Quality Assurance

Walter T. Earl

Laguna Niguel, CA *****

949-***-**** (Home) 949-***-**** (Cell)

**********@**********.*** (email)

Senior Level Quality / Engineering / Operations Management

Providing leadership and continuous improvement solutions for composites manufacturing in the Aerospace and Defense industries

Senior level manager with over 20 years of composites manufacturing experience and consistent success achieving cost and performance goals leading Quality, Engineering, and Manufacturing organizations.

Core Competencies

• Leadership and Mentoring

• Project Planning and Execution

• Lean Manufacturing/Six Sigma Principles

• Budget Planning/Administration

• Qualification of Processes/Equipment

• Quality Systems / Engineering

Accomplishments

HITCO Carbon Composites, Inc.: Successfully lead qualification of multiple programs and Over 10 million dollars in automated equipment for production of composite aircraft structure for multiple customers. Implemented, revised and standardized systems and procedures in order meet increases in volume and stabilize processes associated with growth of new programs.

International Composites Technologies: Increased aramid panel production 300% through automation and use of lean principles. This helped to increase company sales from 4.5 million to 12 million annually.

Boeing: Established and managed the C-17 Composite Shop with an annual budget of 1.4 million dollars. Developed composite parts and processes that reduced parts count and production cycle time for C-17. As Materials Manager Lean Kitting I saved the C17 over $2 million dollars over the life of the program through the implementation of Lean Manufacturing and JIT delivery projects. Delta Rocket Programs I was responsible for the quality and process improvement of all composite parts and assemblies manufactured in house and by outside vendors. I worked with suppliers to resolve fleet wide issues and improve the overall quality of composite parts manufactured for the Delta II and IV Rocket Programs.

Professional Experience

Ducommun AeroStructures

April 2011 to Present

Director of Quality

Responsible for driving best practices in quality, enhancing the site quality systems, maintaining compliance to customer/industry requirements and the continued development of quality department personnel. Responsible for contract review, engineering specifications, regulatory and governmental standards and specifications. Direct procedures required for all product acceptance functions to clarify and ensure compliance with quality requirements. Analyze technology trends, human resource needs and employee skill sets. Execute developmental actions for quality staff to ensure adequate competency, including training, rotational assignments, and performance management. Communicate and negotiate quality assurance concerns with other departments. Direct activities of quality staff and departmental activities to ensure product quality through new and developed test procedures and processes.

HITCO Carbon Composites

November 2009 to April 2011

Quality Engineering Manager

Responsible for staffing and leadership of Quality Engineering Department. Assist with the preparation of Quality Engineering cost estimates, justifications, and task descriptions for company proposals and programs. Responsible for Root Cause / Corrective Action, PFMEA and risk mitigation in new and existing programs in order to reduce costs and associated product defects. Direct the quality elements of the manufacturing process. Including reviewing the contract, drawings, specifications, regulatory and government standards, and company procedures. Responsible for all the steps necessary to perform effective product evaluation. This includes inspections instructions, measuring and testing equipment, test/inspection requirements and criteria, documentation requirements, compliance requirements, process maps, sampling plans, quality plans, source requirements, and first article requirements as required.

July 2010 – November 2010

Vice President Quality Assurance (Acting)

Direct activities of company-wide quality staff and departmental activities to ensure product quality through new and developed test procedures and processes. Confer with management, production, and marketing staff to determine quality requirements for new and existing products. Forecast operating costs of department and prepares annual budget, monitors and takes corrective action for deviations from projected costs. Ensure that all company quality activities, decisions, and actions conform to technical policies and procedures as well as support the needs of customer requirements. Responsible for contract review, engineering specifications, regulatory and governmental standards and specifications. Direct procedures required for all product acceptance functions to clarify and ensure compliance with quality requirements. Analyze technology trends, human resource needs and employee skill sets. Execute developmental actions for quality staff to ensure adequate competency, including training, rotational assignments, and performance management. Communicate and negotiate quality assurance concerns with other departments. Prepare and present technical presentations to staff and customers as required.

Direct all NDT requirements for final test criteria for qualification and production support including the assessment of all NDT hardware requirements. Provide technical support as required to all product acceptance functions to clarify and ensure compliance with quality requirements within the business lines.

Develop organizational goals, tactics and objectives in alignment with company strategy, develop staffing plans and identify and hire direct and indirect reports; develop employees through coaching and training.

Perform these tasks while still acting as Quality Engineering Manager and performing associated tasks.

Aerotek Contract Engineering

(HITCO Carbon Composites)

December, 2007 to November 2009

Sr. Quality Engineer

Gardena, CA

Lead quality oversight and qualification efforts for multiple programs requiring qualification to Boeing specification BAC5578, Manufacture of Advanced Carbon Fiber Reinforced Advanced Composite Structure with Toughened Epoxy Systems, +350 F Cure. Lead qualification efforts for implementation of new automated equipment: Hot Drape Forming Machine, Automatic Tape Layer (ATL), Noodle Machine per Boeing specification D6-55902, Qualification of Equipment for Fabrication of Composite Structure.

