Senior Chemical Engineering

MARK H. WOLLUM

West Chester, PA

******@*****.*** 267-***-**** www.linkedin.com/in/markwollum

STRATEGIC SENIOR LEVEL PROCESS ENGINEER

Delivering innovative results to enhance efficiency, quality, and productivity

Visionary engineer who establishes technical direction for future process improvement and development. Expert in critical analysis of manufacturing problems leading to solutions with lower operating costs, enhanced quality, and improved yields. Skilled subject matter expert for multiple unit operations in pharmaceuticals and polymers industries. History of rapid and successful adaptation across wide spectrum of industries, technologies and processes.

Demonstrated expertise in:

Polymer Processing (extrusion, reactions) Process Development and Improvement

Drying (fluid bed, forced air) Process Data Analysis

Liquid-Solid Mixing Pilot to Production Scale-Up

New Plant Design, Validation, and Start-Up Six Sigma Green Belt

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

COLORCON, Harleysville, PA 2005 – 2015

SENIOR GLOBAL PROCESS ENGINEER

Defined and implemented process improvement and process development strategies at multiple global manufacturing sites (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific) for diverse products (polymer, corn starch, sugar spheres, aqueous and dry dispersions). Designed and completed manufacturing trials. Evaluated new technologies for commercial feasibility. Applied Six Sigma and Quality by Design (QbD) principles to establish new and improved processes. Scaled up processes from small and medium volume pilot to full manufacturing scale. Conducted Process Hazard Analyses (PHAs) to identify safety issues. Corrected prioritized issues from PHAs. Validated and commissioned new equipment and processes per Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP).

Delivered $500K+ revenue from quality and yield enhancements of pharmaceutical polymer. Increased process capability index (CpK) for physical appearance from less than 1 to greater than 4 by DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Implement/Improve, and Control) methodology.

Enhanced pharmaceutical polymer plant’s capacity 50% and added ~$1M revenue through process optimization, debottlenecking, and capital expansion.

Generated $5M+ in new revenue and eliminated significant health and safety concerns from existing continuous process by replacing legacy unit operations with new technology. Implemented $1M+ capital project to improve efficiency, upgrade process control, add automation, and double capacity.

Expanded excipient plant capacity 40% through cycle time reduction of process bottleneck.

Provided $200K+ in annual bottom line raw material waste reduction savings.

Designed and conducted experiments at contract manufacturer and vendor to define operating conditions for double capacity reactor and dryer.

Mentored 1-4 engineering co-op students supporting process improvement initiatives. Developed students’ ability to apply technical skills for employer’s benefit.

FOAMEX, Eddystone, PA 2002 – 2005

PRINCIPAL / SENIOR ENGINEER

Analyzed polyurethane foam formulations and products in new and existing applications. Developed new formulations and products to meet customer expectations.

Executed Design of Experiments (DOE) to optimize polyurethane foam formulations for ink-jet cartridges. Reduced amount of foam required.

Evaluated foam products in hydrogen and methanol fuel cell applications. Demonstrated product feasibility.

Developed and tested novel fire retardant polyurethane foams. Scaled up product from lab to production.

CORNING, Wilmington, NC 2000 – 2002

SENIOR PROCESS DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER

Developed processes and transferred robust technology from research to manufacturing. Solved diverse range of manufacturing and quality problems.

Retained $5M in sales by solving optical fiber quality problem through root cause analysis.

FIRESTONE POLYMERS, Akron, OH 1992 – 2000

SENIOR TECHNICAL SERVICE ENGINEER

Partnered with sales associates in sales calls to understand technical needs and solve problems. Collaborated with development and production staff to develop new styrenic thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). Evaluated new TPEs in hot melt adhesive and asphalt formulations.

SENIOR RESEARCH / RESEARCH ENGINEER

Developed new and improved styrene-butadiene block and random copolymers by DOE in pilot plant using batch and continuous reactors. Scaled products and processes for commercial production. Applied novel random copolymer chemistry to make new block copolymers.

EDUCATION

M.S. Chemical Engineering, Purdue University

B.S. Chemical Engineering, North Carolina State University, cum laude

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Pneumatic Conveying Six Sigma Green Belt Franklin-Covey Leadership Training

Combustible Dust Safety Visual Basic for Excel Kepner-Tregoe Problem Solving

Design of Powder Bins and Hoppers

PATENTS

Lead inventor of six U.S. Patents for asphalt and hot melt adhesive formulations containing styrene-butadiene copolymers.

AFFILIATIONS

American Institute of Chemical Engineers

International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering

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