Gene Kneeland...

***** **** **, *******, **, ****0 • 253-***-**** • adlmxe@r.postjobfree.com

Expert C-Level Operations, Manufacturing, Sales and Management Leader prized for business acumen, ethics and market knowledge. Thoroughly versed in forecasting, projections and interpreting financials. Focused in setting realistic, reachable goals, communicating them to employees, and sorting out the facts from the noise. An able communicator with an open mind and thirst for knowledge.

Leadership for Attaining Market Potential

Rapid Revenue Generation: Doubled revenue within five years — Developed a forecasting model and a budgeting methodology and cycle to set goals and objectives, enabled company financials to drive business decisions, and focused attention to inventory turns, increasing cash flow for capital investments,

Expanding Production and Productivity: Expanded and/or moved multiple manufacturing operations on schedule and below budget — Introduced a production model conducive for new factory start-up, developed manufacturing standard work documentation, initiated Lean principles, and emphasized employee involvement in the planning process.

Boosting Margins and Empowering Employees: Increased gross margin from 29% to 34% — Communicated performance to employees and developed a better supplier base.

Strengths that Facilitate Progress

P&L Management

Operations Management

Start-ups Turnarounds

Supply Chain

Forecasting and Budgeting

Inventory Control

Lean Manufacturing

Cost Containment

Productivity Enhancement

Corporate Reengineering

Continuous Improvement

Acquisition Integration

ACE Program Implementation Quality-Waste Management

ERP Implementation

Aligning Strategy and Execution to Drive Profitability

LTA MANUFACTURING, Ottawa, KS. Aug 2019 - Sep 2020

Manufacturers of light truck accessories.

Hired for factory turn around and transformation.

GENERAL MANAGER, OTTAWA FACILITY

Oversaw manufacturing operations

Developed Key Manufacturing Performance Indicators. First Pass Yield, Compliance to Schedule and Productivity. This provided factory visibility which pulled the departments together in unison providing better communication on operational performance . Also reflected quality focus on where improvement opportunities were to be found.

Established safety committee to reduce our incident rate and improve working environment.

Established a quality department. This included inspection structure, metrics, and standard work procedures.

Led daily production meeting and set daily goals and objectives. This resulted in reducing our production lead times by 50%

Implemented bill of materials and factory work orders. This led us the ability to kit materials and free up 1,000 square feet of production space.

Developed material delivery system along with material carts to eliminate material handling costs and damage.

Implemented Lean Manufacturing Principals beginning with 5S.

PETERSON MANUFACTURING, Grandview, KS. 2018 - 2019

Manufacturers of vehicle safety lighting equipment

Hired to promote and support factory transformation.

VICE PRESIDENT OF MANUFACTURING

Oversaw manufacturing operations

Developed Key Manufacturing Performance Indicators. As a member of the board of directors, these KPI’s provided a clearer picture of operations.

Implemented Production Planning Strategy. This resulted in improved production balance by having a consistent production plan which matched capacity.

Implemented Lean Manufacturing Principals beginning with 5S.

Worked with a cross functional team to enhance bill of material routing and structures. This provided better visibility in cost and efficiency.

PRO REFRIGERATION, Auburn, WA 2011 – 2017

Designers/manufacturers of niche cooling equipment applications for craft beers, wineries and dairy farms.

Hired to reorganize and grow the business.

GENERAL MANAGER AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Oversaw all business functions, including Sales, Finance and Manufacturing.

Developed growth plans; opened up opportunities that increased sales volume 100% between 2012 and 2016.

Originated fully functional Supply Chain, Engineering and Accounting departments; increased inventory turns from three to nine, adding $1.8M in cash flow.

Implemented factory productivity initiatives; reduced lead times from twelve to four weeks.

Increased gross margin from 29% to 34%; optimized purchasing procedures, instituted cost controls and streamlined sales-to-production coordination.

Expanded operations; started up a new facility in North Carolina in 2013; decreased annual inbound freight 3%, grew revenue 35%, and cut lead time from eight weeks to four.

Relocated the North Carolina operation in 2015, under budget and with no revenue loss.

CARRIER CORPORATION, Yuma, AZ 1985 – 2011

World’s leading manufacturer of refrigeration equipment, specifically designed for the foodservice and convenience store industries.

Hired to fill an engineering position in an Arizona plant start-up, then promoted through several operations and manufacturing leadership positions.

BUSINESS PRODUCT MANAGER, HTPG ColdZone Subsidiary, 2010 – 2011

Managed the HTPG subsidiary business unit [BU] developing sales growth plans in the food service industry. Held full P&L responsibilities and provided projections on a monthly basis.

Worked closely with manufacturers’ representative; established key performance indicators to enhance projections.

ENGINEERING MANAGER, 2006 – 2010

Restructured Product Design and led the consolidation of an Arizona manufacturing plant to a new Alabama facility.

Supervised product development cost reduction, improved annual cost by $700K.

Achieved operational productivity improvements of $1.2M annually.

RESTRUCTURING PROJECT MANAGER, 2005 – 2006

Directed the 14-employee Integration team from Engineering, Sales, Manufacturing and Finance.

Led the transfer of a new multimillion-dollar Texas product line to the Arizona facility.

Created the Capital Appropriation Requests and Reports rationalizing all necessary expenses for the plant transition.

OPERATIONS MANAGER, 2002 – 2005

Created monthly and quarterly plan forecasts. Monitored staffing requirements, while maintaining maximum productivity. Supervised the Maintenance group and their support activities. Managed the Shipping and Traffic Department.

Created and led the Master Scheduling functions to facilitate communication with customers and the sales force.

Initiated and supervised continuous improvement and cost reduction programs.

Directed the ACE program implementation.

Served as manufacturing team lead in ERP system implementation.

Devised and implemented head count control matrix to achieve productivity goals.

ASSISTANT PLANT MANAGER, 1997 – 2002

Managed the Production Control Group. Served as Site Health and Safety Manager (machine guarding, safety training, standard work); Project Lead for consolidation of two separate manufacturing facilities to Arizona; and Project Coordinator for a 30,000 sq. ft. manufacturing expansion and a 32,000 sq. ft. warehouse expansion. Oversaw integration of CARRIER’s Health and Safety standard in a newly acquired facility.

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEER, 1992 – 1997

Reengineered eight production lines; increased throughput and productivity; revamped the Material Flow process (parts kitting, etc), applied industrial engineering tools (e.g., Time Studies, Line Balancing), and designed new facility layout for plant start-up in Decatur, GA.

PRODUCT DESIGNER, 1988 – 1992

Participated in the integration of Manufacturing and Engineering with two multimillion-dollar acquisitions and configured and processed customer orders for production.

PRODUCTION CONTROL MANAGER, 1987 – 1988

Supervised Sheet Metal fabrication, including Drafting and CNC Programming.

DRAFTSMAN, Brea CA, 1985 – 1986

Education/Training

MBA, Foster School of Business, University of Washington 2016

BSc, Business Management, University of Phoenix 2009

AA, Mechanical Drafting and Design, Granite Falls Community College, Granite Falls, MN 1985

Kaizen Event Training, UTC/CARRIER, Yuma, AZ 2004

Leadership Development Training, HTPG/CARRIER, Brea, CA 2001

ACE [Achieving Competitive Excellence], Ito University, UTC HQ, Hartford, CT 2000

Lean Manufacturing Training, UTC/CARRIER, Yuma, AZ 1999

Time Study and Evaluation Training, Institute of Industrial Engineers, Austin, TX 1991

Amanda CNC Equipment Training 1987

A PASSION AND VISION FOR BUSINESS GROWTH

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