Product Development, Technical Sales, Extrusion Expert
Resume:
Kevin Armstrong
COVER LETTER
I mention the aspects of my experience below to show; I easily adapt to any environment. I am experienced enough to hit the ground running and would like the opportunity to show you this for the position you have available.
For 22 years, I worked for Nomaco (a leader in the plastics industry), a company that shipped over 800 million units a year globally. Nomaco’s customers were diverse and exposed me to almost all categories of industry and consumer goods.
I was responsible for all P&L for 50 million dollars of revenue. I was responsible for all operations, purchasing, personnel, training, maintenance, inventory and logistics control of the entire operation. We had a main warehouse plus 3 satellite warehouses a total of <800,000 sq/ft with 28 foot ceilings.
My sales background is as a Technical Sales Engineer doing presentations to groups from 5 to 50; consulting sales groups on how to sell. This group would include Regional Salesmen to VPs and Presidents of companies all over the USA, Mexico and Canada (350+ companies). This shows my ability to work with all levels of management and executives.
In the last 12 years I was responsible for sourcing all new product supply chain demands, as well as product development from ideation to merchandising. All plastic materials and additives were researched by me and my staff of engineers, and subject to my approval. My department processed 600 RFQ’s per year, I would handle 30% myself, but all RFQ’s required my approval.
I had to invent Excel spreadsheets and models that the IT department and CRM were not providing. These were vital tools I created for crosschecking and flagging for on time delivery.
I have worked and sourced in the USA, Canada, China and Mexico.
Best Regards;
Kevin Armstrong
**************@*********.***
Work Experience
President Armstrong Value Add President
Armstrong Value Add
Kevin Armstrong
Manufacturing / New Product Development **************@*********.*** - 919-***-****
Jan 2010 - Present
January 2010 - Present (3 years 7 months) Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Area
Armstrong Value Add Company was created to assist companies in their desire to increase revenue with the shortest route in time and money.
We help you find your "Value Add" through product development, product improvement and innovation, to compete and win against your competition.
We have contacts in China, Mexico, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Europe and South America.
We have consistently worked to be innovative and provide unique solutions for our customers using Data Mining, VOC, and QFD methodology.
Find out about our innovation and forward thinking when it comes to improving your products, services, and market share.
Specialties:
•Enterprise total solutions for customer and product management.
•Developing new manufacturing processes.
•Developing new products.
•Sourcing USA and International.
•Qualifying factories for Best Practices Primary Services:
Product Development - Business Consulting - Data Mining - General Management Consulting - Information Enterprise Systems - Management Services - RFID Tag Systems
Markets Served
•Agricultural • Appliances • Automotive / transportation • Building/construction • Retail Toys • Marine • Furniture • Medical • Packaging
Specialties
Director of Retail
Decko Products USA
Director of Retail at Decko Products USA Retail industry; Outdoor Décor and Recreation April 2009 - March 2010 (1 year)
Apr 2009 - Mar 2010
This was a startup company that I developed a new product line for; through new product development and global procurement. I developed all safety and quality requirements for all products and materials. See www.deckous.com for products developed in 9 months with 50% of a Graphic Designer and 25% of a customer service administrator. Specialties:
•Developing new products.
•Sourcing USA and International
•Quality Control / Safety
•Merchandising
Manager Product Development and Technical Sales
Nomaco
Manager Product Development and Technical Sales Nomaco Inc
Privately Held; Plastics industry $80M+
June 1998 - March 2009 (10 years 10 months)
Jun 1998 - Mar 2009
As manager I had 10 direct reports, they included CAD Design Engineers, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, and Packaging Engineers. My group was responsible for all product development. As the key liaison between the Sales force and the Product development team I toured over 300 factories, including 40 in China, 16 in Mexico, 10 in Canada and 1 in Australia. My responsibilities also included training the Sales force in using VOC and QFD disciplines to speed the product to market timeline.
•Responsible for developing tools for efficient quoting and managing all incoming request for quotes, approximately 600 request per year. Was able to reduce this to >300 while increasing customer retention, increased margins >5%, and revenue increases >15% annually.
•Work with the technical experts to identify value added applications.
•Assist Sales and Marketing Group through the process of securing new business and supporting customer service efforts.
•Negotiating all aspects of new technology application, including but not limited to commercial, technical, legal, quality and delivery commitments.
•Identifying and developing new marketing and sourcing channels.
•Support sales team in answering and understanding technical products and solutions for both pre and post sales.
•Assist in selling a total solution and uncovering areas of opportunity with the customer.
•Qualifying factories for Best Practices
•Technical consulting.
•Identifying, evaluating, and developing business opportunities with potential clients.
As a Technical Sales Engineer I did presentations to groups from 5 to 50; consulting sales groups on how to sell. This group would include Regional Salesmen to VP's and Presidents of companies all over the USA, Mexico and Canada (350+). Worked to sell a total solution and uncover areas of opportunity with the customer.
