Implementation Engineers: Beyond Consulting® – Beyond Consulting® –– Mining, Manufacturing, Business Optimization
Training key employees to become Six Sigma Black Belts at two underground mines in Chile was the desire of one of the top gold producers in the world. These employees were asked to be “the best of the best” and to work on chronic issues that were negatively impacting the company’s performance.
Activities in this case study include:
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Reliability Centered Maintenance and optimization of maintenance programs are Oscar Vasquez’s area of expertise. He is a troubleshooter and an expert in sales and business development in Latin America, mainly focused on value projects and/or new technologies for construction, mining, naval, agricultural, oil & gas.
Oscar has more than 10 years of experience in corrective, preventive, predictive, and total productive maintenance programs. His strengths lie in analyzing and improving maintenance plans related to savings in consumption of fluids, eliminating bad repair habits and inadequate operation of equipment, and increasing overall lifespan.
Oscar was the project engineer for a global leader, designer and manufacturer of power generation equipment, power systems, heavy fuel oil, diesel and natural gas engines. He designed maintenance routines for new and updated equipment, monitored life cycles through non-destructive practices and tribology.
He has earned many qualifications from several engine and equipment manufacturers in different market segments.
Oscar is fluent in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. He holds a mechanical engineering degree from Eafit University, Medellín, Colombia. In his spare time, Oscar enjoys working with horses and cattle, and is passionate about restoring old motorcycles.
Charlie Standard has led financial and operational turnarounds for more than 25 years. In the manufacturing and mining sectors, he focuses on operational excellence, continuous improvement, and sustainable implementation.
In mining, he developed and implemented a methodology to double the rate of tunnel advancement by increasing the number of blasts per shift as well as advancement per blast. The estimated annual savings in labor and materials was approximately $1.7 million per mine.
In manufacturing (avionics), Charlie implemented pull systems, work cells, and a high performance management process. Results included a reduction in process cycle time from 45 days to nine days while increasing labor productivity by 50%. Since the improvements were sustainable, the client reduced the cycle by 40% after the project ended.
Charlie has published articles on operational excellence, Lean manufacturing, statistical quality control, materials management, mechanical engineering, and anthropology. Charlie has served on panels, presented at conferences, and led seminars and workshops. Charlie was an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan and received the Shingo Prize in the field of operational excellence.
Charlie earned a master’s degree in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in applied physics and mathematics from Eastern Kentucky University.
Dr. Filiep Samyn is a Lean Six Sigma certified Master Black Belt. He has provided project implementation support, coaching, training and training material development for more than 20 years. Filiep has served an array of different industries, including government, not-for-profit organizations, mining, chemical, aerospace, and manufacturing. Filiep is a master in the development and implementation of Performance Analytix®, IE’s data-driven dashboard
Hundreds of companies and their employees have benefited from Filiep’s attentive and through lessons of Six Sigma methodologies and belt certifications. He has delivered Lean workshops for multiple waves of Lean practitioners and developed Lean and project management software applications, such as simulations, team toolkits, and simplified VSM. He supported a $1 billion cost improvement effort for mining companies in South America, Africa, Australia, and the U.S.
A doctoral dissertation, titled “The Use Of Artificial Neural Networks as a Sales Forecasting Method,” evaluated the use of a Dynamic Artificial Neural network (DAN2) and its merits as a forecasting method.
Filiep holds a doctorate in business administration from the University of Phoenix, an MBA from Ecole des Administrateurs Militaires, Brussels, Belgium, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering from Katholieke Hogeschool Brugge Belgium. He speaks Dutch/Flemish, French, English, and German. Filiep completed 10 marathons, including the centennial Boston, and 27 free-fall jumps.
