Director Of Purchasing

EDWARD W. ELIAS

*** ********* ****

Clover, SC **710

Mobile: 704-***-**** | Home: 803-***-****

Email: *******@*******.***

BILINGUAL GLOBAL PROCUREMENT AND PURCHASING PROFESSIONAL

Bilingual Global Procurement and Purchasing professional with over 24 years of management and supervisory experience. Regularly promoted to roles of increasing responsibility. Most recently the Director of Purchasing (11 years) for the WIX Filtration division of the $2.0 billion Affinia Group (formerly the Automotive Aftermarket Group of Dana Corporation). Managed and led a global team of purchasing professionals responsible for over $250 million of annual spend. Significant global sourcing/procurement experience with expertise negotiating contracts with particular attention to price, quality, delivery and service. Proven supplier development experience with focus on development of low-cost country sources. Strong leadership capability with demonstrated ability to drive change.

Low-Cost Country Sourcing | Contract Negotiation/Administration | Supplier Qualification | Quality Control

Supplier Management | Multi-Site Operations | Bid Review | Competitive Bidding | E-Sourcing Capabilities

Cross-Functional Teams | Lean and Six Sigma Experience | Inventory Management

Production Planning | Price Negotiations | Request for Proposal/Quote (RFP/RFQ)

Oracle ERP System | SSA – Baan ERP System | MS Office Proficient

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

AFFINIA GROUP, INC. (formerly the Automotive Aftermarket Group of Dana Corp.)

Director of Purchasing – Wix Filtration Corporation 1997 – 2008

• Director of purchasing for Wix Filtration division of the $2.0 billion Affinia Group, formerly the Automotive Aftermarket Group of Dana Corp.

• Responsibility for over $400 million annual direct and indirect spend activities.

• Managed team of ten professionals and coordinated with Wix’s global operations in Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil and Poland.

• Managed procurement, material planning, production control and transportation logistics for a global multi-plant division with focus on people, organization, process and information technology.

• Involved in production planning to ensure a timely delivery of the product to the customer.

• Significant experience developing low-cost country sources throughout Asia, Eastern Europe and South America.

• Drove the division’s strategic procurement program to optimize supplier pricing and meet the division’s purchase price variance targets.

• Realized, on average, over $3.5 million of annual cost savings through strategic purchasing programs during the past eleven years.

• Established a preferred supplier selection criteria based on evaluations of price, quality, delivery and certification programs.

• Managed the division’s overall production planning practices considering both the short and long-term production requirements and material availability.

• Identified opportunities to outsource sub-assemblies, components, and processes focused on improving a lean manufacturing environment.

• Developed a crisis management and supplier backup contingency program.

• Negotiated long-term contracts in coordination with the corporate policies.

• Worked with several e-sourcing vendors and conducted several competitive bidding events that generated several millions in cost savings.

• Assisted in due diligence activities associated with the leveraged buyout of the Automotive Aftermarket Group of Dana Corp. by the Cypress Group in July 2004.

• Member of the Affinia Procurement Council and the Dana Corp. Strategic Sourcing Team.

ADDITIONAL CAREER EXPERIENCE

DANA CORPORATION (Spicer Systems Assembly Division) 1985 – 1997

Operations Manager - Materials

• Directed operations, material procurement and administration for a plant that assembled Mack Truck Chassis.

• Developed marketing plans while managing the administration of sales office.

• Promoted from line coordinator to area manager to plant auditor to operations manager.

BANAWI INDUSTRY GROUP 1984 - 1985

Vice President of Production

• Managed a corrugated packaging production operation.

MACK TRUCKS 1983 – 1984

Production Supervisor – Axle Division

• Supervised axle assembly and production in line-set sequence.

BETHLEHEM STEEL CORP. 1973 – 1983

Industrial Engineering

• Developed labor standards and structured direct and indirect compensation levels.

TRAINING

• Dana Quality Leadership Program (“DQLP”) Examiner, Dana University, Toledo, OH, 2001. DQLP was an internal, corporate-wide initiative designed using the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award criteria.

• Dana Certified Supervisor Program, Dana University, 1989. Curriculum of six management courses designed to promote positive employee relations and establish sound business understanding.

• Understanding Diversity, Kaleidoscope, 2002. Diversity training for managers and awareness training for Under Hood Group organization.

• Additional training programs including, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Excellence in Manufacturing, Union Avoidance, Positive Employee Relations, PML, and many others.

EDUCATION

Wilkes College 1971

Business Administration Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Muhlenberg College 1973

Mathematics Allentown, Pennsylvania

OTHER

Willing to relocate.

REFERENCES

Available upon request.

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