Plant Manager
Nomaco
Plant Manager at Nomaco
Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Plastics industry $50M+ January 1994 - June 1998 (4 years 6 months)
Managed 500 employees w/ 6 direct reports.
•P&L accountability was $30 million production budget.
•Responsible for plant operation, logistics, inventory and maintenance.
•Managed production scheduling department.
•Establish plant policies and procedures.
•Responsible for plant production goals.
•Establish and maintain community relations.
•Foster a well-trained and motivated staff.
•Confer with department heads to ensure coordination of purchasing, production, and shipping.
•Select and train plant supervisory and administrative staff.
•Conducted employee performance reviews.
•Responsible for the product quality control for all products.
Jan 1994 - Jun 1998
Production Manager
Nomaco
Production Manager at Nomaco
Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Plastics industry July 1987 - January 1994 (6 years 7 months) Managed 200 employees w/ 10 direct reports.
Jul 1987 - Jan 1994
•Responsible for production scheduling for 20 extrusion lines running 24/5 and at times 24/7. Various offline fabricating and assembly lines 10+. Making sure that raw materials and finished goods fulfilled shipping deadlines.
•Ensured that goods and services were produced efficiently; that they were of the right quality, quantity, cost; and produced on time, to the satisfaction of the customer.
•Responsibilities encompassed: production control (the sequencing of jobs, updating time schedules, etc); inventory control; quality control; health and safety issues; and the maintenance and replacement of production equipment.
•Responsible for scheduling employees work, disciplinary matters, identifying their training needs and skills for their career development.
Production Expeditor at RCA Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees;
Motion Pictures and Film Industry Equipment Manufacturing
Motion Pictures and Film Industry Equipment Manufacturing. February 1976 - August 1982 (6 years 7 months)
Managed 3 direct reports.
Feb 1976 - Aug 1982
•Utilized advanced technical skills and knowledge of technical procedures, techniques, tools, material and equipment and industry practices and standards to identify and prioritize production requirements.
•Coordinate the flow of materials, parts and assemblies to meet production schedules
•Complied and maintained manual and computerized records such as production schedules, material inventory, in- process production reports, and status and location of materials.
•Conferred with department supervisors and reviewed master production schedules, work orders, departmental production schedules and related information to determine material requirements, identify overdue materials and to track material for assigned production department.
Education
JHF Poytechnic
High School Diploma, College prep
Advanced Education Courses:
Corporate Operations and Manufacturing supplemental education. (CUs 12)
Project management using QFD methodology (Green Belt)
All MS Office software, including MS Project. (Advanced Courses)
VOC used to identify companies "Value Add" proposition. (CUs 6)
Recommendations:
President
Armstrong Value Add
Barbi Honeycutt, Ph.D.
Scholar & Educator, NCSU & Founder, Flip It Consulting. Create an effective learning environment...FLIP it!
Kevin has been the number one most valuable source for me as I develop a product for my business. I met him when he invited me to his Inventors Meetup Group in Raleigh, and his knowledge, expertise, and connections have been a tremendous help. He listens carefully, even when I can’t exactly explain what I'm trying to build. He asks the hard questions that encourage me to think deeper and consider other possibilities for the product. He has referred me to other contacts that have helped me work on other tools for my product and services for my business. I trust his advice and his experience, and I look forward to working with him on future projects. I highly recommend Kevin.
April 29, 2013, Barbi was Kevin's client
Marc Hanna
Senior Benfits Advisor at North American Senior Benefits (IMO)
When I first met Kevin at Nomaco, Inc., I worked with him in his his capacity as technical manager for custom foam products. Together, we generated and sold many successful custom foam extrusions for a variety of OEM and toy manufacturers. Since then, Kevin has expanded his contacts and skills to encompass strategic level endeavors in the manufacturing and process improvement fields. Furthermore, Kevin is an outstanding networker, excelling at helping people to connect, should they have common interests and/or business needs. If you have a chance to work with him in his many skillful areas, you will not be disappointed with Kevin's ability to encompass the many details and levels of a strategic level project.
November 7, 2012, Marc was with another company when working with Kevin at Armstrong Value Add
Drake LaDue
CEO/Owner at Brand X Mobile
I've worked with Kevin Armstrong for the past year and I have to say, when it comes to manufacturing, product fulfillment and logistics, you would be hard pressed to find anyone else with the wealth of knowledge this man has. It's a pleasure working with a professional who stands behind what he says and then does it. I always look forward to speaking and working with Kevin.
September 4, 2012, Drake was with another company when working with Kevin at Armstrong Value Add
Bob Bedi
Senior Partner at Media Integrations LLC
I'm very pleased to recognize Kevin Armstrong as an innovative, passionate professional who takes exceptional joy in helping companies, entrepreneurs and inventors move their products from concept to market. In addition to Kevin's enthusiasm for the entire product development process, he brings an incredible depth of knowledge, experience and expertise to every project. Kevin has the rare ability to break major projects into manageable parts and identify the requirements needed to accomplish each objective. I strongly recommend Kevin to any firm or individual that is interested in using a process-driven approach to launching or improving the physical creation and distribution of their products.
