Director of Quality - Aerospace

RUSSELL R. IMEL

**** ****** ****. *** *******, CA 90068

Home/Mobile: 618-***-****

********@*****.***

Experienced Quality Director with over 19 years in manufacturing brings a high level of technical expertise and enthusiasm to create a Quality and Continuous Improvement culture within organizations.

QUALIFICATIONS

Proven Quality Director certified in ISO 9001 / AS 9100, FAA Requirements, Yield Improvement, Customer Service, and APQP Planning to unite Team Members toward a common goal of Operational Excellence.

Leads LEAN Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement efforts in an easy to understand and user friendly way to engage all employees and provide maximum contribution from everyone.

Six Sigma Black Belt with project returns frequently exceeding the $1 Million range. Expert in Pull Systems, developing Kanbans, 6S, Design of Experiments, and leading Kaizen events.

EXPERIENCE

Director of Quality, Senior Aerospace SSP Nov. 2015 – Feb 2016

Manufacturer of innovative aircraft systems including ball joints, telescopic ducts, and heat resistant hydraulic and pneumatic mechanical devices. Complete manufacturing capabilities including CNC and water jet machining, controlled atmosphere welding, machining, and NADCAP Level III Complete test capabilities - cryogenic, pressure and mechanical endurance, fireproof, vibration and shock. Assembly - complete system assembly down to kitting to the customer’s manufacturing floor

Developed and published previously unreported metrics including Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ), financial impact of scrap and rework, and other performance data. Identified key factors for production to improve in order to reduce the cost to the company.

Improved, trained, and implemented robust processes (MRB, RMA) in the company Quality Management Systems with speed and accuracy as the main success factors. Reduced monthly MRB levels from $600k to $150k in two months.

Using Value Stream Mapping and leading working sessions with engineers and customer account reps, compressed lengthy customer return process from 25 steps to 6 and improved team collaboration. Implemented IT solutions to further reduce levels and speed rework of parts and delivery to customers.

Worked closely with the Director of Engineering to interpret complex customer specifications and revise drawings and inspection procedures. Implemented Contract Review and Engineering Change Management process as a function of APQP.

Ensured compliance with FAA / EASA / CAAC, commercial and government regulatory agency requirements. Passed recent FAA audit with zero findings. Personally took over as primary Customer Quality contact for the two largest customers Lockheed Martin and Airbus. Proactively called on them when previously they were used to having to reach out to the company.

Determined staffing requirements, revised job descriptions to include required quality skills and qualifications, interviewed, hired, and integrated new employees into a staff of Quality Engineers, Management, and Inspectors (total staff of 50, 12 direct reports). Identified and created Development Plans for impact players and Improvement Plans for struggling employees.

ISO 9001 Director / Six Sigma Black Belt, Outokumpu Stainless May 2010 – Jan 2015

Managed the ISO 9001 and PED Certifications for Outokumpu Americas including sales and customer service. Oversees the PPAP and APQP processes for new business.

Metallurgist recognized as the subject matter expert in all aspects of metallurgy. Experienced in providing technical guidance to customers and for contract reviews for order inquiries.

Leads Kaizen teams for the rapid problem solving of quality issues which are not easily solved with traditional methods. Metallurgical Laboratory management experience and Certifications.

Operations and Engineering Manager, ThyssenKrupp / Outokumpu Stainless

Helped lead the installation of a $4.2B Greenfield Project from Engineering through to full production of a fast paced, high volume Stainless Steel and Titanium manufacturer with customers ranging from Automotive, Aerospace, and Consumer Goods.

Managed a team of 125 people including Engineering, Supervision, Maintenance, and Production. Demonstrated consistency and people skills to achieve results.

Introduced a root cause countermeasures program which reduced defects from 14% to 4%, equating in a cost savings of $3.1 million dollars placing the Calvert plant the lowest in defective product amongst eight other plants globally. Due to the remarkable results, the system was embraced by upper management and was implemented to all other areas of the plant.

By driving safety culture, implemented over 2,000 safety improvements in a 4 year period – more than all the other departments combined. This drastically reduced LTI to under 1.0 and ceased major injuries to employees and reduced downtime from production interruptions.

Consistently outran internal customer and supplier processes in productivity. Used rapid changeovers to reduce inventory by $4 million dollars.

Created a World Class Preventative Maintenance Team which reduced downtime by 22% increasing sales by $6.3 million. The strategy was later adopted plant wide and became the model for a Central Maintenance team for the entire site. Several members of my team were promoted to management as a result of the program’s success.

Responsible for $5 million dollar annual budget. Delivered results under budget by transferring work from contractors to internal resources.

Director of Quality - Aerospace, Arnold Magnetics May 2007 – Dec 2009

Near clean room producer of magnetic components for mission critical applications such as Flap Actuators, Position Sensors, Magnetic Bearings, Auxiliary Power Units (APU), Ram Turbine Engine (RAT), Coolant Pump Impellors, and Wave guides for microwave transmission (TWT).

Manager for product, process, and plant engineering from inquiry and customer specification review through manufacturing and customer support. Led cost reduction and yield improvement, new product development, specification and feasibility review. Wrote process routings, managed cost standards, maintained laboratory management, and certified all finish product.

Technical leader of the ISO team, which led the plant to FAA, ISO9000 / AS9100, and Rolls Royce certifications from start to finish in less than one year. Created processes for PPAP, APQP, FMEA.

Developed the Quality Control program for the plant, reducing defective scrap from 10.9% to 3.2% of total sales dollars by implementing LEAN and Six Sigma. Created and led the material review board using SPC and Root Cause Analysis, resulting in an annualized savings topping the $1,000,000 mark.

Resolved a long-broken process problem by using DMAIC and Six Sigma methods. Conducted a DOE designed experiment to establish best practice settings and institute SPC Controls for the process. Conservative savings of over $300,000 in scrap and rework.

Direct supervision of Process Engineering, Process Technicians, and Laboratory personnel. Advised Maintenance Department and served as the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) for the two divisions on campus.

Senior Quality Engineer – Olin Corporation May 1998 – May 2007

Manufacturer of High Performance Materials which combine high electrical conductivity with high strength and heat resistance for aerospace and automotive under-hood electrical applications.

Plant Metallurgist focused on the improvement and innovation of high performance specialty products. Developed processes and testing criteria for new product development PPAP & APQP.

Using Six Sigma Design of Experiments (DOE) managed a project to reduce the cost of a troubled product line. Reduced the variation and increased yields to new historic highs.

Responsible for developing and enforcing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Routinely assigned to the company’s more critical products in comparison to my peers.

Led the equipment evaluation and commissioning of a heavy end automated vision system to improve yield and quality.

Oversaw the company’s flagship product line. Ran the Laboratory and Inspection Departments during a seven-week strike.

Eliminated end-to-end variation and improved the yield of a high purity product by approximately 4.5%, resulting in yearly cost savings of $1 Million at the then current production rate.

TECHNICAL SKILLS & PROFICIENCIES

Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, ISO9000 / AS9100 Lead Auditor Certified, FAA Requirements, Interpreting ASTM and MIL specifications, LEAN Manufacturing, World Class Maintenance, Management Systems, DMAIC, Statistical Process Control (SPC). Root Cause Analysis & Countermeasures. AutoCAD, Automated Vision Inspection, Certified Radiation Safety Officer.

Highly proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, Access, and PowerPoint. Excellent presentation and public speaking.

EDUCATION & HONORS

University of Illinois – BS Metallurgical Engineering – May 1998, James Scholar

Auburn University – MBA – Current

Dale Carnegie Program – Perfect Attendance, Human Relations Award

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