VERNON B. POWERS

**** *. **** *** *** Blvd., St. Pete Beach, FL 33706

678-***-**** * r4q7v5@r.postjobfree.com

Seasoned engineering and manufacturing executive with robust track record of direct leadership of low-medium volume military and commercial products for defense industry leaders such as Honeywell, Harris, Smiths Group/Trak and Grumman. Versatile manager specializing in facility design and start-up, production problem-solving and continuous improvement. Eligible for secret, special, and extended background security clearances.

CAREER SUMMARY

• Expert in technologies including: advanced packaging, Surface Mount Technology (SMT), RF/microwave, thin film and thick film hybrid microcircuits and multichip modules.

• Proven ability to increase production, reduce cycle time and reduce costs through advanced microelectronics integration, advanced manufacturing technology and lean manufacturing methodologies, materials, and processes.

• Demonstrated skill in building, managing, and motivating world-class engineering and manufacturing teams as well as defining organization structure and advanced manufacturing technology processes.

• Recognized leader at turning around under-performing programs, teams and operations.

• Exemplary track record of achieving program schedule and profit objectives.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

MTRONPTI/LGL, Orlando, FL 07/2008-03/2009

Vice President Engineering

Increased product gross margins and implemented manufacturing process and cost controls for product line. Worked at all levels of the company to effect a positive change in the culture of the operation. Responsible for P&L for an ISO-9001 facility.

• Successfully executed CY-2008 multi-million dollar manpower and capital budgets and develop the CY-2009 through numerous revisions.

• Identified several wafer process risk areas—including precision die and wafer thinning, thin film metal deposition, wet etch, and electroplate—and directed corrective action, more than doubling yields.

• Successfully resolved “Stop Work” on a strategic customer’s defense product and negotiated restart of the program, as well as additional contracts awarded due to the customer’s confidence in improved processes.

• Developed a lean, 5S back-end flexible work cell that improved product performance, reliability and significantly improved yield from 55% to 98%.

• Lowered product cost and manufacturing cycle time by introducing concurrent engineering and just-in-time methodology. Implemented a risk management system.

• Developed a 12-month product technology (R&D) road map, monitored design performance and new product (R&D) introduction. A new product roll out 1st quarter CY2009 resulted in an immediate high volume commercial contract award and was built off-shore.

PLANNING SYSTEMS INC. / QINETIQ NA, Reston, VA 09/2007-07/2008

Manufacturing Operations Manager/Staff Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Hired to define, build and direct a medium volume flexible manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania to produce military and commercial electronics systems, transferring an engineering product from another facility.

• Defined facility layout (5S) and manufacturing flow, interfaced with architects and physical plant engineers, and hired a production team. Identified and executed a $1M capital budget. Defined all logistical support teams, including production control, purchasing, and subcontract management. Facility completed to point of move-in then put on hold.

• Championed concurrent transition of a Mississippi engineering prototype facility to a pre-production facility to support low volume, fast turn around, and initial rate production. The facility quality management system was ISO-9001/AS 9100 certified.

o Defined and implemented a 5S flexible manufacturing work cell which utilized a pull system to immediately and dramatically improve process cycle time on the Precision Airdrop System, resulting in improved throughput from 10/day to 150/day.

• Negotiated and managed a sub-contract (including thin film technology) for a Homeland Security electro-optics product. Oversaw manufacture, certification, and buy-off of four systems on an accelerated six month schedule.

SMITHS GROUP PLC/TRAK MICROWAVE CORPORATION, Tampa, FL 2001-2005

Staff Sr. Process Engineer

Identified and resolved production issues on a high-value military RF/MW program, increasing both yield and profit margins. Provided strategic and technical direction to the Microwave Integrated Circuit (MIC)/Hybrid Microelectronics Facility in support of high mix/low volume RF/MW hardware development and MCM production

• Raised RF/MW program throughput by 100% within six months, 300% in 18 months, and 400% in 24 months while improving system performance and reliability, and improving gross margins.

• Increased first-pass yields on commercial J-STD-001 Class 2 chip-on-board from less than 10% to greater than 95%, improving profit margins by 60%.

• Identified and resolved major manufacturing problems for offshore customer’s multichip module space product. Production resumed with first-test yields greater than 95% within 30 days.

