Operations Management, Engineering Management

Kash Gokli

**** ********* **** • West Chester, Ohio 45069 • 513-***-**** • ******@*****.*** • linkedin.com/in/KashGokli

Award-winning Operations, Manufacturing, and Engineering Executive with an exemplary record of leading operations globally for small through Fortune 500 companies. Extensive experience in durables and consumables in consumer, commercial, and industrial product industries. A strategic visionary in transforming companies into best-in-class, global competitors. Outstanding reputation for improving profitability by implementing best practices including Lean, Toyota Production System (TPS), Six Sigma, Total Quality Management (TQM), ISO, Continuous Improvement, Design for Manufacturing (DFM), and Voice Of the Customer (VOC). Strong background in developing innovative, breakthrough products. A superb leader of people, including fostering a working environment that enables all employees to fully participate and flourish. Academic credentials include a MS in IE and a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Select accomplishments;

Saved $4M/year (60% labor and over-head costs) by consolidating manufacturing and distribution facilities with no customer disruption.

Additionally, reduced plant-wide labor and over-head costs by 28% ($2.2M) in a four-year span.

Drastically improved material cost, achieving highly favorable purchase price variance for eight years.

Improved on-time shipment to 99%.

Decertified 62-year old union through employee empowerment, team building, and communication.

Core Leadership Competencies

Expanding Supply Chain

Establishing a High-Quality Continuous

Improvement Culture

Bringing High-Quality Products To Market Rapidly

Managing Multimillion Dollar Budgets and P&Ls

Developing Cost Reduction Initiatives

Training, Mentoring, and Coaching Employees

Championing, Planning, and Implementing Operations Initiatives

Creating a Union-Free Workplace

New Product Introduction (NPI)

Voice Of the Customer

Value Engineering

New Plant Startup

Plant Consolidation

Safety

Materials Management

Value Stream Mapping

Outsourcing

Contract Manufacturing

A Vision For Operations

Key Player of Global Operations Management Team

Transforming Companies into Best in Class Organizations

LEAN TRANSFORMATION CONSULTING, Cincinnati, OH

PRINCIPAL December 2011 – Present

Founded a consulting firm to help businesses improve profitability by implementing Lean Manufacturing, Toyota Production System, and Total Quality Management.

Currently leading a company-wide Lean implementation and culture shift, including training, kaizen events, and 5S. Avoided $1M expansion cost by optimizing space in the existing facility.

AMANO USA HOLDINGS, AMANO CINCINNATI, INC., Loveland, OH: Subsidiaries of Amano Japan, a $1B global manufacturer of time and attendance, parking, building access, and floor care products.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND BEST PRACTICES 2010 – 2011

Promoted to this position to build on successes in managing the Cincinnati operation by implementing best practices across all business units. Created and managed a Quality Council, which consisted of 16 members from five business units. Utilized council to deploy our TQM initiative company-wide.

Achieved a major culture shift by implementing TQM, Lean, continuous improvement, error prevention, and problem-solving philosophies.

Trained all employees in "foundations of quality", "quality behavior", Lean, and value-stream mapping.

Improved new product development processes through Stage-Gate, Lean Product Development, innovation, and Voice Of the Customer.

VICE PRESIDENT OF MANUFACTURING, GENERAL MANAGER 1993 – 2011

Assigned to this position to address lack of profitability and poor quality, efficiency, and morale of a 200-employee manufacturing facility. As a result of sweeping changes, turned the organization into a profitable, best-in-class business. Member of the executive management team at this $130M, 550-employee company. Managed multi-plant P&L responsibility, including a remote facility.

* Significantly improved bottom line performance, quality, and efficiency:

Improved efficiency by 30% over a four-year span.

Optimized quality with first pass yield above 95%.

Lowered lead time from three weeks to one day.

Developed and implemented annual operating and capital budgets, as well as strategic plans with goals and objectives.

Achieved remarkable gains through Lean Manufacturing, Toyota Production System (Amano Thinking People System), and continuous improvement.

* Workforce Transformation:

Transformed a stagnant, combative workforce into a highly-motivated, empowered team that strived for efficiency, quality, and continuous improvement, resulting in union decertification.

Reduced grievances from 50+ per year to zero for eight consecutive years.

Implemented best practices and fostered the necessary cultural transformation.

* Supply Chain:

Maintained highly favorable purchase price variance for eight consecutive years through effective domestic and international supply chain management.

Selected global suppliers (Canada, Japan, China, Vietnam, and US) for complex new products, achieving a 30% cost reduction.

Performed make verses buy analysis and used global contract manufacturers when beneficial.

Implemented JD Edwards and KBM400 ERP systems.

* Operations Rationalization and Consolidation Strategies:

Designed, built, started up, and managed Amano’s new world-class manufacturing facility.

Saved $4M/year by consolidating remote manufacturing plant and distribution center into the Cincinnati facility without customer disruption.

Insourced products and parts from Japan and China and decided not to outsource to Mexico after considering total costs and quality.

* Quality Management:

Attained ISO-9001 certification.

* Awards and Recognition:

“Best Place to Work,” Manny Award 2011.

“Biggest Breakthrough in Manufacturing,” Manny Award 2009 (for Amano Thinking People System, based on Toyota Production System).

“Best Plants in America Tour,” 2009 (ranked third among all toured plants), Association for Manufacturing Excellence conference.

“Ohio Award for Excellence,” based on Malcolm Baldridge criteria 2003.

Vice President of Product Development (12 years, concurrent with Vice President of Manufacturing)

Sales were in decline due to stagnant, obsolete product lines. Developed innovative, breakthrough products that delighted customers and increased sales by 30%. Directed teams of up to 20 engineers.

Managed cross-functional teams (engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and external suppliers) to develop and launch cost-competitive, customer-centric products designed for manufacturing.

Designed customer-centric products by utilizing “Voice Of the Customer” techniques during the ideation stage and throughout the development process.

Reduced new product idea-to-launch time by 50%.

Lowered cost of existing product lines by 20%.

Sales Manager – Midwest (four years, concurrent with Vice President of Manufacturing)

While managing manufacturing and engineering, the CEO challenged me to increase market share in our home region. Established and managed the Midwest sales operations, with impressive results.

Increased sales by 30% and became the fastest growing branch in the nation for two consecutive years.

DIRECTOR OF MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING 1989 – 1992

PRIOR EMPLOYMENT:

C. Schmidt Company, Cincinnati, OH: A $25M manufacturer of commercial-grade refrigeration equipment.

DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING

Campbell Hausfeld (a Berkshire Hathaway Company), Harrison, OH: A $250M global manufacturer of compressors and accessories.

MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING MANAGER

Education

MS Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. IL

BS Mechanical Engineering, Gujarat University, India

Professional Development and Benchmarking

Industry Week “Best Plants” Conferences

Association of Manufacturing Excellence Conferences

Lean Manufacturing Seminars

Toyota Production System Seminars

Statistical Process Control Seminars

Malcolm Baldrige Conferences

Innovation Conferences, Product Development Management Association

Stage-Gate Implementation Seminars and Winning at New Products Seminar, Dr. Robert Cooper

Lean Product Development Conference

* Board Leadership Positions

-Board of Trustees, Loveland Chamber of Commerce 2009 – 2010

-Board of Advisors, TechSolve 2003 – 2008,

a nonprofit Lean consulting firm, part of the Manufacturing Extension Program

-Board of Directors, Cincinnati Time, Inc. 2004 – 2007

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