Engineering Manager/Director, Program Manager/Director

KAMAL S. THAKUR

***** ******** *** *****, ***********, IN 46062 *****.********@*****.*** 317-***-****

• •

www.linkedin.com/in/kamalthakur1 • @kamal_thakur12

Engineering and Program Management

NEW PRODUCT DESIGN • PROJECT MANAGEMENT • TEAM LEADERSHIP • LEAN MANUFACTURING

PROCESS / PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT • SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT • CAPITAL PROJECTS

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

• Proven ability to launch automotive electromechanical systems from concept to production, utilizing global

cross functional teams to achieve cost, quality, and delivery metrics.

• Skilled in customer/contract management, strategic agility, business case development, engineering and

program management, value stream mapping, and supplier development

• Earned an M.S. in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, along with an MBA and U.S. Patent # 6,667,450 B2

• Managed engineering departments of up to 20 professionals; communication skills include fluency in English,

Hindi, and Punjabi, and team leadership of plants in Mexico, China, and Hungary

• Recipient of four Quality Performance Awards in four years for Exceptional Technical Leadership, along with a

Leadership and Attitude Award

• Trained in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Access, Unigraphic NX, and AutoCAD

CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Reduced $3.2 million in first year material cost by developing fan suppliers for radio cooling

• Supported continuous improvement activities to increase production by 1.7 times on three assembly lines for

barges and tankers, and to reduce scrap from 13% to 7%

• Saved $750,000 in direct labor cost by optimizing parts and assembly processes for dry cargo barges

• Implemented a risk mitigate plan to bring a new supplier for an electrical contract that saved $600,000

• Cut $250,000 in labor and material cost by improving engineering “on time delivery” from 90% to 96%, and by

standardizing parts and processes, implementing lessons learned, and improving planning/scheduling

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Independent Engineering Consultant July 2014 - Present

• Provide design services for wheelchair lift systems in Chevrolet trucks for Mobility SVM in Fort Wayne, IN

Alcoa Hard Alloy Extrusions, Lafayette, IN April 2011 - May 2014

Alcoa Forgings and Extrusions offers the world’s widest range of hard alloy aerospace extruded products for aerospace,

defense, and industrial applications.

Program Manager

• Picked to lead a $92 million capital project to construct a new cast house for lithium – aluminum alloys; administrated

construction management supplier (EPCM), internal engineering, procurement, budget, and scheduling

Engineering Manager / Alcoa Business System Leader

• Led strategic Kaizen events to implement Lean Processes, such as saving $50,000 in annual energy cost and reducing

set-up time by 87.5% to break a bottleneck for pipe inspection

• Saved $160,000 in rod processing cost by value stream mapping, creating alternate processes, and qualifying two new

suppliers; eliminated capacity and lead time constraints that vastly expanded capacity and sales

• Crafted a business case to implement a new Ultrasonic System to reduce inspection time from 3 hours to 0.5 hours for

extruded shapes with a one year payback

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• Improved engineering execution of capital projects from 85% to 96% on-time and on-budget

American Commercial Lines – Jeffboat LLC, Jeffersonville, IN July 2006 - March 2011

ACL has grown into one of the largest marine transportation service companies in the nation, with 2,300 barges and 100

towboats; it is the nation’s second largest liquid cargo barge line and the third largest dry cargo barge line.

Program Manager

• Assigned to lead multiple projects for tankers and barges, and to return the projects to profitability

Director of Engineering

• Led an engineering group of 16-20 professionals designing barges and tankers with a $200+ million annual revenue

• Saved $1.15 million in assembly cost with design and process optimizations in the first year, and improved

engineering on-time delivery from 90% to 96% by standardizing parts and processes

• Led a transition to a continuous improvement culture that resulted in increasing production by 1.7 times on three

assembly lines, reduced steel scrap from 13% to 7%, and delivered designs for three product lines with a 30%

reduction in design errors

Delphi Electronics and Safety Systems, Kokomo, IN 1990 - 2006

The Kokomo plant is a division of Delphi Automotive, one of the world’s largest auto parts manufacturers.

Engineering Group Manager, Infotainment Systems

• Promoted to lead a group of 12-16 engineers designing audio and navigation systems, DVD entertainment

systems, and satellite receiver modules for major automobile manufactures: GM, Ford, Chrysler, Saab, Toyota, etc.

• Launched three product families in one year, launched ten models across multiple platforms in three years, managed

multiple projects simultaneously, and interfaced with global cross functional teams, yielding an annual revenue of

$200+ million

• Recipient of Quality Performance Awards in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006

Senior Engineer, Wireless – Mobile Multi-Media Systems

• Created a mechanical design for the navigation system in the 2003 Cadillac CTS, saving $250,000 in tool cost and

$180,000 in first year material cost, resulting in a Leadership and Attitude Award

Advanced Project / Project Engineer, Audio Systems

• Saved $1.6 million on the 2000 Pontiac radios by partnering with the Styling Studio and the Marketing

• Created the mechanical design for the 1994 Oldsmobile radio for GM; the innovative design saved $1.5 million in

first year material cost by commonizing tools and parts

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Supplier Development for Japanese automotive joint ventures in India by Denso, Mazda, and Yamaha 1982 – 1988

EDUCATION

• Master of Business Administration, Indiana University, Kokomo, IN

2004

• Master of Science, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL 1990

• Bachelor of Science, Production Engineering, Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, India

1982

OTHER SKILLS

• Engineering of electronic systems. Aluminum casting & extrusion. Interface with regulatory agencies; USCG, ABS.

• Design of injection molded parts, stampings, color & lighting, connector systems, circuit board assembly, thermal

management, heavy steel fabrication, pressure die casting, machined parts, etc.

● Design for Assembly and Manufacturing (DFA/DFM) ● Structured Problem Solving (6 Phase, 8D, A3)

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● Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) ● Mold Flow and Finite Element Analysis

● Design & Process Failure Mode Effect Analysis ● Design for Six Sigma, DVP&R, PPAP, and APQP

PUBLICATIONS

• Defensive Publication 456031: Knob Breakaway design to meet Head Impact compliance

• Defensive Publication 454061: Angled mounting of circuit boards to contoured faceplates

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