August 10, 2012, Bob was with another company when working with Kevin at Armstrong Value Add
Dave Baldwin
Strategic Outsourcing Services
Kevin's expertise, connections, and experience have always made him stand out to me. I initially met Kevin at a BNI meeting in 2011, and I subsequently attended his inventors' meetup. Kevin is not just an "idea" guy; he focuses on the practical aspects of getting things done in an economical way.
I have been working directly with Kevin at Palsie's popcorn for about 6 weeks as of this writing, and he helped them with their in-store and wholesale operations for the better part of a year before that point. He helped to streamline the inventory and set up the heat-sealing process that has helped to improve product quality, shelf life, and convenience for the customer.
I would highly recommend Kevin as a go-to resource for any business looking to scale up, grow sales, reduce costs, or bring a new idea to the marketplace.
August 6, 2012, Dave reported to Kevin at Armstrong Value Add
1.Managing Director / Consultant
Palsies Gourmet Snacks
Michael Brocato
Professional Sales Specialist at AstraZeneca
Kevin is a strong analytical business manager with incredible insight into complex business problems. He is the type of consultant that will literally role his sleeves up, and get to work on the ground floor so that he really understands the business atmosphere and business market. He is an indispensable part of my business, and we are profoundly fortunate to be working with him at Palsie's.
October 25, 2012, Michael was a consultant or contractor to Kevin at Palsies Gourmet Snacks
2.Technical Sales / Product Development Manager
Nomaco Inc
Gary Buck
Broker at Waterline Boats
Kevin had a strong commitment to the voice of the customer. Team building, problem solving and project management were strengths he displayed.
February 16, 2011, Gary worked with Kevin at Nomaco Inc
Phil Fox
Senior Sales & Marketing Management Professional
Kevin is one of the most experienced, caring, and customer service driven individuals I know. Most of what I know about the foam industry I learned from Kevin. He is highly motivated and listens to the customers and then thinks "outside the box" for creative solutions that meet the customer's needs and always were profitable for Nomaco.
I would highly recommend Kevin to any company and hopefully sometime in the future I will be able to work with him again.
July 14, 2010, Phil worked directly with Kevin at Nomaco Inc
Glenn Massengill
Account Executive at Ampacet Corporation
Kevin is an extremely detail-oriented, knowledgeable person with a truly compassionate heart for the customers' needs. He is a quick study on new things. He applies his knowledge extremely well to solve problems, bring innovation to the table, and satisfy his customers. An organization that brings Kevin on board will certainly be getting a quality employee with a lot of passion for what he does.
July 13, 2010, Glenn worked directly with Kevin at Nomaco Inc
Jeff Lawson
President - Cowan Graphic Design
I have known Kevin for several years and worked with him on various projects that required sourcing of products. In each case he presented extremely creative and cost-effective solutions.
June 21, 2010, Jeff was Kevin's client
Robin Falcone
PMP, Program Manager
When I started at Nomaco, Kevin was the lead product development engineer. He immediately impressed me with his depth of knowledge and experience in all aspects of product development and rollout. Most engineers I've worked with have a strong grasp of the technical side, but Kevin also had an excellent instinct for consumer drivers. Kevin is truly a 'soup to nuts' talent; from negotiating with global suppliers all the way through the product lifecycle to rollout and performance metrics. When I worked with Kevin his value was unquestioned and he was respected by all cross-functional teams. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Kevin highly for any position around development or customer care.
June 18, 2010, Robin worked with Kevin at Nomaco Inc
Skip Burke
Owner, The Sourcing Department, LLC
I worked with Kevin on several Product Development projects and found him to be a knowledgeable and always thoroughly prepared professional. He effectively managed several product launches from beginning to product launch and implementation.
June 18, 2010, Skip was a consultant or contractor to Kevin at Nomaco Inc
John Vinci
Sales Representative at Clark Foam Products
Kevin is a very patient creative person that knows more about PE foam that anyone Nomaco has hired in the last 5 years. He was the heart and soul of the company and his drive will benefit his new company. I miss working with him.
March 18, 2009, John reported to Kevin at Nomaco Inc
Kendyle Woodard
VP, International Marketing & Business Development at iBiotech, Inc.
Kevin's vast knowledge of plastics, design and manufacturing techniques is top-notch. Kevin is able to effectively interface with clients and easily understand their requirements in order to define and develop the best product for the intended application the first time around.
Kevin's experience in materials and product development would be a valued asset in any company.
June 4, 2008, Kendyle worked with Kevin at Nomaco Inc
Kurt Harmon
Director of Business Development
Kevin is a very creative individual who always puts the customer's needs first. He thinks outside of the box and has a keen ability to look at new challenges differently than most. Kevin has a passion for helping and teaching others what he has learned and his 20 years of manufacturing experience at Nomaco has been a big asset to the team and our ongoing success.
May 28, 2008, Kurt managed Kevin at Nomaco Inc
Contact this candidate