Troy LaCrone is a leader who cares about people. His leadership career started as a Sergeant in the United States Army. He earned 23 awards, decorations and citations while serving his country as well as induction into the prestigious Audie Murphy Club. He then joined Magna International where he learned a lot about world class manufacturing. He became a senior leader in both Lean and Six Sigma at the time as a Master Black Belt and later became the Operations Manager at a JIT assembly plant. He has completed a large variety of projects that total over 25M as well as trained / mentored hundreds of Black Belts. He has since successfully applied that learning in two other industries with outstanding results. Troy is a family man, he is married to Tonya and has twin daughters, Macalyn and Macenzie that are 16.
As a Six Sigma Black Belt, Gordon Harvey’s experience runs deep in supply chain, data analytics, quality, Total Production Maintenance programs, manufacturing, continuous improvement, ERP, and warehouse management systems.
He is a coach and practitioner of Lean, Six Sigma, and ISO 9001:2000 with a background in project management, engineering, warehousing, demand planning, and order management.
During his career, Gordon has implemented scheduling practices that reduced more than $1 million in inventory, cut work in progress from 2 days to 2 hours, cut electrical downtime by 75% in 15 months in 24/7/365 operation, and improved maintenance practices, machine and guarding redesign, and scheduling focus while improving Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) from 40% to 80%.
Gordon holds an MBA from Georgia State University and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering/computer science from the University of Colorado. He’s a trail and ultra-marathon runner who finds the best part of travel is finding a new route to run and great food to eat.
Rob Carroll is a manufacturing engineering professional with more than 30 years of experience in project management, Lean / Six Sigma methodologies, strategic planning, reliability engineering, productivity, and product development. His experience comes from the metals, military, aircraft, HVAC, and automotive industries. He’s also a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt.
His latest focus has been in the aerospace defense contracting industry where he has led implementation teams to develop root cause corrective action systems, conducted DoD MRL production readiness reviews, and efficiency improvements resulting in unit defect and assembly hour reduction.
Rob led implementation teams for a $1.6 billion aluminum mining, refining, smelting and cold-rolling business with more than $10 million in savings improved melt efficiencies, environmental impact, and waste reductions. Improvements served the transformer, container, automotive, HVAC, and foil industries. Rob is a recognized reliability expert who assists company directors in identifying improvement opportunities.
Rob holds a technical degree in applied science in electromechanical engineering technology from Shawnee State University, Portsmouth, OH. Always thinking creatively, this married father of two enjoys singing, writing, home theater and audio/video design, as well as publishing articles directed at continuous improvement and leadership development.
Jeff Brewbaker applies a wealth of knowledge and practical experience to operational challenges across various industries to achieve Performance Excellence.
He is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt who developed his expertise during a 40-year career in aerospace maintenance, quality, training, automotive, and telecom. He draws from an uncommon blend of hands-on practical experience, process engineering, and continuous improvement leadership.
Jeff doubled throughput to meet increased customer demand while avoiding $1.3 million in annual labor increases for a Department of Defense aerospace contractor. He reduced lead time from 203 to 35 days while leading a multiple-site transactional-process team at a large telecom company. Jeff also designed and launched the first of its kind single-piece flow, mixed-model production line in the automotive industry.
He holds a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Illinois and a Lean certificate from Ford. In his free time, Jeff enjoys the outdoors – hunting, fishing, and raising cattle on his small farm in southern Illinois.
With more than 15 years of experience, Mike Petsas has led large-scale Performance Excellence programs in industries, including mining, aerospace, manufacturing, oil & gas, manufacturing, financial services, pulp and paper, and building products. His experience includes strategy development and deployment including the functional areas of sales, marketing, procurement, supplier quality, operations, maintenance and logistics.
Mike has directed successful Performance Excellence programs for a number of metal processing and paper operations. The focus of the work included product scheduling, product mix and sales, maintenance systems, operator best practice and changeovers.
When a department of defense contractor required a cycle time reduction as retrofitting reconnaissance aircraft was overrunning budget by 40%, Mike and his team created new business processes and improved execution. He worked with key stakeholders, including engineering, maintenance, IT, the union, and the U.S. Air Force to implement the new processes, management systems, communications tools, and planning integration allowed the client to put the aircraft into service on time and on budget.