Plan and direct the quality elements of the manufacturing process. Planning includes reviewing the contract, drawings, specifications, regulatory and government standards, and company procedures. Plan all the steps necessary to perform effective product evaluation. This includes inspections instructions, measuring and testing equipment, test/inspection requirements and criteria, documentation requirements, compliance requirements, process maps, sampling plans, quality plans, source requirements, and first article requirements as required. Provide technical support as required to all product acceptance functions to clarify and ensure compliance with quality requirements. Analyze inspection and test data for problem resolution and process improvements. Provide statistical support for improvement teams.

Initiate Material Review activities for timely disposition of nonconforming material/products. Initiate Corrective/Preventative action as required. Lead customer and third party audits.

International Composite Technologies

January, 2006 to December 2007

Chief Engineer

Compton, CA

Chief Engineer, reported directly to CEO, managing both engineering and production of build to print parts and assemblies for major aerospace and defense customers. I have been responsible for increasing production efficiency through automation and lean engineering process improvements; I was responsible for resolution of technical issues and MRB oversight internally and with customers. Responsibilities also included preparing quotes for new business, managing R&D programs with commercial and government customers, and managing and staffing of daily operations for production of ballistic panel, sandwich panel, and aramid container fabrication of up to 1750 parts per week. Performed work within scope of customer TSO and FAA requirements.

Boeing Co. June 1988 to January 2006

January, 2005 to January, 2006

Quality Engineer, Composite Structures

Delta Program, Huntington Beach, CA

Provide quality oversight of composite parts and assemblies manufactured in house and through outside suppliers. Represent the Program Quality discipline on IPT's. Interact with multiple organizations including design engineering, manufacturing engineering, materials and processes engineering, supplier management and executive level management. Lead process improvements through use of root cause, corrective and preventative action principles. Flow down program requirements utilizing contract, engineering definition, specification requirements, policies and procedures. Participate in Hardware Acceptance Reviews, Functional and Physical Configuration Audits, and Boeing Mission Assurance Reviews.

January, 2001 to January 2005

Manager, Production Control / Lean Kitting

C-17 Program, Long Beach, CA

Responsible for staffing and assignment of tasks for salaried and bargaining unit employees. Coordinate and execute Lean Manufacturing processes and systems that ensure availability of parts, tools and materials for production at point of use locations. Work with suppliers to incorporate improvements identified through Lean/Kaizen events. Evaluate the effectiveness of Shop Floor Control processes

and provide status reports. Identify potential and actual disruptions to production or supply and develop resolution plans. Analyze material status and negotiate optimum incorporation points for change management. Responsible for staffing and assignment of tasks. Ensure the compliance to internal and external regulatory requirements.

March, 1994 to January 2001

Manager, C-17 Composites Shop

Long Beach, CA

Established and managed the C-17 Composites Shop. Responsible for rework, repair and quick response fabrication of composite parts for C-17 production line including repair, modification, and fabrication of fiberglass, carbon fiber, Kevlar, and thermoplastic parts from blueprints, drawings, engineering change orders, and fabrication orders using a variety of techniques and media such as vacuum bagging, hot bonding, and autoclaving wet lay-ups, pre-pregs, and film adhesives. Implementation and direction of self directed work teams in shop. Working with several Integrated Product Teams in order to improve product design, reduce installation span time and costs through lean manufacturing techniques. Interfacing with the customer and support groups in order to satisfy schedules and work needs. Tracking and accountability of in coming and out-going parts. Continually working to improve processes while maintaining a safe working environment.

June, 1988 to March, 1994

Plastics Fabricator

Long Beach, CA

Duties included repair, modification, and fabrication of fiberglass, carbon fiber, kevlar, and thermoplastic parts from blueprints, drawings, engineering change orders, and fabrication orders. This was accomplished using a variety of techniques and media such as vacuum bagging, hot bonding, and autoclaving wet lay-ups, pre-pregs, and film adhesives. Work performed on Commercial Aircraft such as DC-9, DC-10, MD-80, MD-90, MD-11 and military aircraft such as C-17, T-45 trainer on Flight Ramp and in R&D department. Presented repairs directly to FAA delegates and customer representatives for approval.

Personal Experience

Advisory Committee Member and Part-time Faculty

Cerritos College: Composites Manufacturing and Technology Center, responsible for curriculum development and teaching of courses.

Education

March, 2005 to May, 2005

California State University Dominguez Hills

Extended Education

Courses studied – Certified Quality Engineering (CQE) preparatory course for ASQ certification.

May, 2001

BSBA – Business Administration

University of Phoenix

Fountain Valley, CA

August, 1997 to September 1998

Cerritos College

Cerritos, CA

Courses studied – Composite manufacturing technology.

September, 1985 to March, 1987

Long Beach City College

Long Beach, CA

Courses studied - Management by objectives and Industrial engineering. Business management and interpersonal skills.

October, 1984 to December, 1985

Long Beach City College, Terminal Island Extension Campus

Long Beach Naval Shipyard, CA

Courses studied - Plastics engineering and technology.

Certifications and Training

First Line Leadership, Lean manufacturing / AIW Leadership, Management Control Systems, Process Based Management, SDWT / Employee Involvement, Composites Manufacturing Technology, ASQ Certified Quality Engineer

References

Available upon request

Contact this candidate