Alison Walters
Plant Manager
Atlanta,GA
Summary
Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt professional with an extensive background in all areas of fulfillment operations including; inventory management, procurement, material resource planning, supply chain management (transportation logistics), warehousing, production scheduling and domestic / international shipping functions. Committed to resourceful cost cutting and continuous improvement
I worked from the bottom up and have a proven ability at establishing positive work environments, leading diverse team members and identifying/developing leaders from within.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
2
2
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work History
Plant Manager
Bronner Bros
ATLANTA, GA
01.2019 - 01.2022
- Directed all departments in manufacturing and shipping operations to ensure company’s KPIs were met
- Analyzed and identified opportunities to automate production and shipping activities
- Prepared monthly reports for presentation to internal stakeholders
- Responsible for administering all financial functions of facility and preparing annual facility budget and forecasts
- Responsible for ensuring facility compliance with local OSHA, EPA and county regulations as related to hazardous and non-hazardous waste produced
- Screened and interviewed new management hires
- Ensured company’s policies and procedures were followed at all times
- Lead warehouse remapping project
- Analyzed and relocated inventory based on historical velocity
- Worked with LTL and FTL carriers to ensure and identify opportunities to reduce freight claims and lost shipments
- Helped create customer specific routing plans with carriers
- Managed project to import and install new $1.5M conveyor line in facility
- Implemented 5S in compounding area
- Maximized plant safety through proactive strategies and well-structured training.
- Created relationships with vendors to broaden depth and scope of company's supply chain
- Created employee wellness program that included food stipends, discounted gym memberships and financial literacy courses.
- Tracked data about all aspects of production to assess areas in need of improvement.
- Managed direction and planning for plant with focus on optimization of daily functions, exceeding customer expectations and achieving KPIs.
- Recognized low-cost suppliers and managed deliveries to cut downtime and save costs.
- Evaluated production schedules and orders to arrange required materials and plan staffing needs.
- Applied lean principles to improve workflow and quality and reduce waste.
- Anticipated and addressed production problems, material shortages, equipment malfunctions and unavoidable delays.
- Prepared and maintained production reports and personnel records.
Operations Manager
BRONNER BROS
ATLANTA, GA
08.2016 - 01.2018
- Monitored inventory to guarantee sufficient on hand quantities available for scheduled production.
- Reviewed weekly MRP reports, and sourced/procured materials based on date needed for production and costs.
- Supervised approximately 46 individuals
- Collaborated with plant manager to determine equipment acquisition needs.
- Cross-trained members on different job roles
- Conferred with production manager to verify that production schedule met sales demands / forecasts
- Oversaw any necessary adjustments to production schedules to guarantee that KPIs were et.
- Oversaw timely execution of shipping and receiving deliverables with related department managers.
- Evaluated suppliers to maintain cost controls and improve operations.
- Conducted two daily status meetings with compounding department managers to guarantee timely execution of compounding deliverables for smooth transition to production phase.
- Completed physical inventory counts each month.
- Audited and corrected discrepancies in inventory numbers.
- Worked with supervisors and team members to understand supply needs and bring levels within desired tolerances.
Logistics Coordinator
AFS Logistics
ATLANTA, GA
01.2014 - 07.2016
- Secured and maintained commitments with customers by creating clear transportation cost quotations and proposals based on their requested needs.
- Posted available loads to load boards.
- Sourced new business from load boards.
- Arranged pickup and delivery appointments.
- Booked LTL freight, FTL freight, flatbed trailers, RGN trailers, Conestoga trailers, permitted loads, Hazmat loads and ocean containers.
- Monitored deliveries, verified customer satisfaction and maintained accurate logs of all transportation and goods
- Acted as liaison between drivers and customers.
- Improved benefit estimation and delivery by consistently tracking shipments and reducing potential costs caused by delays and missed packages
- Conducted new carrier verification screenings to guarantee 100% compliance with specifications of load and company, state, and federal guidelines
- Minimize customers' freight charges by selecting most cost-effective mode of transport and consolidating shipments when possible
- Coordinated with freight forwarders to prepare and expedite shipping documentation such as SLIs, LOCs and commercial invoices.
- Administered daily end-of-day audits for open and shipped orders to verify accuracy of carrier invoices and promptly correct discrepancies
- Verified accurate account invoicing through collaboration with accounting department.
- Coordinated shipping requests for expedited delivery and documented accurately to achieve correct billing.
Account Manager
Kamino International
ATLANTA, GA
01.2009 - 01.2014
- Maintained contact with internal departments to proactively minimize problems for account
- Investigated shipping discrepancy reports, reported issues and tracked error percentages at weekly management meetings.
- Strategized methods to resolve shipping error issues, hence minimizing error percentage within shipping department by 15%
- Interviewed, hired and trained new associates.
- Facilitated daily safety meetings to distribute important safety information to employees
- Introduced 5S system into packing area. This change resulted in 61% reduction in misplaced packing tools.
- Adjusted inventory levels within WMS to verify availability of information needed for accurate financial statements.
- Educated clients on new products or services to increase customer engagement with company.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Early Childhood Education
09.1992 - 06.1994
Skills
Employee training and development
Lean manufacturing processes
Project Management
Plant and warehouse operations
Production Scheduling
Safety protocols
Numerical controls understanding
Oracle
JDE
Macola
Payroll
Inventory Control
Purchasing
SAP B1
Microsoft Office
Accomplishments
- Collaborated with team of 8 others in the implementation of a new ERP
- Designated company superuser - SAP
- Used Microsoft Excel to develop inventory tracking spreadsheets.
Certification
Six Sigma Green Belt
Timeline
Six Sigma Green Belt
12-2020
Plant Manager - Bronner Bros
01.2019 - 01.2022
Operations Manager - BRONNER BROS
08.2016 - 01.2018
Logistics Coordinator - AFS Logistics
01.2014 - 07.2016
Account Manager - Kamino International
01.2009 - 01.2014
ALGONQUIN COLLEGE OTTAWA - Bachelor of Arts, Early Childhood Education
09.1992 - 06.1994