Mike holds a master’s degree in integrated supply chain management from the University of Wisconsin, Platteville, and a bachelor’s degree in international business from Eckerd College, Florida. The Seattle-area resident spends his free time playing tennis, scuba diving and spending time with his wife and children.
Robert Ballard has more than 20 years of experience in the quality and continuous improvement field with an extensive background in the deployment of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.
He has worked in a variety of industries, including automotive, textile, telecommunications, mining, food, transportation, training, and sales and marketing.
Robert has a passion for coaching and mentoring others in operational excellence and is committed to making others independently successful. He has taught a wide range of students from C-suite executives to Green Belts. Robert is proficient in gathering and analyzing data, identifying and organizing process improvement opportunities, and implementing sustainable solutions that affect the bottom line.
He believes that the true value is in transferring knowledge to the client, so improvements can be sustained and the tools can be used continuously moving forward. His successful mentoring, coaching, and certification of more than 150 Black Belts and Green Belts have exhibited this commitment.
Robert earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from Auburn University and an associate’s degree in applied science from Wallace College in Dothan, Alabama. He enjoys traveling, auto racing, college sports, and spending time with his family.
Fernando Montemayor is a Lean Master Black Belt who has led projects in operational excellence, including Six Sigma, Lean manufacturing, maintenance, process simulation & optimization, change management, business process management, value stream implementation, and project execution.
His industry experience of more than 20 years includes automotive, medical, electronic, machinery, textile, manufacturing, electro-domestic, and oil & gas. Fernando has trained more than 500 Executives, Champions, Black and Green belts.
Fernando optimized operations at an oil refinery using Monte Carlo Simulation. As a result, plant operators reduced the number of variables to monitor from more than 5,000 to 5 key input variables. Increased yield resulted in $40 million in benefits. He also led an analysis at an underground coal mine at West Virginia to increase the feet of advancement per shift from 45 to 75 feet / shift on the continuous mining machine.
Fernando holds a master’s degree in quality management and a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and systems engineer from the Universidad de Monterrey; and Project Planning and Management certification from University of Virginia. He earned a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt from Florida Atlantic University. Fernando is fluent in Spanish and English. The married father of two babies enjoys family time, riding his motorcycle, and listening to alternative music.
Paul Pickersgill has more than 25 years of experience in process improvement, problem solving, and the application of profit maximizing manufacturing principles. His expertise lies in process flow maintenance, process development, management oversight, activity-based costing, inventory control and information flow management, work team formation, problem prioritization, and supplier development across a broad range of manufacturing environments.
He has additional expertise in planning and forecasting strategy evaluation, including the use of Monte Carlo simulation tools. By segregating planning from execution control, Paul has driven high service level performance in several chemical-processing environments.
While Paul was at an automotive manufacturer, he launched new product and process technologies to eliminate chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) use and reduce VOC emissions in manufacturing. He designed electronic control modules, embedded control software, and mechanical components for cost and quality improvements totaling over $30 million in four years. After supervising production and technical support staff in high volume manufacturing facilities, production efficiency went up more than 50%. Paul has received numerous corporate awards for technological excellence and environmental improvement, customer quality, and mentoring, and owns one patent in the automotive industry.
Paul holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from McGill University. He also speaks English, Spanish, French. On weekends, Paul usually referees amateur soccer games.
Ray Everhart is a certified Senior Master Black Belt with experience leading data-driven operational analyses and implementing Lean and Six Sigma improvement programs for large, global client organizations. He is a hands-on and highly respected leader with a demonstrated ability to organize and manage multiple projects, and motivate and lead teams of people to get results.
Ray has trained, deployed, and supported hundreds of Champions, Green Belts, Black Belts and Master Black Belts in aerospace, automotive, heavy truck, manufacturing, and mining industries. Client savings amounted to more than $300 million. He was part of the first Six Sigma class for manufacturing at Allied Signal.
