RAMA CHERKUR
Tampa, FL ****7
Email: ********@*****.*** Mobile: 336-***-****
US Citizen (Active Security Clearance)
Career Objective:
Seek position in Manufacturing Engineering, Subcontract Engineering, New Process / Product / Equipment / Materials
Development, Project Management, Quality & Reliability, any other areas of Operations Management.
Professional Profile :
20 plus years of hands on experience working in high technology, high precision, accuracy, high volume, high product mix
oriented semiconductor IC manufacturing and assembly environment. Responsible to drive key Process, Equipment, Tooling and
Material enhancements to optimize their utilization with an objective of maximizing production yields while maintaining Safety,
Quality, Reliability, and manufactured Cost reduction goals. Plan and lead Engineering Projects to support production schedules,
reduce cycle time, capacity growth, and meeting customer needs. Lead new product, process development into high volume
production implementation (NPI) by prototype validation and qualification. Evaluated and optimized manufacturing processes
using structured problem solving techniques, and provide robust product performance technical solutions. Audited, monitored
and sustained final high volume manufacturing and assembly processes for a variety of complex processes and material sets
(BOMs). Lead technical project feasibility assessments, and product / process qualifications at various onshore, offshore and
subcontract supplier’s plants. Manage projects to improve low yields, visual management, process control monitors, key
customer reject product quality issues, related failure analysis. Demonstrated experience in program/project management,
activities prioritization, working with cross functional teams and gaining commitment at all levels of the organization, effective
interaction with customers, external business professionals, teambuilding, problem resolution, leadership, coaching and
mentoring of other team members. Skills used include Project management, Product Life cycle Management (PLM), ERP
systems -SAP, Windchill, Earned Value Management (EVM), Just in time (JIT), Visual triggers, Kanban, Design for
Manufacturability (DFM), DOE, FMEA, Root cause analysis (RCA) - Pareto, Cp & Cpk, SPC, ANOVA, Visual Management,
Cause & Effect (Fish Bone), DMAIC process – Kaizen, Six Sigma & Lean manufacturing tools, GD&T, GR&R, Corrective &
Preventive Actions (CAPA), Industry standards and Military Specifications knowledge.
Work Experiences:
Self Employed as US Technical Liaison (12/2013 – PR)
•Represent offshore job shop’s contract design and manufacturing capabilities of custom specific plastic injection
molded electronic connector products. Scope for new projects and assist with quotes.
Raytheon Corporation, Forest, Missisippi (3/2013 – 7/2013)
Sr. Manufacturing Engineer – Space and Airborne Systems (SAS) (Held DoD Secret Security Clearance)
• Support the Raytheon Consolidated Manufacturing Center in Forest, MS and responsible for manufacturing equipment
and process improvements across the enterprise. Major process improvement to include yield measurement and
control through the identification of critical processes characteristics and implementation of SPC.
• Responsible for site level capital and expense planning for manufacturing machine and equipment repair, retrofit or
replace. Provided leadership to root cause and corrective action for enterprise manufacturing abnormalities.
• Focal point for SAS Common Process and Assembly Instruction documentation including specifications, work
instructions and SOPs. Lead multiple projects hands on, from design development phase into new product production
release phase in a highly mixed product model.
Laxmi Electronics India Ltd. (LLC) (2/2012 – 2/2013)
US Technical Liaison
•Represent offshore job shop’s contract design and manufacturing capabilities of custom specific plastic injection
molded electronic connector products. Scope for new projects and assist with quotes.
•Develop and evaluate equipment and processes to produce a high quality product at a competitive cost.
•Confer with management, engineering and other team members regarding current product manufacturing capabilities.
Identify workflow, mold tool design and efficiency improvement opportunities using DOEs, Cp & Cpk analysis.
Northrop Grumman Corporation, Linthicum, Maryland (3/2009 – 6/2011)
Sr. Project Manufacturing Engineer – Advanced Microelectronics Center for Electronics Systems Division
(Held DoD Secret Security Clearance)
•Lead multiple projects hands on, from design development phase into new product production release phase in a
highly mixed model of advanced high power & high frequency transmit receive multi chip module (MCM) packaged
products used for various advanced Defense and Aerospace Radar applications. Plan and hands on development of
equipment and process to meet new product high quality, reliability and safety requirements, prototype validation and
NPI.
•Review new Multichip module (LTCC & Organic laminate based) product package designs for manufacturability at
both Chip and SMT level. Select assembly materials, hands on shop floor development of tooling, process flows, build
prototypes, validate and qualify new assembly modules capable of meeting Military (MIL) and customer technical data
specifications. Prepare Assembly Instruction documentation including specifications, work instructions and SOPs.
•Prepare and propose statement of work, size resource hours, cost estimates to support program contract requirements.
Track and update tasks using SAP. Monitor the factory process hands on and control factory product flow by effective
use of Lean manufacturing tools. Report project progress, milestone goals and provide manufacturing earned value
management support (EVMS). Present timely updates to the customers and management.
•Perform technical problem solving, data analysis, audit various advanced assembly cells, in source & outsource
suppliers for military standards compliance. Hands on work with shop floor to evaluate rework and reject levels for
design, process, and training improvement opportunities using process optimization techniques.
