Manufacturing

Professional Summary

Manufacturing operations executive and naturalized U.S. citizen with more than 35 years of leadership across paper, tissue, converting, packaging, and international manufacturing operations in the United States and Latin America. Proven record in plant management, operational turnaround, yield and waste reduction, production-flow redesign, machinery integration, plant startup, expansion, relocation, and recovery of manufacturing capacity after major disruption.

Career developed in operating environments where plant leadership could not be separated from the physical and technical systems of the factory. Repeatedly responsible not only for production and people, but also for machinery selection and commissioning, facility layout, utilities, maintenance, logistics, ERP and production-information systems, infrastructure, and cross-functional project execution. That breadth was built through both planned growth and unplanned disruption, including new-facility startups, plant expansions, machinery relocation, fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, and politically unstable operating environments.

Brings an unusually integrated manufacturing perspective: the ability to see production, machinery, facilities, maintenance, logistics, information systems, quality, and people as one operating system. Particularly effective in situations requiring simultaneous plant leadership and transformation — stabilizing operations while rebuilding, modernizing, expanding, relocating, integrating, or materially improving the manufacturing system.

Core Competencies

Plant Leadership, Manufacturing Transitions & Operating Systems

• Plant Management & Operational Turnaround
• Plant P&L, Cost Control & Conversion Economics
• Production Continuity During Plant Startups, Expansions, Relocations & Consolidations
• Manufacturing Capacity Recovery & Disaster Response
• Manufacturing Layout & Continuous-Flow Design
• Machinery Selection, Installation, Commissioning & Integration
• ERP / Manufacturing Information Systems
• Yield, Broke & Waste Reduction — Lean, Six Sigma & OEE Optimization
• OEM & Private-Label Manufacturing Programs
• Cross-Border Logistics, Warehousing & Export Distribution
• Equipment Control & Safety Modernization
• Machinery Reverse Engineering & Legacy Equipment Support
• Cross-Functional Capital & Infrastructure Projects

Career

Paper Towel & Tissue Converter — United States / Tijuana, MX

Plant Manager & Operations Lead · 2004 – 2020  |  Manufacturing Consultant · 2020 – Present

• Restored manufacturing operations within one month following a catastrophic total-loss fire
• Recovered and restarted operations within two weeks following a separate partial-loss fire, coordinating directly with local fire authorities
• Achieved sustained production through COVID by implementing health and safety protocols
• Led rapid plant startups and relocations with minimal operational downtime and minimal interruption to customer production
• Directed Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement following startup, ramp-up, and normalization of operations
• Installed and ramped up Perini™, Ronco™, Italconverting™, and various Chinese napkin-converting machines for both the away-from-home and retail consumer tissue and towel markets
• Directed the engineered connection of machinery from disparate manufacturers into one coherent production line
• Improved OEE, production flow, and conversion economics through post-startup stabilization
• Developed safety procedures, production workflows, shipping systems, and receiving operations
• Oversaw installation, refurbishment, and optimization of converting, rewinder, and packaging systems
• Oversaw the modernization of pre-digital machinery to current sensor-based PLC controls and safety equipment
• Reverse-engineered and sourced one-off replacement parts for discontinued equipment
• Directed the reverse-engineering, redesign, and fabrication of a complete replacement tissue core-making machine after the original OEM ceased operations

Technical Development & IP

IP, Prototype & Process Development Consulting · 2020 – Present — concurrent with the tissue-converter role during COVID

• Technical and intellectual-property development across sanitation equipment, sports technology, and electroacoustic systems
• AI-assisted technical research, prior-art analysis, engineering documentation, and patent-drawing workflows
• Prototype development incorporating reverse engineering, fabrication, welding, woodworking, and mechanical design
• Design and construction of specialized machinery, tooling, fixtures, and fabrication systems

Affiliated Paper-Products Group — Integration of U.S. & Latin America Operations

Director of Operations & International Integration · 1995 – 2004 — integrated manufacturing and logistics across affiliated converting, mill, distribution, and specialty-paper operations

• Built IT capabilities and coordinated integration of cross-border voice and data connecting manufacturing and distribution across nations: United States → El Salvador → Costa Rica → Guatemala
• Developed and launched OEM and private-label manufacturing programs with Boise Office Products™, OfficeMax™, Procter & Gamble™, Dollar General™, and Office Depot™
• Coordinated licensed-product development for Disney™, Lucasfilm™, and Hanna-Barbera™ brands for Latin American school- and office-product distribution
• Designed just-in-time warehousing and distribution operations supporting Fortune 500 retail programs
• Coordinated logistics between converting operations, warehouse facilities, and retail distribution channels to support high-volume OEM product rollout
• Achieved U.S. Minority-Owned Supplier certification and directed its operational implementation

Paper Mill & Converting Operation — San Salvador, El Salvador

Logistics & Manufacturing Integration Consultant · 2000 – 2004 — concurrent engagement within the affiliated group above

