Director, Engineering Projects

Tom Papanek

Madison WI

mobile 847-***-****

landline 608-***-****

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

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tompapanek/

Summary

Project and people manager creating revenue growth with innovative products in automation, medical devices, biochem instruments, capital equipment, and photonic systems. Manage projects for product development and manufacturing at a strategic level and hands-on in the lab and production environment. Successfully changed culture to achieve rapid growth in a regulated environment. Engaged customers world-wide to generate new business, establish relationships, and negotiate contracts. Have led twenty-plus concurrent projects and organizations of five to fifty people. MIT PhD in mechanical engineering.

Experience

Exact Sciences 2019 - 2020

Sr. Director System Development

Leadership and project management of mechanical, electrical, and software engineers developing automated systems for sample handling and DNA analysis. As hands-on project manager for one of the key equipment projects, responsible for schedule, documentation, cross-functional team, risk management, testing, transfer to manufacturing, technical direction, and reporting to management. Collaborated with operations, sustaining engineering, supply chain, service, quality, and research staff to. Member of inter-departmental teams for overall automation planning and a new diagnostic test.

(Laid-off April 2020 during company-wide reduction due to Coronavirus pandemic.)

Promega Corp 2017 - 2018

Sr. Director Integrated Systems

Led software, mechanical, and electrical engineers and managers to develop instruments and software for capillary electrophoresis DNA analysis, automated biological sample storage, and bio-luminescent bacterial water testing. With sales, personally met customers to understand their usage environment and technical requirements. Worked in close collaboration with research chemists, operations, product management, regulatory, supply chain, and finance. Directed managers, engineers, and consultants working on multiple projects in Wisconsin, California, and Korea. Responsible for customer support team creating sample prep and analytical methods. Developed detailed three-year project resource and expense roadmap across the three sites.

Excelitas Technologies 2006 - 2017

Director Global Product Development

Reporting to the division general manager, led projects and people for contract design and manufacturing of custom photonic devices for international customers.

Organized department to manage twenty-plus concurrent projects, each with an engineer as project and technical lead. Directed, trained, and mentored staff in effective project management. Established systems to efficiently forecast and monitor schedules, deliverables, income, and costs in this fast-paced high-mix environment.

Engaged customers throughout US, Europe, and Asia to win new business. Created internal business practices to assess new opportunities and provide OEM customers with technical proposals and financial quotes. Was the primary customer-facing contact in Japan, China, Singapore, and South Korea for initial sales calls, contract negotiation, project execution, and post-launch support.

Wrote comprehensive design control procedures for ISO-13485 certification and FDA GMP compliance to increase revenue with medical device customers. Successfully integrated these procedures into our daily culture (despite some initial resistance). Personally met external auditors and all audits were successful with no adverse findings.

Grew annual revenue over 400% from 2006 to 2017, with over 85% of 2017 revenue from products launched under my direction since 2006.

Developed and launched products in a wide range of applications including aircraft signal lights, spacecraft interior and signal lighting, explosion-proof industrial lighting, UV curing, airport runway signal lights, wind turbine warning beacons, analytical fluorescence modules, endoscopic and surgical lights, multi-wavelength cancer detection, and UV disinfection.

Organized innovation sessions and initiated internal programs based on analysis of customer needs, market, financial return, and strategic fit.

Enabled rapid product development with globally shared resources and software tools across three international sites.

Grew Chicago engineering staff of optical, mechanical and electrical engineers with 100% retention over ten years. In Munich, recruited R&D manager and restructured department. In Shenzhen China, established new engineering function and directed manufacturing and quality staff.

Selected, audited, and managed suppliers and consultants in the US and internationally. Personally responsible for supplier quality in China for circuit boards, plastic injection molding, optics, die-casting, and CNC machining.

Managed department staffing and capital and expense budgets at multiple sites.

Dentsply-Sirona 1999 - 2006

Director of R&D

Turned around the R&D department to drive revenue growth with new products.

Recruited and led the team which designed and launched new dental tools totaling $30M revenue, including: 400,000 rpm air turbine dental handpiece for the global market, software-controlled anesthesia syringe, electric dental handpiece with wireless interface, and steam autoclave.

Established design control methodology that brought the division into FDA compliance.

Implemented manufacturing processes and equipment for new products, including assembly clean-room, precision centerless grinding, tube forming, and metal injection molding.

Worked closely with Service and Sales to monitor repair statistics and visit customers to solve on-site problems and make product improvements.

