Senior Technical / Operations Manager

JOHN C. KEELER

* ****** **

Valdosta, GA *****

Cell Phone: 229-***-****

E-mail: **********@***.***

SENIOR MANAGER

PROFILE: Results driven senior manager with over 30 years of solid business experience and proven record of achievement in manufacturing, operations management/development, quality control/assurance (ISO 9000, Malcomb Baldridge), P&L, budget development, and training. Outstanding leadership, communications, and problem solving skills demonstrated in successfully directing Six Sigma changes in $35 million manufacturing firm’s processes and procedures projected to save over $1.5 million yearly. Additional skills include:

Six Sigma Black Belt Certification • Project Management • Policies and Procedures Development • Sales/Marketing Support

Operations Management • Budget Implementation • Cost Control • Training • Materials Management • Restructuring

Program Planning/Development/Implementation • Organization Development • Safety • Administration • Negotiation

RELEVANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND EXPERIENCE

ADMINISTRATION / MANAGEMENT / PLANNING

• Developed and implemented daily trend graphs and other daily reports to track key process conditions within the mill operations utilizing PI (mill-wide process information system). These reports were presented and reviewed during the morning management production meetings.

• Prior to Republic Paperboard mill’s opening, started up and operated new equipment as part of equipment and process commissioning team, wrote Stock Preparation Department’s Best Operating Procedures, trained employees, and established testing equipment training curricula and product specifications.

• Developed commissioning check sheet that systematized and helped implement commissioning activities on time.

• Developed and implemented daily Stock Preparation Reports that accurately recorded activities, maintenance, and tonnages.

• Established wood yard rotation schedule that ensured FIFO inventory control and achieved consistent “seasoned” wood being sent to pulp mill.

• Established seasonal pulping parameters by developing spreadsheet that incorporated pulp mill process conditions and quality test data.

• Developed budget, controlled costs, planned and coordinated maintenance activities, revised Best Operating Procedures, and determined whether Voith manufacturing equipment was meeting its contractual obligations.

• Coordinated Voith Warranty Runs that determined whether equipment and product strength warranties were fulfilled.

• Prioritized, scheduled, and implemented work orders that improved effectiveness of scheduled and unscheduled outages.

• Researched original contract with paper machine supplier, established productive relations with firm and successfully negotiated favorable settlement with respect to outstanding concerns, which included final warranty run that demonstrated need for firm to modify/install equipment to satisfy contract.

• Established productive relations with hourly union employees to function successfully as a supervisor after just three weeks of training.

• Coordinated installation of new process control system that improved product quality and reduced grade change time.

• Coordinated installation and start-up of new drive system that increased efficiencies and improved product quality.

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DESIGN / IMPROVEMENT / COST CONTROL

• Wrote cost justifications for new testing lab equipment in response to new customer requirements for color. Implemented equipment and set process guidelines for color monitoring.

• Conducted feasibility studies that justified installation of on-line coater on paper machine.

• Developed three month start-up curve that accurately projected speed and capacity increases of coater rebuild project.

• Troubleshot and resolved problem with piping layout design that restored proper pump pressure without purchasing new pump that saved plant $25,000.

• Troubleshot and resolved problem with plant’s refiner plates’ adjustments, and saved hundreds of kilowatt-hours of electrical use.

• Redesigned secondary fiber system, installed additional equipment, trained operators, and increased daily throughput capacity by 25 percent.

• Coordinated pulping trials with paper machine superintendent, set 18 production records, and improved sheet strength.

• Revised woodpile scaling procedure and chip sizing lab procedure, both of which improved production efficiencies.

• Redesigned pulp washing process that reduced soda loss and improved black liquor solids sent to chemical recovery area.

• Revised process steam flow to Pandia digesters that reduced chemical requirements while maintaining fiber quality utilizing Design of Experiment techniques.

• Developed daily and monthly production and quality reports also used as documentation for proof of commercial acceptance criteria set forth in original contracts with major supplier.

• Created projection and statistical graphs and spreadsheets that improved reporting of sales volumes and production statistics.

• Developed daily production spreadsheet that improved inventory control and production scheduling.

• Developed computerized daily shipping log that reduced shipping errors sent to Accounts Payable, and Accounts Payable turn around time.

• Analyzed repair costs for material handling equipment and generated monthly report that reduced monthly repair costs from $70,000 to less than $5,000.

• Provided cost justification information for warehouse expansion that saved $30,000/monthly.

• Established new training guidelines and proficiency tests that enabled better training of Material Handlers.

• With others planned/justified new computer system that improved accounting and inventory control.