• Standardized back-end production infrastructure processes and procedures for multichip module product application on laminate printed wiring boards and inorganic substrates.

• Defined and launched capital upgrades and associated machine vision processes, such as automatic wire bonding, pick & place, cleaning, surface mount technology and optical inspection.

• Provided subject matter expertise on identifying and resolving wafer level device (GaAs, Si) fabrication issues and defects.

INTERIM SOLUTIONS, Norcross, GA 1988-2001

President

Provided technical and managerial consulting primarily for major defense and space contractors, specializing in microelectronic/MCM packaging, advanced manufacturing technology, design for manufacture, and product risk assessment.

• Successfully managed a $37M manufacturing start-up initiative which included assessing sub-contracts and factory requirements (i.e., MES, ERP, work flow, etc.) for fabrication of a satellite sensor system.

• Successfully re-negotiated a subcontractor’s contract on a $10M flexible manufacturing multichip module work cell contract, salvaging an Air Force demonstration and a follow-on contract worth $267M and $5B in production. Resolved additional technical concerns, identified necessary workcell capital, and successfully managed material handling software generation.

• Reduced manufacturing risk on a satellite program by revising a tactical manufacturing plan. Implementation of recommendations contributed to the win of a $267 million follow-on contract.

• Defined and implemented a 3-D multichip module high pressure/high temperature lamination process that was optimized using Design of Experiments.

HARRIS CORPORATION, Melbourne, FL 1984-1988

Director of Engineering, Government Systems Sector (1987-1988)

Provided technical, marketing, and management support as liaison to Harris’s sectors and divisions and to the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC) in Austin, Texas.

• Reduced overhead by $500,000 a year by creating and implementing strategic and tactical plans for sector’s surface mount technology (SMT) and microelectronics initiatives.

Director of Engineering, Microelectronics Engineering and Manufacturing (1984-1987)

Oversaw day-to-day operations, including P&L, of multiple manufacturing and engineering facilities producing RF/MW sub-systems, thick film and thin film modules, multichip modules C/D, chip-on-board, and printed circuit board assemblies.

• Turned around a $10 million Air Force development program, improved yields from zero to 98% within six months, and successfully transitioned to manufacturing (follow-on contract awarded).

• Standardized design criteria, materials, assembly, and test processes by creating and implementing design and workmanship guidelines.

SPERRY CORPORATION, Clearwater, FL 1982-1984

Section Head, Microelectronics Design Center

Responsible for integration of microelectronic packaging, advanced materials and processes, and gallium arsenide (GaAs) devices into division products.

HONEYWELL, INC., Clearwater, FL 1978-1982

Manager, Microelectronics Engineering

Responsible for microelectronic packaging and process development, and day-to-day operation of engineering department, engineering lab, hybrid pre-production facility and design engineering for the Electronics Contract Manufacturing operation.

E-SYSTEMS INC., Saint Petersburg, FL 1974-1978

RCA, Moorestown, NJ 1973-1974

EDUCATION

University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

• MSE, 1973

• BSE, 1972

SECURITY CLEARANCE

Secret, Special, and Extended Background

PATENTS/DISCLOSURES/PROPRIETARY DESIGNS (Complete list available upon request.)

• Patent #4,797,992 (1/17/89) Method of Making a Thin film Integrated Microcircuit

• Patent #4,289,977 (8/15/81) CMOS Compatible Bipolar Driver/Clamp

• Patent #4,740,762 (4/26/88) Thin film Integrated Microcircuit

• Patent #4,529,836 (7/16/85) Stress Absorption Matrix

• Patent #4,176,272 (11/27/79) CMOS-MOS Bipolar Print Driver

PROFESSIONAL/TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES

INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS, INC. (IEEE), Senior Member

• Elected and appointed to multiple executive-level positions at the Institute and Region level, including Region 3 Director.

• Awards include IEEE Centennial Medal, IEEE Third Millennium Medal, and IEEE-USA Citation of Honor.

• Founding member of Atlanta Chapter of Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology Society.

INTERNATIONAL MICROELECTRONICS AND PACKAGING SOCIETY, Life Fellow

• Elected and appointed to multiple senior-level positions at the national and regional level, including Director of Southeast Region.

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