Engaged universities and consultants for basic research in high speed bearings, acoustics, and fluid dynamics which enabled successful development of the Stylus™ dental handpiece.

Collaboratively developed products with suppliers, industrial designers, and partners in Europe and Asia.

Mentored and developed staff in project scheduling, design for manufacturing, data analysis, verification, life testing, experimental methods, voice-of-customer, industrial design, and clinical evaluations. Technically led engineers in ergonomics and user interface, manufacturing methods, fluid controls, firmware, bearings, and acoustics.

Managed department staffing and budget.

Applied Materials 1995 - 1998

Program Director, driving gas system standardization to reduce costs and accelerate product development across multiple business units worldwide. Led cross-functional team to develop common standards for complex gas control systems. Collaborated with internal engineers and suppliers in the US and Japan to develop an innovative modular approach for gas control hardware.

Director of Engineering, leading development of capital equipment for silicon deposition on semiconductor wafers. These complex systems sold for $1.2M and involved robotic wafer handling, control of hazardous chemicals, radiant heating to 1100 C, and real-time software. Responsible for reliability and failure analysis to insure system compliance with strict customer requirements. Initiated project for digital twins for software testing. Grew department to over 50 mechanical, electrical, and software managers and engineers with $10M annual budget.

Aprex 1991 - 1995

Vice President, Research and Development

Led a small team which developed and manufactured a line of portable medication monitors, wireless communication devices, and software still used today under the Aardex brand. Met aggressive goals within startup budget and was hands-on in firmware, user interface, electronic testing, industrial design, volume manufacturing, and reliability testing.

Beckman Instruments 1990 - 1991

Manager, Engineering Development

Led chemists and engineers to launch the Pace™ capillary electrophoresis system for bio-medical research.

Becton Dickinson Immunocytometry Systems 1988 - 1990

Director of Engineering

Managed flow cytometers for research and clinical diagnostics.

Adept Technology 1985 - 1988

Director of Product Development

Managed industrial robotics.

Applied Materials 1982 - 1985

Manager, Mechanical Engineering

Developed capital equipment for semiconductor wafer processing and wafer probe electrical testing.

Cordis Dow 1978 - 1982

Senior Engineer

Designed kidney dialysis equipment, infusion pump, and dialysis consumables.

Education

PHD Mechanical Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

MS Mechanical Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

BS Mechanical Engineering Columbia University

Presentations and Publications

“Choosing the Right LED for Medical Diagnostics and Bioanalytical Systems” Excelitas webinar, October 2016

“Medical Applications of LEDs”; presented at ‘LED 2011 Conference, San Diego CA, October 2011

“LED Specialty Markets”; panel discussion by invitation, Piper-Jaffray Lighting Symposium, Philadelphia PA, May 2011

“Case Studies in LED System Design”; presented by invitation at VDI Wissensforum ‘Innovative Lighting with LEDs’ conference, Dusseldorf Germany, November 2009

"Design and Test of a Robot for Class 10 Clean Rooms"; SME MS87-187; presented to Robotics Industry Association, 1987

"Water Permeability of the Human Erythrocyte in the Temperature Range +25 C to -10 C"; 1978; PhD Thesis

"High Pressure Optical Cell for Study of Biochemical Solutions"; 1972; Rev Sci Inst; 43; 738

Patents

“Visible Light Photo-Disinfection Patch”; Brennan, Papanek; 2019; US 10,166,402

“LED Based High Intensity Light with Secondary Diffuser”; Fields, Papanek, et al; 2014; US 8,651,695

“Fiber Optic Coupler”; Carpenter, Papanek; 2013; US 8,616,785

“Angled Hose Connection for Dental Handpiece”; Papanek, Novak, et al; 2013, US 8,562,342

“Staggered LED Based High-Intensity Light”; Fields, et al, Papanek; 2012; US 8,096,677

"Dual-string Dynamometer for Measuring Handpiece Power"; Novak, Papanek, et al; 2011; US 7,997,131

“LED Based Fiber Illuminator”; Carpenter, Papanek; 2010; D629,947

“Contactless Communication System”; Otis, Ingram, Papanek; 1993; US 5,917,429

"Automated Diaphragm Apparatus and Method for Controlling Negative Pressure Hemodialysis Treatment"; Papanek, Egler, Landau; 1982; US 4,366,061

Languages

German and French: working conversational and reading

Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, Portuguese, Danish: basic phrases

Software applications

MS Office (Project, Word, Excel, PowerPoint): highly proficient

ERP – MRP systems (SAP, BPCS, Epicor): proficient

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