Brandon Kowalski
Milwaukee,WI
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
Work History
Continuous Improvement Specialist
Smithfield Foods
02.2023 - Current
- Led simultaneous deployments of Redzone software launches at multiple plants, saw significant benefits to Yield and Labor variances
- Focused on three key areas of the deployment; planning, execution, and follow up.
- Influenced operations teams and coordinated with IT and OT to build and structure the software.
- Participated in cross-functional teams to identify and implement process improvements.
- Developed training videos and documents that standardize the deployment of Redzone across the enterprise.
- Translated complex Redzone software to all levels of the company from Line level up to executive level.
- Coached other members of the department to be able to replace my position and deploy the software independently.
- Possessed a deeper understanding of 'meat science' and used knowledge to drive actions at the plant and create opportunity.
Associate Continuous Improvement Specialist
Smithfield Foods
03.2022 - 02.2023
- Worked with Pilot Plant and helped lead in the deployment of Redzone at the Wilson Facility
- Expert in Redzone Operations, Compliance, and Admin tools and led multiple deployments around the country
- Assisted in other MIQ deployments and gained knowledge of the operations of fresh/harvest facilities at Smithfield
- Executed Kaizen Event at Cudahy Plant with other CI Managers leading to +$50K cost savings
- Completed cost savings project at Wichita with Hog Casing supplier to maximize our yields, estimated savings of $75k annually
- Solved a Yield issue on Wichita Slicers by getting new grippers in that will improve 1% on our largest volume product group at Wichita.
Career Foundations Program Associate - CI/Operations
Smithfield Foods
07.2021 - 03.2022
- Lead and tracked Wichita's FSD-Prime Fresh Slicer cost savings project which has increased TMax on a few lines up to 8%
- Wrote SOP which has created a standardized approach to how Technical Services writes and distributes Scorecards
- Created Power BI dashboards for Wichita Plant Safety and Leader Standard Work for supervisors across the Junction City Plant.
- Data analysis used to drive manufacturing productivity and improve overall product quality.
Quality Assurance Analyst
Kowalski Companies Inc.
Hamtramck, MI
07.2020 - 08.2020
- Learned the procedures and requirements of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) from the USDA
- Wrote a guide to incorporate Minitab analytics in other parts of company by evaluating worker's break times for packaging teams
- Designed and applied a metal bracket that is now used to assist with more consistent temperature validations and save time.
Marketing Specialist
Northstar Home
San Antonio, TX
05.2017 - 09.2018
- Collaborated with sales teams to develop lead generation strategies across multiple channels.
- Used excellent verbal skills to engage customers in conversation and effectively determine needs and requirements.
- Demonstrated product features to align with customer needs.
- Pursued new accounts through lead generation, cold calling , and directly as a Door-to-Door Sales Representative.
Education
Industrial Engineering -
Florida State – Florida A&M Engineering School, Florida State University
04.2021
Skills
- Redzone Manufacturing Software
- Microsoft Office Suite/Power BI/Power Automate/Minitab/SAP
- PTC Creo/Solidworks
- C/Solidity/JavaScript/Python/MATLAB
- Value Stream Mapping
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Implementing Tracking Systems
- Customer Service
- Product Development
Timeline
Continuous Improvement Specialist
Smithfield Foods
02.2023 - Current
Associate Continuous Improvement Specialist
Smithfield Foods
03.2022 - 02.2023
Career Foundations Program Associate - CI/Operations
Smithfield Foods
07.2021 - 03.2022
Quality Assurance Analyst
Kowalski Companies Inc.
07.2020 - 08.2020
Marketing Specialist
Northstar Home
05.2017 - 09.2018
Industrial Engineering -
Florida State – Florida A&M Engineering School, Florida State University