Ryan Hailey

Manufacturing, engineering, and operations leader with 30+ years of progressive experience spanning construction, industrial and healthcare facility design, product development, process engineering, factory transfers, automation, and global operations. Proven record leading capital projects, advanced manufacturing integration, operational turnarounds, and cross-functional teams across North America, Mexico, Europe, and Australia. Experienced applying ISO 9001-based quality management principles within manufacturing engineering environments, including documented process controls, process validation, change management, production readiness, and manufacturing traceability.

Applied AI experience includes reusable operational-analysis agents, human-in-the-loop workflows, user adoption, and AI-assisted application development.

Global Tape R&D Director - Rivulis Irrigation - San Diego, CA

(2023-06 - 2026-04)

• Led 34 direct reports and up to 500 indirect reports across manufacturing operations in Mexico, France, and Australia.
• Led transfer and commissioning of five blown-film lines and more than 20 assembly, extrusion, tape, and mixing lines from Miramar, California, to Tijuana, Mexico.
• Rebuilt Tijuana maintenance and operations functions using Lean Manufacturing and World Class Manufacturing practices; improved OEE from approximately 50% to 70% and reduced quality issues from approximately 40% to the low teens.
• Designed and deployed two reusable ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot agents to analyze Excel plant-floor reports, surface frequency and correlation patterns for manager validation, and reduce reporting effort by approximately two days per week; trained four leaders and provided 30 days of launch support. The workflow supported an OEE improvement from approximately 60% to 70% within 30 days.
• Restored customer confidence in T-Tape and RO-Drip products, retaining at-risk customers and helping secure millions of dollars in new customer revenue.
• Directed engineering, operations, product development, material engineering, mechanical engineering, machine and test-equipment design, a six-person fabrication shop, logistics, purchasing, and vendor sourcing.

Project Manager (Contract) - Tesla - Buffalo, NY

(2023-01 - 2023-04)

• Designed and integrated a battery rebuild assembly process covering shell removal, battery-bank disassembly, testing, cell replacement, soldering, reassembly, coolant fill, charging, and final validation.
• Integrated Atlas Copco torque tools, test data, and quality records into a QR-code-based track-and-trace system for component-level rebuild visibility.
• Assumed project responsibility during an unexpected leave transition and completed delivery two weeks ahead of schedule.

Industrial Integration Engineer – Global Advanced Manufacturing Engineering - Whirlpool Corporation - Findlay, OH

(2021 - 2023)

• Led integration of advanced manufacturing technologies, vendors, automation, and quality-control systems within Whirlpool's ISO 9001-based Quality Management System (QMS) for new production processes.
• Applied ISO 9001-based quality principles to equipment and process implementation, including documented process controls, validation, change management, production readiness, and manufacturing traceability.
• Managed implementation of a $4 million medical-grade material drying and handling system within a high-hazard powder-processing environment.
• Partnered with construction, facilities, health and safety, operations, and quality stakeholders to establish equipment requirements, process controls, fire protection, electrical infrastructure, structural requirements, material flow, and operator safeguards.
• Integrated industrial ovens, adhesive processes, pick-and-place robotics, and automated material-transfer systems while maintaining documented manufacturing and quality requirements; completed the capital project 15% below budget.

Senior Process Engineer - Whirlpool Corporation - Findlay, OH

(2017 - 2021)

• Led modernization of dishwasher assembly lines more than 30 years old within an ISO 9001-based manufacturing quality environment, managing a cross-functional team of approximately 12 engineers, maintenance personnel, construction crews, and contractors.
• Managed procurement and specification of conveyors, assembly equipment, fixtures, collaborative robots, track-and-tray systems, and test processes for a new dishwasher platform, incorporating documented process controls, acceptance criteria, validation, and production-readiness requirements.
• Led the Early Equipment Management pillar of Whirlpool's World Class Manufacturing program; developed training materials and delivered factory-wide training on logistics, pricing, costing, project management, and operating disciplines for approximately 4,000 employees.
• Reduced a corporate plan for 100 collaborative robots to 25 while still meeting a $4 million savings target, releasing 75 robots for deployment at other facilities.
• Kept factory master-plan projects within 10% of their original budgets while supporting controlled equipment and process changes through defined engineering and manufacturing requirements.
• Integrated MES/SAP data for test results, labeling, quality records, and production traceability supporting manufacturing quality-system requirements.

R&D Engineer - Advanced Drainage Systems - Findlay, OH

(2015 - 2017)

• Supported Applications and R&D teams developing new machinery and drainage-product solutions for sewer and sanitary-piping applications.
• Built a parametric Autodesk Inventor system that generated region-specific 3D models for fittings, fixtures, and components.
• Replaced generic 2D drawings with 3D models tailored to plant location, product dimensions, and regional manufacturing conditions, improving accuracy for large DOT projects and avoiding costly pipe overages or shortages.

IT/CAD Manager - RCM Architects - Findlay, OH

(2005 - 2015)

• Led the design and production effort on healthcare projects across the Blanchard Valley Health System network of hospital and outpatient facilities over a ten-year period.
• Produced construction-document sets for renovations carried out inside occupied clinical space, sequencing drawings and phasing plans so departments remained operational throughout construction.
• Coordinated architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical disciplines into unified construction-document sets across concurrent healthcare, government, and industrial projects.
• Managed computer infrastructure, CAD systems, and technical standards while supporting healthcare, commercial, industrial, and architectural design work.
• Produced factory and facility designs for major regional clients, including Cooper Tire and Marathon Oil, as well as government facilities, school districts, and parking structures.
• Modernized data management and backup systems by replacing aging tape-based processes with cloud storage.

B.S. - Mechanical Engineering - Indiana State University