:

Quality, Auditing and Process Improvement on Customer and Supplier issues with respect to

Seating Systems Manufacturing and Assembly.

Managed third party Containment Company to get at root causes to "Find and Fix" numerous

Quality issue in design and manufacturing prior to shipping Seating Systems to BMW.

Quality Problem Root Cause Analysis, including 8Ds, Product Tear Downs, Root Cause Analysis,

including 8Ds, Product Tear Downs, 7 Step, Ishakawas, Six Sigma and 5S.

APQP, FMEAs, Control Plans, Root Cause Analysis, Lean and 5S.

Product Tear Down and Root Cause Analysis of Quality Failures.

Carrier Chiller Systems (Contract through Aerotek) Charlotte, NC 2008 2010

Program Manager: Key Responsibilities included:

New Program Launch Management, including APQP, FMEAs, PPAPs, 5S, Supplier Quality

Engineering, Lean and ASME code compliant Work Instructions.

Develop and launch of quality driven lean programs, including work cell and work station layout.

Integration of ASME welding inspection and ASME National Board Documentation into new chiller

systems for industrial and commercial applications.

Education and training of new processes for shop floor certified welders, brazers and assemblers,

including development of visual aids to simplify work instructions.

Bardstown, KY 2007

Intertec/JCI (Contract / Aerotek)

New Vehicle Program Launch Manager for new Instrument Panel Programs for the Honda, Toyota and

GM Cadillac Escalade Platinum Luxury Edition SUV. Key Responsibilities included:

New Vehicle Launch Management, including Quality driven systems for Class A Surfaces.

Quality Problem Root Cause Analysis, including 8Ds, Product Tear Downs, Root Cause Analysis,

including 8Ds, Product Tear Downs, 7 Step, Ishakawas, Six Sigma and 5S.

Robert W. Fox

Background and Experience

Faurecia Automotive Systems – (Contract / Aerotek) Cleveland, MS 2005 2007

Senior Quality and Special Projects Manager for Interior Systems Sheet Metal Seat Frame

Manufacturing Facility for Chrysler, GM, Nissan, Ford and BMW vehicles. Key Responsibilities included:

Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Action Management within overall Seat Frame Facility with

focus on Customer and Quality Driven Processes.

Development of New Projects including Root Cause Analysis, 8Ds, and 7 Steps.

Development of new, quality driven, Lean work Cells to eliminate waste, improve product and

process throughput and improve overall process and quality capability.

Ford Motor Company / Advanced Vehicle Dearborn, MI and

Technology Group (Contract / MSX) Louisville, KY 1990 2005

Advanced Product and Process Technology Contract Consultant to Ford and Key Suppliers.

Improvement of new Product Development, Systems Engineering, Modularity Business Case

Development and Launch across entire vehicle and systems. Key Responsibilities included:

New Vehicle Launch for Class A Surfaces of Closure components, including Hoods, Doors,

Liftgate Modules, Fenders, GOPs, Seating, Front and Rear End Modules.

Development of Ford’s make versus buy and business case for Modularity of vehicle components,

including architecture of vehicle systems, subsystems and components.

Assistance in development of Ford Systems Engineering for cascading of customer attributes

down to vehicle, systems, subsystems and component levels.

Ernst and Young – Management Consulting Group for Louisville, KY and

Manufacturers of Engineered Products Detroit, MI 1987 1990

Senior Manufacturing Consulting Practice Leader. Key Responsibilities included:

Client management of automotive, high technology and quality management.

Focus was on companies in the steel, stamping and welded assembly of structural and “Class A”

appearance systems and components. Client list included UAW for automotive strategy.

Ingersoll, General Electric, GCA and International Rockford, IL 1980 1987

Principal and High Technology Practice Leader, including automotive and aerospace / defense.

Performed numerous continuous improvement projects, including several advanced Top Secret and

Highly Classified weapons systems for DoD, Air Force and US Navy. Vice President and Senior

Advisor to consulting engineering start ups in a wide variety of automotive, aerospace / defense and

computer based companies including NASA, U.S. Navy, USAF, DoD, Lockheed, Northrup, Boeing,

Martin Marietta, Intel, Motorola, Hewlett Packard, Unisys, TRW, Honeywell, GE, Ford and GM.

Ford Motor Company /Vehicle Operations Louisville, KY, Mahwah, NJ and

Dearborn, MI 1973 1980

Senior Manufacturing Engineer at Louisville Assembly Plant and Vehicle Assembly Operations in

Dearborn, Michigan. Managed numerous product and manufacturing processes involving new and

freshened vehicle programs, including Fastener Engineering, Torque Control and Launch Management.

Key Responsibilities included:

Increasingly responsible positions in body operations for “Class A” systems and components.

Development, maintenance and supervision of fastener and torque control operations more than

2,000 operation spread out over 2 million square foot assembly facility.

New program management of more than 30 plus new and freshened vehicle programs.

Chairman of Ford’s High Strength Steel Task Force that prototyped and implemented new

stamping, welding and processes for structures, stamping, welding and assembly systems.

Education University of Louisville BS, Operations Management and MBA

Numerous Post Graduate courses, including Program Management, Advanced Product Quality Planning,

Benchmarking, Teardown and Attribute Analysis, Systems Engineering, Robust Design, Lean

Manufacturing, and Value Chain Analysis, Lean Six Sigma (Green and Black Belt) and 5S. Senior

Member of American Society of Quality (ASQ) and American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

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