Ray helped turn around a poorly performing facility ($3M loss, $250K in third-party containment, and $300K in expedited freight in 4Q04) through focused utilization of Lean and Six Sigma methods and strong leadership. Improvements included elimination of third-party containment, increased productivity, elimination of freight premium, reduced overtime, and manpower.
Ray holds the following certifications from the following: The Ohio University’s Business Program (Business / Statistics) and University of Michigan Management Institute / Business Management Program. Ray is an active outdoors man and camper. He’s also an instrument-rated pilot and aircraft owner.
Mick McFadden has significant experience in directing project teams in analyzing, developing, and implementing process improvements. With more than 25 years of experience, he is an expert in developing strategies for operations to achieve project budgets, commitments, and profitability targets. Mick is a Lean practitioner.
Mick has made process improvements in several different metals industries, including specialty metals, titanium, aluminum extrusion, copper and, vanadium. He worked with the same client for more than 10 years in improving cost and throughput by value stream mapping, implementing pull systems, Performance Analytix® to track performance in real time, plant layouts, removing bottlenecks and constraints, and implementing an effective continuous improvement process. Benefits included several million dollars in cost savings.
In the manufacturing sector, Mick generated more than $8 million dollars in annual savings for a compressor factory by using Lean tools, including takt times, line balancing, pull systems, Kanbans, SMED, blitzes, and a Daily Management System.
Mick holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from West Virginia University and an associate’s degree in electrical engineering from the Jefferson County Technical Institute. Mick has been married for 37 years and still loves being together. He’s also a NASCAR fan.
Keith Johnson has more than 35 years of extensive experience in maintenance, reliability and asset management. As a Certified Maintenance Reliability Professional (CMRP) and Certified Plant Maintenance Manager (CPMM), he has led a wide range of assignments in the U.S. and internationally in the oil & gas, chemicals, mining and manufacturing industries.
He’s a results-driven and team-oriented manager with expertise in the areas of asset management strategic planning, maintenance workflow management, reliability-centered maintenance, process improvement, and how to effect and manage change.
Keith develops and sustains improved corporate bottom-line performance through holistic reliability improvement. He has demonstrated technical, change management, and motivational skills in developing and implementing processes and systems to achieve increased efficiency and improved asset performance which has resulted in more than $100 million dollars in benefits for clients.
He has solid experience in business operations, implementation and enhancement of asset management programs, process improvements, and enhancing organizational effectiveness. Keith is an excellent communicator with a demonstrated ability to interface at all levels within organizations from the boardroom to the shop floor.
Keith attended Lamar University and the University Southwestern Louisiana. When Keith has a little free time, you’ll find him with family enjoying The Rocky Mountains.
Peter Standard started his career building and designing websites but quickly progressed to managing servers and creating SQL databases. His database experience led to involvement in various continuous improvement projects. Wrangling data squirreled away in Excel files and normalizing it is one of his specialties. Working at a Japanese automotive company introduced him to many aspects of Japanese management and Kaizen.
Peter focuses on data analysis and visualization. He creates dashboards with any software package or builds them from the ground up.
He has developed financial and production reporting tools used by upper management at an automobile manufacturer. He created a simulation tool to forecast additional capital investment requirements based on sales plan. Numerous cost saving opportunities were realized through financial analysis.
Peter holds a bachelor’s degree in Japanese language and literature from Purdue University and is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. He speaks English and Japanese. Peter learned assembly programming (65816) for a translation project.
Norm specializes in people. More specifically, he helps people learn and adapt to new approaches that make organizations run better. Norm developed IE’s High Performance Management (HPM) program, which is built around structure, people, and behavior. After more than 25 years of experience, Norm discovered that great companies subscribe to a solid management system, a defined culture, and shared vision.
His enthusiasm for change resides in his talent for coaching and mentoring. The tools in Norm’s HPM toolkit accelerate coaching toward a standardized framework with a heightened emphasis on knowledge sharing among employees.
Communication and transparency are always vital to his engaging approach to Lean, process re-engineering, and management operations systems, which Norm uses in many industries, including mining, manufacturing, financial services, and aerospace.
