Vice President of Manufacturing at Human Capital Solutions, Inc. in Crockett, Texas

Job Description:

Industry: Manufacturing - Forest Products and Animal Comfort Products

Work Locations acceptable: Crockett, TX (with occasional travel to Eastern MD)

Position Summary: Our client, an award-winning and fast-growing manufacturing & packaging company, is hiring for a Vice President of Manufacturing. The company is a nationwide manufacturer and distributor of animal bedding produced from sustainably harvested trees. Mainly wood shavings and wood pellets. Secondary, but important additional products are natural cat litter and residential energy pellets. Animal bedding must be constantly replenished and is not considered discretionary spending by our customers rather it is a necessity because the animals' wellbeing requires them to be kept dry and comfortable. The embracement of the farm and ranch lifestyle and the humanization of pets has had a profound positive effect on demand for our products.

The Vice President of Manufacturing (VPM) will lead their lean transition and will oversee and enhance all facets of the manufacturing process, fostering a lean culture to drive productivity, safety, profitability, and operational consistency across all plants. This role encompasses the daily management of manufacturing facilities, the development of a visual workplace, assist in the evaluation of potential acquisitions, and the improvement of inventory management processes, including raw materials, spare parts, and packaging.

Absolute Minimum Must Have's / Experience / Requirements:

• Bachelors Degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering or related field required and MBA a plus
• 10+ years of leadership experience in wood product manufacturing operations, a with a focus on operational efficiency, inventory management, and customer service
• Experience in implementing and managing ERP systems, operational analytics, and production management tools
• Exceptional leadership and mentoring skills, with the ability to inspire teams at all levels.
• Proven ability to analyze and integrate acquisitions.
• Experience in implementing Lean methodologies into operations that were not previously lean.

Preferred Experience:

• Certifications in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, ERP Systems preferred
• Engineering or technical background is preferred
• Fluency in Spanish is a plus

Core Focus Areas:

Improving Customer Experience, Brand, & Market Share

• Customer-Centric Operations:
• On-Time Delivery Commitment
• Maintaining reputation for excellence in cost, quality and reliability

Improving Efficiencies

• Operational Efficiency and Consistency: Standardize processes and workflows across

Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement

Throughput (Plants are generally sold out, so we need to maximize the throughput by enhancing current operations)

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) (Develop metrics for each machine to monitor and quantify our efficiencies and improve upon processes.)

Improving Up-time / Reducing Downtime / Preventative Maintenance

• Percentage Planned vs. Emergency Maintenance Work Orders
• Practices TPM(This will be a major driver of plant productivity improvement leading to more reliable supply)

Reducing and Controlling Inventory

• Inventory Management: Develop and manage inventory control systems for raw materials, spare parts, and packaging.

Improving Margin and Profitability & Reducing Costs

• Strategic Growth and Acquisition Analysis: Partner with the CEO and executive team to analyze potential acquisitions and assess their operational fit.
• Team Leadership and Development: Collaborate with plant managers to align team efforts with company goals.

Primary Focus Areas:

Improving Customer Experience, Brand, & Market Share

• Manufacturing Cycle Time
• Risk of Disappointing Customer

Improving Quality

• Yield
• First Pass Quality vs. Customer Rejects/Returns/Warranty Claims

Improving Efficiencies

• Capacity Utilization
• Schedule or Production Attainment

Ensuring Compliance

• Reportable Health and Safety Incidents
• Reportable Environmental Incidents

Improving Up-time / Reducing Downtime / Preventative Maintenance

• Uptime/Downtime in Proportion to Operating Time
• Risk of Loss of Production

Improving Margin and Profitability & Reducing Costs

• Hiring, Training, Engagement and the Development of Human Capital
• Total Manufacturing Cost per Unit Excluding Materials
• Manufacturing Cost as a Percentage of Revenue
• Net Operating Profit
• Productivity in Revenue per Employee
• Average Unit Contribution Margin

Secondary Focus Areas:

Improving Customer Experience, Brand, & Market Share

Time to Make Changeovers

Improving Quality

Supplier's Quality Incoming

Reducing and Controlling Inventory

WIP Inventory/Turns

Shrink

Ensuring Compliance

Number of Non-Compliance Events / Year

Improving Margin and Profitability & Reducing Costs

Global Supply Chain Efficacy

Return on Assets/Return on Net Assets

Energy Cost per Unit

EBITDA

Key Desired Business Outcomes -

1. Consistency in plant productivity and profitability.
2. Successful implementation and utilization of an ERP system.
3. Optimization of inventory levels and reduction in costs related to raw materials, spare parts, and packaging.
4. Development and promotion of lower-level managers to leadership roles.
5. High customer satisfaction and retention through operational reliability.

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