Production & Quality Control Supervisor at Cottrell, Inc. (2022-08 – Present)
Provide strategic daily oversight for 25-40 employees across Receiving, Measurement, Production Preparation, Welding, General Assembly, and Shipping Operations, including 4-6 team leads and one hourly supervisor with responsibility for scaling according to production / market demand. Direct quality and operational oversight of approximately 500 OEM commercial truck chassis in active inventory with peak responsibility exceeding 900 units. Responsible for overseeing inbound inspection, inventory control, yard management, vehicle operation and movement, pre-production preparation, production allocation and end customer shipping handoff.
Manage production operations supporting the full product life cycle and shipping stream, currently processing approximately three high value automotive units per day, 750+ units annually within a five-day production schedule with operational peak exceeding an average of eight units per day.
- Maintained zero recordable safety incidents for 20 consecutive months while leading a multi-department manufacturing workforce.
- Achieved 100% voluntary employee retention across the workforce for 13 consecutive months through direct leadership, consistent engagement, and workforce management.
- Played a pivotal role in the creation and launch of a new production department, overseeing facility setup, equipment procurement, workforce training, and seamless integration into the company's larger manufacturing structure.
- Lead departmental operations supporting the facility's full finished unit shipping stream, currently processing 3-4 units daily with historical peak production of 8-9 units per day representing an estimated $150M+ in annual product throughput.
- Contributed to an 8% reduction in facility wide red tags activity over three years through quality process improvements and cross functional corrective action.
- Sustained a 96% rolling average first pass shipping readiness rate, minimizing customer release delays caused by additional rework, modifications, or final production corrections.
- Lead operations within a high mix, custom manufacturing environment producing finished units valued approximately at $200K each.
- Optimize daily production schedules within assigned operations, balancing labor availability, material readiness, production priorities, and completing projects to maintain workflow and customer delivery commitments.
- Manage daily labor allocations and overtime within assigned operations, adjusting staffing and workflow to accommodate production requirements and unexpected operational demands.
- Develop and implement departmental policies, workforce training programs, and succession planning models that promote accountability, future sustainability, and team growth.
- Manage ADP timekeeping and payroll submissions.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Engineering, Sales & Marketing, Production Scheduling, and Warehouse/Inventory teams to align operational priorities with company goals.
- Introduced data-driven systems and reporting tools that improved visibility of KPIs, production capacity, and team performance metrics.
- Recognized by executive leadership for building high performing teams, strengthening communication frameworks, and leading major operational transitions with consistency and foresight.
Industrial Engineering Associate (On-the-Job Internship) at Cottrell Trailers Inc (2021-11 – 2022-08)
- Spearhead high-impact process improvement initiatives, doubling output of a high-margin product line through cross-departmental coordination, parts / process improvement, and communication reform.
- Led successful transition of outsourced part fabrication to internal production, significantly reducing external costs, strengthening quality control and directly contributing to approximately $3M in annualized savings.
- Partnered with Industrial Engineering leadership to design and implement Lean-based workflow improvements across multiple production areas.
- Conducted detailed time studies, cycle-time documentation, and value stream evaluations to optimize throughput and reduce bottlenecks.
- Coordinated project management activities, tracking milestones and reporting results to leadership through executive-ready presentations.
- Integrated Toyota Kata, Kanban, and 5-Why methodologies into daily operations, reinforcing a data-driven, problem-solving culture.
- Collaborated with production and engineering departments to align technical strategies with operational goals.
Production Support & Scheduling (Data Analyst) at Cottrell Trailers Inc (2021-02 – 2021-11)
- Supported production scheduling and data management through high-accuracy data entry, analytics, and R&D documentation.
- Authored policy and procedural documentation that improved clarity and standardization between departments.
- Coordinated outsourcing records and vendor communications to meet tight delivery and production targets.
- Designed executive-facing presentation decks and data summaries to communicate operational trends and departmental capacity.
- Supported early-stage continuous improvement initiatives that enhanced data transparency and interdepartmental collaboration.