• Implemented Six Sigma project with projected savings of $1.5 million/year, and earned certification as Six Sigma Black Belt.

• Developed ISO certification plan and training materials, trained all mill employees, coordinated interviews, scheduled meetings, compiled documents, and achieved ISO 9002 certification on time.

• Developed standardized Trial procedure that improved trial and results documentations.

• Initiated statistical analyses of process and product test data that improved paper machine process control by eliminating redundant tests and enabling more useful tests, testing frequencies, and more efficient and accurate machine set-ups based on specific products.

• Implemented new quality data computer system and managed successful justification and union negotiation that eliminated one hourly position each shift.

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SUPERVISION / TRAINING

• Supervised four Process Engineers and 16 hourly personnel within the Technical Department.

• Held position of Radiation Safety Officer in conjunction with the duties of the Technical Manager and conducted mill wide radiation safety training.

• Supervised as many as 16 hourly personnel, Process Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Environmental and Utilities Managers, Quality Assurance Managers, and shared supervision of four Team Leaders.

• Wrote new and revised existing operating procedures, trained employees, and improved plant efficiency and safety.

• Trained personnel in quality procedures, and supervised Technical Department that included three quality technicians, an administrative assistant, and five hourly lab technicians.

• Established productive relations with hourly union employees, and functioned successfully as a supervisor after just three weeks of training.

• Conducted over 14 ISO 9002 awareness-training classes despite hostile on going union negotiations.

• Supervised 14 employees and reorganized Quality Assurance Department.

• Supervised daily activities of Inbound and Outbound Warehouse Supervisors.

WORK HISTORY

2004 – 2011 PACKAGING CORPORATION OF AMERICA

TECHNICAL MANAGER

1998 – 2003 REPUBLIC PAPERBOARD COMPANY

DIRECTOR OF PROCESS EXCELLENCE

MILL SUPPORT MANAGER

DIRECTOR OF TECHNICAL OPERATIONS

PRODUCTION SUPERINTENDENT – RECYCLED FIBER

1995 – 1998 MENOMINEE PAPER COMPANY

QUALITY ASSURANCE MANAGER

QUALITY PROCESS MANAGER

1994 – 1995 MOSINEE PAPER CORPORATION

MANAGER OF QUALITY ASSURANCE

1989 – 1994 PACKAGING CORPORATION OF AMERICA

MANUFACTURING CONTROL ENGINEER / ISO 9000 COORDINATOR

SUPERINTENDENT – FIBER PREPARATION

SENIOR PROCESS ENGINEER

1982 – 1989 KIMBERLY-CLARK CORPORATION

SENIOR PROCESS ENGINEER

MANUFACTURING ASSISTANT (SPECIALTIES DEPT.)

RELIEF MANUFACTURING ASSISTANT (SPECIALTIES DEPT.)

RELIEF MANUFACTURING ASSISTANT (PAPER DEPT.)

RELIEF MANUFACTURING TOUR FOREMAN/PROCESS ENGINEER

1980 – 1982 RED ARROW PRODUCTS COMPANY

PROCESS DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER

1978 – 1980 TEEPAK, INCORPORATED

PROCESS DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER

PROJECT ENGINEER

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI

Computer Proficiency: Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Also PI Process Book.

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CREDENTIALS

• Radiation Safety Officer Training (October, 2004)

• Principles of Lean Manufacturing (June, 2003)

• Six Sigma Black Belt presented by Pinnacle Partners, Inc., Oak Ridge, TN (April, 2003)

• Getting Results Through Others (October, 2002),

• Excelling as a Highly Effective Team Leader (September, 2002)

• Coaching and Teambuilding Skills for Managers and Supervisors (September, 2002)

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Workshop (February, 2001)

• Blood-borne Pathogens (September, 1999)

• Personal Protective Equipment (September, 1999)

• Confined Space Safety Awareness (April, 1999)

• Lockout / Tagout (April, 1999)

• DuPont – S.T.O.P. (Safety Training Observation Program) (April, 1999 and March, 1999)

• Basic Principles for Collaborative Workplace (March, 1999)

• Ladder Safety and Fire safety (March, 1999)

• Hazardous Communications (March, 1999)

• Coaching for High Performance (February, 1999)

• Team Skills I (March, 1999)

• Assessor / Lead Assessor Examination organized by BSI International Training, Certificate No. 944**-***** (March, 1995)

• Internal Quality Auditing (March, 1995)

• Effective Quality Auditing (March, 1993)

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

• Member of Technical Association of the Pulp & Paper Industry (TAPPI) since 1990

• Lifetime Member of Strathmore’s Who’s Who( since 2005)

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