ALEXANDER CONTRERAS
Tinley Park,IL
Summary
Driven Continuous Improvement Manager with many years of expertise in reducing waste, increasing production and managing efficiency. Driven to improve safety, efficiency, and ergonomics using lean methods. Highly adept in analyzing manufacturing process objectives in comparison with metrics to interpret process improvement results.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Quality, Engineering, R&D, and Continuous Improvement Manager
A LAVA & SON
Chicago, Illinois
10.2012 - Current
- Work in all aspects of the bedding components manufacturing process for over 11 years
- Built and trained a team of 2 Engineers, Quality Engineer, Quality Technician and Coordinator, and 2 auditors
- Managed the entire inspection department with 1 supervisor and 26 inspectors
- Responsible for setting goals and line balance to support plant capacity
- Responsible for managing company continuous improvements projects and lean initiatives
- Managed process for developing new products
- Implementing APQP process including PPAP approval
- Implemented 5S with encompassing OSHA safety regulations
- Drive reductions in operating cost and improvements in manufacturing applying lean initiatives
- Develop strategic planning and goals setting for existing and new product lines
- Manage all engineering, quality, and sourcing activities for our offshore plant
- Increased overall sewing efficiency, while converting the plant to a modular manufacturing system
- Developed first and only production performance-based incentive program in the 105 years of the company history
- Reduced returned defective covers from 8% to less than 1%, saving the company over $350K
- Created QMS system that allows the company to meet customer audit requirements, gaining new business in the process
- Created SOP for inspection to reduce motion waste, resulting in the reduction of 10 inspectors
Sourcing and Production Manager – Alteration Shop and Warehouse
CINTAS CORPORATION
Chicago, Illinois
08.2004 - 09.2012
- Responsible for planning and maintaining DC receiving and shipping capacity
- Directly managed 4 supervisors and 120 partners on the embroidery and alteration shop floor for all uniforms modifications
- Lead implementation of the first piece rate incentive program for a DC in the corporation
- Managed operation and control inventories to ensure budgets were met
- Led Six Sigma Green Belt Projects that saved a total of $80,000
- Revitalized processes to improve inventory accuracy
- Implemented 5S in the picking area, improving productivity
- Improved Ishikawa safety process to identify other areas of risk throughout the DC
- Reduced staff by 40% while increasing productivity through a redesign of operational process and production schedules
- Implemented new quality control program that improved OQL from 99.85% to 99.92%
- Reduced internal errors, saving the company $125,000 a year
- Responsible for meeting OSHA and corporate Safety Standards initiatives
- Played integral role in identifying and transitioning work to full package vendors from local and Central American contractors to Asia, reducing manufacturing cost by 40%
- Implemented new processes and rules for vendor shipping to speed the receiving process and hold vendors accountable for missing products and mislabeling
Project Engineer/Quality Control Manager
SBI INDUSTRIES
Tellico Plains, TN
08.2003 - 08.2004
- Managed the quality department to assure compliance with ISO900 for the battle dress uniforms for the Army and implemented new production line for sewing of truck seat cover
- Developed matrix for truck cover seat styles, including operation diagrams and drawings
- Implemented Quality controls and processes for the new lines of auto cover seats
- Developed a matrix for all auto cover styles, including operation breakdown, drawings, standards, and bill of materials
- Calculated costs for new styles of auto seat covers
- Developed PPAP for new styles
- Planned Plant layout and calculated manpower to increase production from 100 to 500 covers at day
- Saved the company $86,000/year through continuous improvement of the manufacturing process
Industrial Engineer
ROYAL HOME FASHION, CROSCILL HOME
Durham, NC
08.2002 - 08.2003
- Managed overall engineering process for all windows treatment products, windows and showers curtains, and performance improvement project
- Applied Statistical Process Control (SPC) to report progress on actual projects for continues improvement of sewing constructions of shower curtain, windows curtains
- Applied MOST (Maynard operation sequence technique) analysis to set up operation standards
- Implemented manufacturing process improvements, saving the company $100K
- Tracked and followed up with low efficiency operators to assure production goals were met
- Performed new product cost analysis and update of routers and specifications
Plant Manager
OXFORD SLACKS, A DIVISION OF OXFORD INDUSTRIES
Sonora, MX
08.2000 - 02.2002
- Responsible for day-to-day operations of a 380-employee facility in northern Mexico
- Managed a total staff of 1 production superintendent, 5 office staff, 12 supervisors
- Full responsibility for P & L statement
- Increase plant capacity from 10,000 to 16,000 slacks a week
- Responsible for cost reduction projects and continued manufacturing process improvement
- Lead project for setting the laundry department for the application of wrinkle free process
Education
Bachelor of Science - Industrial Engineer
Central East University
Dominican Republic01.1992
Skills
- Leadership
- Receiving
- Handling
- Spreading
- Cutting
- Sewing
- Inspection
- Warehouse Management
- Plant Layout Design
- AutoCAD
- Lean Manufacturing
- 6S
- Kaizen
- Value Stream Mapping
- Root Cause Analysis
- 8's Waste
- TPM
- Poke-Yoke
- Six Sigma Green Belt
- Microsoft Office
- Operations Standards
- Process Validation
- Sewing Machine Operation
- SAGE
- AS400
- SAP
- Motion Studies
- Time Studies
- GSD
- MOST
- Lean six sigma
- Managing operations
- Waste reduction
- Visual management
- Lean manufacturing concepts
- Kaizen events
- Quality management systems
- Total productive maintenance
- Process efficiency management
Languages
Spanish
Native/ Bilingual
Timeline
Quality, Engineering, R&D, and Continuous Improvement Manager
A LAVA & SON
10.2012 - Current
Sourcing and Production Manager – Alteration Shop and Warehouse
CINTAS CORPORATION
08.2004 - 09.2012
Project Engineer/Quality Control Manager
SBI INDUSTRIES
08.2003 - 08.2004
Industrial Engineer
ROYAL HOME FASHION, CROSCILL HOME
08.2002 - 08.2003
Plant Manager
OXFORD SLACKS, A DIVISION OF OXFORD INDUSTRIES
08.2000 - 02.2002
Bachelor of Science - Industrial Engineer
Central East University
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