Aaron Jones
New Braunfels
Summary
Results-driven Plant Manager and Maintenance Management Professional with a proven track record leading 24/7 industrial operations while improving safety, production efficiency, and cost control. Over 30 years of experience managing multi-disciplinary teams in compliance, maintenance, inventory, and quality improvement. Strategic, hands-on leader who excels at balancing competing operational priorities, developing high-performing teams, enhancing environmental and safety performance, and driving continuous improvement across all plant and materials management functions.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Maintenance Excellence Manager – Materials and Inventory
Lhoist North America
04.2025 - 03.2026
- Managed the creation, consolidation, and reporting of critical spare parts in SAP per corporate MRP guidelines, optimizing inventory levels and asset utilization.
- Acted as primary liaison for materials management, facilitating alignment between maintenance, sourcing, engineering, and accounting.
- Drove cost efficiency by identifying critical spares and reducing parts inventory value while maintaining availability.
- Developed and maintained Power BI dashboards for real-time materials data visibility and decision-making.
- Led the focus on reducing obsolescence, Min/Max alignment and consolidation.
- Worked with plants to improve warehouse and lubrication storage.
- Led professional development and training programs for materials management personnel.
- Key Achievements:
- Identified and reduced parts inventory by 6000 parts across 43 plants and terminals.
- Removed over $2 million in obsolete parts that was in inventory.
- Managed the new Material Master set-ups for all spare parts and consumables.
Plant Manager, 3 Locations
Lhoist North America
01.2007 - 04.2025
- Directed all aspects of plant performance including safety, quality, production, maintenance, cost management, and compliance for a 24-hour operation.
- Achieved and maintained regulatory, environmental, and safety compliance; led audits and implemented corrective actions.
- Developed and executed policies and procedures to drive efficiency, quality, and cost savings, aligned with corporate strategic goals.
- Managed operating and capital budgets, achieving consistent improvements in KPI metrics such as productivity, downtime reduction, and output quality.
- Partnered with sales and logistics to align production with customer demand forecasts and product mix constraints.
- Fostered a culture of ownership, continuous improvement, and accountability by coaching, developing, and empowering cross-functional teams.
- Improved plant cleanliness, reliability, and overall performance through proactive maintenance and standardization initiatives.
- Key Achievements:
- Led 3 different plant over 18 years to achieve and exceed planned budget expectations.
- Served as a mentor to develop managers to become Plant Managers.
- Oversaw plant expansion that added a new kiln, hydrator and bagging plant.
- Restructured the Nolanville Plant once it was acquired by Lhoist.
- Led production operations, ensuring adherence to safety protocols and quality standards.
Maintenance Supervisor
Lhoist North America
05.2002 - 01.2007
- Oversaw daily maintenance operations, ensuring adherence to safety protocols and operational standards.
- Developed and implemented preventive maintenance schedules to reduce equipment downtime.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Advanced Technical Studies
Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, IL05-1993
Associates of Applied Science - Aviation Maintenance
Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, IL12-1991
Skills
- Software & Tools: SAP, Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Workday, SharePoint
- Methodologies: Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S, Root Cause Analysis, Kaizen
- Other: MSHA / EPA Compliance, Budget Forecasting, KPI Development, Process Optimization
- Customer service
- Team leadership
- Time management
- Decision-making
Leadership Highlights
- Led cross-functional teams through a major process transformation initiative, resulting in improved safety ratings and cost efficiency.
- Strong record of exceeding customer and regulatory requirements, balancing fiscal responsibility with operational excellence.
- Recognized for strategic vision, courage in decision-making, and energy & drive in challenging production environments.
Timeline
Maintenance Excellence Manager – Materials and Inventory
Lhoist North America
04.2025 - 03.2026
Plant Manager, 3 Locations
Lhoist North America
01.2007 - 04.2025
Maintenance Supervisor
Lhoist North America
05.2002 - 01.2007
Bachelor of Science - Advanced Technical Studies
Southern Illinois University
Associates of Applied Science - Aviation Maintenance
Southern Illinois University