Norm earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of South Florida, has written six fiction novels, and was a 100m and 200m master sprinter.
Manufacturing and operations technology are among Eric’s many strengths. His ability to identify and deploy digital factory solutions has led to exceptional outcomes and demonstrable results. Eric is an expert in data analysis and reporting, master data management, digital transformation, ERP optimization, operations management, process improvement, and Lean Six Sigma. Industry experience includes aerospace & defense, scientific instruments, and automotive as well as holding various Lean Six Sigma certifications.
For various manufacturers, Eric has deployed digital factory transformations across production facilities, including dynamic data reporting and dashboarding, production control systems, and digital manufacturing operator interfaces. Developed data reporting tools and visualizations to provide real-time feedback to stakeholders throughout the organizational structure. Served as ERP subject matter expert on production, quality, and planning modules. Implemented solutions to streamline production processes, optimized inventory planning, and improved on-time delivery. Utilized robotic process automation tools to automate manual processes throughout all functional groups in production facilities. He has also helped increase productivity by 10% in cable assembly production cell by improving layout to reduce motion and transportation waste. Reduced external defects by 50% in weigh-module production cell through systematic error-proofing with real-time bill of material verification against ERP data. Improved productivity by 12% on lab scale production lines through line balancing and implementation of one-piece flow. Reduced footprint of industrial scale work centers by 30%. Developed web-based KPI dashboard to monitor safety, quality, delivery, and cost metrics.
Eric has a BS in Industrial & Systems Engineering from The Ohio State University as well as an MBA from the University of Illinois.
Roger Kaufman has been an implementation thought leader for more than 30 years. His early experience working as an industrial engineer in the automotive industry laid the foundation for his implementation passion as he learned firsthand how difficult it is to change a large organization.
His experience as a first-line manufacturing supervisor, combined with his studies in social and behavioral sciences, helped position his understanding of the human side of change. After pursuing a management degree, Roger joined what became the world’s fastest growing management consulting firm as its first formal MBA new hire and remained with the firm for seven high-growth years. This experience convinced him that a void existed downstream from the traditional, advice-based management consulting market serving organizations and leaders that already knew what to do but had a gap in their ability to get it done.
Roger set out to create an implementation services company that would become the world’s leading implementation firm. He has dedicated the past 22 years pursuing this vision, and Implementation Engineers and the firm’s enCompass® implementation methodology are the result.
He holds a master’s degree in management and a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University, and a bachelor’s degree in arts, social and behavioral sciences from Indiana University.
He is a married father of four who enjoys snow skiing, golf, swimming at the beach, and travel with his family. Joys in life include cooking while enjoying a nice glass of wine.
With more than 30 years of experience in P&L Performance Excellence improvement, Bob Zadel has led complex, results-based implementation projects at companies around the world in a wide array of sectors, including electronics, aerospace, paper, food and beverage, mining, health care, telecom, and discrete manufacturing. Bob has guided implementation and sustainability teams in operational and organizational change improvements, and his teams have consistently exceeded the financial goals of our clients.
Bob’s commitment to client-focused implementation has created a culture at Implementation Engineers that is driven to ensure holistic solutions for its clients, which achieves stated performance objectives and moves their people and systems to a future state that we call Performance Excellence.
He has successfully started and grew three manufacturing businesses providing quick turn electronics and other manufactured components to Fortune 500 companies. He was instrumental in developing the Six Sigma approach while at Motorola and was a key leader in implementing the program throughout the Government Electronic Group.
Bob has earned a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Arizona State University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering (mechanical design) from Colorado State University. The married father of three children has been a private pilot for more than 30 years.
Frank Davit has 35 years of professional accounting and financial services experience.
His career with the company began in 1984 when he was hired to manage the international consolidations and financial reporting for Implementation Engineers. Frank has since taken responsibility for all accounting and financial management of the company. He oversees the financial reporting, cost accounting, budget and billing functions for the company. Frank is responsible for legal and contractual matters, taxes, treasury, risk management, and the administration of company benefit plans.