•Issue internal corrective actions, Supplier Corrective Actions (SCARs), track and monitor preventive plans.
RFMD, Greensboro, North Carolina (8/1999 – 6/2008)
Senior Staff Package Engineer – Corporate Engineering and Assembly Services
•Final manufacturing operations project lead for taking several new wireless RFIC product technologies into very high
volume production, both on shore and offshore, to support NPI on time. Played key role in the technical capability
analysis of in source & outsources decisions. Implemented new technical processes at supplier factories to best meet
customer expectations and operations management cost goals.
•Conducted production feasibility, Design for Manufacturability, and Design for Quality reviews while generating
assembly instructions, process flows, specifications, BOMs, in-process inspection and control plans. Implemented
robust process, tool & equipment improvements, optimized process and tool utilization by performing technical
analysis using tools such as ANOVA, Cp, Cpk, Process FMEA, Six Sigma, Gage R&R.
• Implemented and sustained Lean Manufacturing techniques and performed hands on training on the shop
floor including Kaizan and Visual Management. Techniques such as Root cause analysis and DOE’s used to resolve
assembly technical process and equipment issues, low yield issues, line down situations, discrepant material disposition
thru MRB, CAs, support resolution of supplier and customer quality issues and document in ERP.
• Optimized factory product flow by effective use of Cycle time analysis, just in time (JIT) and Kanban.
Managed and tracked several cost savings projects, eliminated non-value-added activities. Robust process
improvements resulted in reduced cycle time, product costs and improved product quality.
•Responsible for process change management and process change notifications (PCNs). Provided key technical support
for RoHS and Pb free industry environmental green initiatives. Reviewed industry standards such as JEDEC, IPC,
EIAJ, ESD, QS and ISO for compliance.
Motorola, Austin, Texas (6/1992– 8/1999)
Reliability Engineer, Sr - Microprocessors & Memory Products Quality & Reliability Dept. (5/95 – 9/99)
•Performed new product qualifications with strong adhesion, interconnect and solder joint reliability requirements for
high volume and high mix wafer level Chip scale packages. MSL & SMT evaluations done by CSAM techniques.
•Performed environmental tests, mechanical tests, life tests and root cause package analysis on early and random fails.
•Conducted new package production reliability monitor program for continuous manufacturing process improvements
and performed on shore and off shore assembly supplier audits.
•Well trained by Motorola university in the fields of Project management, Product Life cycle Management (PLM),
Design for Manufacturability (DFM), DOEs, Six Sigma, DMAIC process, GD&T and SPC. Trained junior engineers,
technicians and summer college interns.
Process Engineer, Sr – Advanced Package and Assembly Engineering Dept. (6/92 – 5/95)
• Performed process development utilizing Motorola trained analytical techniques such as Ishikawa root cause
analysis to identify and ensure new products and existing products meet necessary capabilities. Provided technical
direction, operator skill training, documentation support, implemented hands on tooling and process control capability
on the factory floor.
• Validated new package assembly materials for robust product package MSL & SMT stress performance.
Evaluated rework and reject levels for design, process, and training improvement opportunities.
•Tracked factory yields and significantly improved yields by performing Pareto Analysis, Defect analysis and
implementing lean manufacturing tools.
• Provided offshore factory transfer and volume ramp support for new products.
IBM, East Fishkill, New York (8/1988 – 6/1992)
Senior Process Engineer – Mulitlayer Layer Ceramic Thin Films Engineering Dept.
•Manufacturing process engineering line support for high volume thin films fabrication on Glass ceramic multilayer
multi chip module (MCM) products in class10 clean room environment.
•Performed process optimization of excimer laser based Flip Chip dry etch process. Provided new equipment process
qualification and validation support.
• Reduced defects by process control on Photo, plasma, wet cleaning & reactive ion etching processes. Improved yields
by using root cause analysis tools such as ANOVA and Ishikawa charts.
• Provided hands on training to technicians and operators and implemented several manufacturing cost savings ideas.
Education:
M.S. Mechanical Engineering - North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina
B.S. Mechanical Engineering - University of Mysore
Technical Skills:
• Project management, Product Life cycle Management (PLM), Just in time (JIT) ERP systems – SAP,
Windchill, Earned Value Management (EVM), Design for Manufacturability (DFM), DOE, FMEA, Root cause analysis
(RCA) – Pareto, Cpk, SPC, ANOVA, Cause & Effect (Fish Bone), Visual triggers & VSM, Kanban, FA, CSAM
Analysis, DMAIC process - Six Sigma & Lean manufacturing tools, Visual Management, GD&T, GR&R, Corrective
& Preventive Actions (CAPA), Familiar with Industry standards and Military Specifications.
• Strong project management skills to support engineering development for manufacturing and continuous
process improvement. Excellent specification writing skills and training others.
• Software: Microsoft Office products, AutoCAD LT, MS Project, PLM/Windchill (Product Life Cycle Mgt),
SAP and light Database use.
Patents, Publications & Membership:
2 Patents issued. Co-authored papers presented at external conferences.
Certified Manufacturing Engineer (CMfgE) Member IMAPS / IEEE / ASME
References: Available upon request.