• Expanded paper-mill and converting operations supporting a product portfolio exceeding 1,500 SKUs, including tissue and towel products, school and office products, and paper converting for offset printing
• Designed production-floor layouts for expanded school-, office-, and paper-products manufacturing
• Optimized infrastructure, footprint, and operations for international distribution
• Developed shipping, receiving, and just-in-time operational procedures for cross-border OEM manufacturing
• Engineered pulp and paper process modifications for environmentally friendly manufacturing and specialty paper production supporting the affiliated sustainable specialty-paper venture

Sustainable Specialty-Paper Venture — San José, Costa Rica

Founder / Logistics & Manufacturing Integration · 1995 – 2004 — concurrent engagement within the affiliated group above

• Developed and commercialized specialty sustainable paper products for major international brands including Starbucks™, Kinko’s™, National Geographic™, Hallmark™, and Disney™
• Invented the processes behind Coffee Paper™, Banana Paper™, and Cigar Paper™
• Oversaw the filing of trademarks, copyrights, and related intellectual-property assets
• Coordinated environmental-sustainability certification
• Customized products for the grand opening of Disney’s™ Animal Kingdom™ and the Tarzan™ movie

Paper Converting & Export Manufacturer — Miami, FL

Production Trainee → Production Supervisor → Plant Manager · 1991 – 1999
Director of Operations & Integration · 2000 – 2004

• Reduced waste from 6.5% to 2.3% in 4 months
• Increased production throughput by 35%
• Redesigned the production floor to lower size-change downtime to 13 minutes
• Ramped up to receive 3 trainloads and ship up to 24 land/ocean containers per day
• Grew the paper converter into the Port of Miami’s largest exporter by weight
• Rolled out early Six Sigma variation supervision for cut quality and paper-shade control
• Implemented Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement policies
• Built an in-house maintenance organization from the ground up, including machine-shop capability, preventive-maintenance systems, spare-parts control, and roll-truck maintenance
• Expanded international distribution of converted paper for high-end offset printing markets: Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean
• Working command of offset, flexo, and litho printing from the converter’s side — specified printed packaging (cartons, printed roll wrap), ran small in-house print-support presses for notebook covers, greeting cards, and school/office/gift products, and held converted-paper quality to the expectations of high-end offset printing customers
• Designed and implemented purchasing, HR, safety, and machine-specific operational procedure systems
• Redesigned manufacturing flow and reinstalled existing machinery to optimize throughput
• Reverse-engineered obsolete and discontinued components and commissioned custom replacements to maintain production during rapid expansion
• Specified and implemented plant-wide production information infrastructure and a customized PaperSoft/MAS90 ERP environment providing granular production, yield, and broke control across manufacturing stations
• Installed and integrated custom Bielomatik™, Will-Pemco™, and Körber™ converting and packaging systems
• Expanded converting capabilities by adding 25+ envelope, notepad, file-folder, and packaging lines to existing paper converting serving offset printing with sheeters, rewinders, and guillotines
• Integrated machinery from multiple manufacturers into unified production lines during plant expansion
• Modernized pre-digital production machinery to programmable logic controls (PLC) with in-house or locally sourced maintenance talent
• Modernized decades-old manufacturing machines to meet or surpass current OSHA standards
• Led hurricane preparedness, manufacturing continuity, and post-event recovery through major South Florida events including Hurricane Andrew and the 2004 hurricane season

Architecture Firm — Miami, FL

Architectural Apprentice – Draftsman · Summer 1988

• Collation and assembly of architectural plan sets
• Transfer of drawings from paper to AutoCAD
• Project assistant and liaison for a paper-manufacturing-plant project
• Assisted the project architect with 3D models for a paper manufacturing facility
• Early exposure to industrial space planning, workflow layout, and fire-safety considerations

Technical Skills & Systems

• Ubuntu Linux AI-Assisted Patent-Level Research & Development Workflow Systems
• Architectural and 3D Design and Basic CNC Machining & Laser Cutting along with Basic Metalworking & Woodworking
• Windows Microsoft Office Suite — Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook & Microsoft Excel
• Basic HTML + XML / WordPress Website Building & eCommerce
• ERP: PaperSoft and MAS90
• Basic Python and JavaScript on Ubuntu Linux
• Adobe Creative Suite Desktop Design Software — Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom
• Basic Networking & Computer System Integration

Languages & Mobility

Naturalized U.S. citizen. English & Spanish — native fluency, including executive, technical, and manufacturing environments. Operating nomadically across California, Mexico (Tijuana), and El Salvador. Utah-domiciled. Available for on-site consulting engagements across the US, Mexico, and Latin America.

Get in Touch

For consulting inquiries, plant assessments, or cross-border project support, please use the contact form or write directly via the email link on the contact page.