Prior to joining Implementation Engineers, Frank worked in public accounting and financial services. He audited client financial statements, and prepared state and federal tax returns. Frank also assisted businesses with financial reporting, performance assessments and in developing and improving their accounting systems and financial controls.
Frank holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Northern Illinois University and is a Certified Public Accountant. Away from work, he enjoys spending time with his family, college and professional sports, music, golf, and other outdoor activities.
Catherine Purdy is a high-energy change leader with demonstrated ability to manage large-scale corporate transformations. For more than 25 years, she has implemented technical manufacturing and supply chain solutions in across the automotive, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, and construction equipment industries. She has an affinity for corporate strategy, quality system development, and loves the challenge of data-mining and modeling. Catherine is a skilled curriculum developer, trainer and coach, and has certified hundreds of practitioners and executives on Lean and Six Sigma methods.
Catherine handles multiple responsibilities at Implementation Engineers, including client Performance Excellence strategy development, managing our Partners-in-Quality enCompass® delivery program, and talent acquisition.
Catherine holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from Virginia Tech, APICS CPIM certification, and Six Sigma Master Black Belt certification from Datazinc. Outside the office, Catherine is a wine aficionado, gourmet cook, and avid sports fan.
Massoud Ghaffari is a strong leader with experience in strategy, development, planning, and growth of companies. He has led initiatives from $3 million to $1.2 billion dollars in a variety of industries, including medical and information technologies, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and mining. Massoud also led market, competitive, and customer due-diligence efforts for 20+ M&A transactions.
As SVP of Sales and Marketing, Massoud leads the sales organization and is accountable for IE’s overall sales strategy and execution.
Massoud earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin. He is also a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and a CFA® Charterholder.
Bill Gergely has led more than 60 Lean, supply chain, and Six Sigma projects in industries such as electronics, finance, instrumentation, aerospace, telecom, medical devices, pharmaceutical, biotech, media, and energy. He is experienced in supply chain, sales, information systems, customer service, quality, and inventory control functions.
As a Six Sigma Master Black Belt and a Lean Enterprise expert, Bill has made a positive impact in a variety of companies across industries. Through systematic change leadership and business transformation activities, he has helped clients turn their businesses around and accomplish impressive improvement targets.
He was instrumental in the business process redesign on the aircraft engine maintenance program for an international airline located in Montreal, Canada. Goals of the project were a 30-day cycle time reduction of engine removal from wing to reinstallation, and a first year ROI for the project of 5 to 1. The 30-week engagement resulted in savings exceeding $4.9 million over the first year, and the airline reduced the fleet of engines required to support aircraft operations.
Bill is a founding member of the Folsom (California) Cordova Education Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to improving the educational opportunities and resources for a school district of 18,000 students.
He earned bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and materials science from University of Connecticut, Storrs. Boating, cycling, and learning about wines are some of Bill’s passions.
Chris McCurrie is an operations expert with progressive experience and verifiable success. He is a strong team leader and communicator who excels in coordinating with all levels of personnel to secure operational and project targets on time, within budget, and to specification. For more than 20 years, Chris has fostered positive, high-energy work environments.
Prior to consulting, he led continuous improvement efforts for an aerospace contractor and delivered significant contributions to a $14 million revenue increase over a three-year period while improving 5S scores from 1.0 to 2.5, reducing lead times by 70%, and increasing margin 10+ points. As manager, his production and tooling teams recorded zero scrap for a full month, a first in the company’s 35+ year history and repeated the accomplishment multiple times in 3 years.
Career improvements have delivered more than $100 million in sustainable savings through the application of Lean and Six Sigma principles, simultaneously targeting increases in realized capacity, improved quality, and installation of management Best Practices.
Chris is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt who believes that what is difficult takes time, and what is perceived as impossible just takes a bit longer. His Arkansas accent can open many doors. You have to hear him tell a couple of stories.
