Helio Gonzalez

Results-driven operational excellence & process improvement Leader with expertise in optimizing end-to-end processes, driving process improvement and leading cross-functional manufacturing and engineering teams. Proven track record of leveraging lean six sigma, project management and change management methodologies to reduce cycle time, eliminate waste, optimize improvement initiatives and deliver over $ 2.5M in bottom line cost savings across complex 24/7 operations.

COMPETENCIES & SKILLS

• LSS, Kaizen, DMAIC, 5S, VSM, SMED, Kanban, Gemba walks, FMEA, SPC, DMS, SMED, Automation, Scrap & Defect Reduction, best practices, SOPs, Performance KPIs, OEE, PMP and training. Process Engineering, Assessment audit questionary, Budget, CAPEX/OPEX, QMS, RCA, CAPA, HACPP, GMP, COPQ, ISO Standards, Critical control points, Regulatory Compliance, Customer satisfaction, Customer relationship, Quality risk, Process confirmation & positive release Management.
• Team Leadership, Strategic planning, Strategic communication, Emotional intelligence, Coaching and mentoring, Change management, Creative Problem-Solving and Relation building.

ACHIEVEMENTS

· Conducted quality risk assessments with 500+ questions for each department and process audit, root cause investigations, and preventive action programs focused on critical control points for a Detection-Containment-Prevention framework at the source of defects and executing strict Positive Release protocols

· Led process improvement strategy across multi sites of production lines, driving a 9.1% increase in OEE over 6 months.

· Managed 15+ Kaizen events focused on redesigning, improving processes, eliminating manual interventions, setup time reduction, deploying SMED concepts to cut changeover downtime by 31% $ (253K annual savings).

· Led CAPEX projects; totaling $17.7M, ensuring seamless execution from process design and vendor procurement to validation, commissioning and startup.

· Implemented 5S and visual management systems, reducing inventory search time and enhancing shopfloor QEHS compliance by 24.7%.

· Provided mentoring and training for 89+ engineers, supervisors, and operators in LLS methodologies, problem-solving tools, fostering continuous improvement culture and reducing operational rework by 27.2%.

· Conducted thorough VSM to identify bottlenecks, reducing total lead time by 12 days and boosting throughput by 26.8%.

· Implemented scrap reduction initiatives using LSS principles, cutting material waste by 18.5% and generating $189K in annual cost recovery.