Kent Kordsmeier
Conway, AR 72034 acr7ir@r.postjobfree.com
PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENT, OPERATIONS, ENGINEERING, PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Leadership… Organization… Management…
Mentoring… Motivator… Creative…Innovative… Planning…
Six Sigma Black Belt… Collaboration… Analysis…
Decision maker… Driver of results… Honest… Honorable… Dedicated… Loyal
Experienced in consumer products manufacturing, including engineering and operation roles in both plant and staff. Demonstrated ability to consistently deliver both project and business results. Experience includes the integration of multiple projects in the areas of scope, resources, timing, and risk mitigation for assets in multiple sites. Ability and reputation for increasing profits by reducing costs and improving quality and productivity, greater production capacity without a significant capital investment, team work and collaboration. Implementation plans are aggressive but deliverable.
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
RETIRED 9/2012 – present
Volunteer 20+ hours a week at the St. Joseph Flea Market, a non-profit organization of volunteers who receive and process donations for sale, benefiting the St. Joseph Catholic School. Responsible for electronics and small appliances.
DIFFERENTIATING STRATEGIES, LLC, Appleton, Wisconsin 12/2009 – 8/2012
Partner
Responsibility for leading operations and process improvement projects and helping companies develop the ability to move from strategic planning to actions that are aligned with enterprise objectives.
PRAXILIENT, Inc, Appleton, Wisconsin 3/2008 – 11/2009
Senior Management Consultant
Responsibility for leading Six Sigma Black Belt projects.
Six Sigma business process improvement project for an NFL franchise (Mar 2008 – Nov 2009)
Objectives alignment for construction company focused on a large construction project (Oct 2008 – Feb 2009)
ABBA MAKOLIN WALDRON & ASSOCIATES, LLC, Neenah, Wisconsin 1/2007 – 3/2008
Process Improvement Consultant
Responsibility for leading projects, technical excellence, business growth and development, and providing clients with both a business and an operations perspective.
Six Sigma process improvement project for a consumer products company
Contributed on a material/consumer product innovation project for a multinational oil company
KIMBERLY-CLARK CORPORATION, Neenah, Wisconsin 1980 – 2006
Platform Program Manager, Neenah, Wisconsin (2004 - 2006)
Led the coordination between functions and across projects and three product platforms in order to achieve unit and platform business objectives. Accountable to deliver platform and business unit results. Provided day-to-day direction and counsel to business unit, product platform, and functional team members to ensure efficient operation of the business unit’s platform management with specific emphasis on the leadership and implementation of major initiatives.
Integrated multiple projects within platform and with projects in other platforms.
Manufacturing Director, Neenah Wisconsin (2001 - 2004)
Provided technical direction and counsel for Feminine Care Sector projects to ensure efficient operation of the business sector’s manufacturing facilities. Specific emphasis on the leadership and implementation of major projects essential for the execution of business strategy and the development of long term asset and capacity strategies.
Increased North American pad productivity by 54 percent over a four-year period, compared to 27 percent the prior four years (12 assets in 3 plants).
Led product improvement and productivity projects that were implemented simultaneously.
Product Supply Coordinator, Project Leader, Neenah, Wisconsin (1998 - 2001)
Provided technical direction and counsel to the sector’s manufacturing facilities for two product lines, with specific emphasis on the implementation of major projects.
Led three capacity expansion projects in North America ($10-15MM each).
Implemented a product improvement project on three assets that also resulted in a cost savings of $5MM per year.
Feminine Care Operations Manager, New Milford, Connecticut (1995 - 1997)
Managed North American production of KOTEX maxi pads at a 200-person FDA regulated manufacturing plant, with an operating budget of $30 million. Direct span of control over operations, quality, maintenance, planning, finance, and engineering.
Obtained plant efficiency of 82.3 percent in 1996, which is a best-year record at Kimberly-Clark.
Achieved the lowest manufacturing cost of all plants making similar products.
Plant Engineering Manager, Neenah, Wisconsin (1992 - 1995)
Identified, hired, trained, and developed the technical team for the start-up of a new 300-person production facility involving the relocation of three assets and the design, fabrication, installation, and startup of five new assets.
Insured that all twenty five plant engineers were in place and trained on schedule for asset startups.
Achieved first asset startup eight months after facility ground-breaking ceremony.
Accompanied additional startup of remaining seven assets on schedule over 12 month period.
Asset Mechanical Engineer, Staff Mechanical Engineer, Staff Project Engineer, Plant Project Engineer Neenah, Wisconsin, Childersburg, Alabama, and Conway, Arkansas (1980 to 1992)
Supported production assets, including the start-up of a $35MM nonwoven asset.
Led all engineering disciplines on several productivity projects.
Leveraged the use of time series analysis and design-of-experiments for manufacturing related product component position variability reduction.
Project leader for several environmental projects at a 2,000 ton/day pulp and paper mill.
EDUCATION
Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management (Phoenix, Arizona campus) Thunderbird International Consortium: Managerial Issues in the Global Marketplace, 2004
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Masters of Business Administration (3.8/4.0 GPA), 1995
Christian Brothers University, Memphis, Tennessee, Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering
(3.8/4.0 GPA), 1979
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Certified to administer the Lominger VOICES® 360 assessment tool, utilized for leadership development, 2011
Six Sigma: Green Belt Certification, Black Belt Certification (ASQ), 2007
Kepner-Trego Problem Solving and Decision Making, 1993
Design of Experiments, Taguchi Methods in Quality Engineering, 1989
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Master Gardener, 2014
Boy Scout leader:
Successfully completed Wood Badge leadership training September 2008, Philmont Leadership Challenge August 2009, staff on Wood Badge course 2010 and 2012
Assistant Scoutmaster of a Boy Scout troop, 1998 – 2014
Eagle Scout, 1971