EPI MENDOZA
Loveland,CO
Summary
Manufacturing and operations leader with a background in plant management, production planning, and multi-site service delivery. Led teams and cross-functional projects that improved downtime, safety, inventory control, and schedule performance through lean methods, preventive maintenance, and clear operating standards.
Overview
1
1
Certification
36
36
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Operations
meldCX
Loveland, CO
10.2023 - Current
- Coordinated kiosk system configuration, site surveys, deployment, installation, testing, and go-live activities for nationwide customer sites, resolving operational roadblocks with field teams, site managers, customers, and service providers.
- Led operational activities supporting kiosk system deployment, field service, technical support, installation, and customer-facing implementation activities across multiple U.S. locations.
- Established third-party service partnerships to ensure daily, weekly, and monthly service requirements across the United States, achieving consistent 24-48 hour service-level agreements.
- Implemented monthly field-service training procedures with contracted service providers, enhancing consistency and execution across multi-state operations.
- Developed detailed troubleshooting documentation and training materials for the internal Field Support organization, including kiosk machine integration documentation used to train Support Technicians in Australia and the Philippines.
- Restructured weekly operational meetings with a primary customer during a major pilot rollout to improve action-item tracking, follow-up, and resource utilization.
- Led development of a new internal part-numbering system for hardware device cables used with machine PCB controller boards; incorporated 5S visual-management practices and color-coded connections to improve assembly and service-ticket identification.
- Coordinated cross-functional resources to maintain deployment schedules and resolve installation issues.
Plant Manager
Oldcastle Infrastructure
Platteville, CO
12.2022 - 10.2023
- Led plant operations focused on production efficiency, material management, preventive maintenance, employee engagement, safety, continuous improvement, resulting in streamlined workflows.
- Led Production teams in establishing a more consistent production pace and resource schedule, improving daily operating efficiency by 20%.
- Drove implementation of the FIIIX preventive-maintenance and spare-parts tracking program with Maintenance and Production teams, helping reduce downtime by 25%.
- Redesigned plant production flows with Production and Quality teams, minimizing unnecessary movement of materials and reducing cross-traffic between forklifts and personnel.
- Developed a raw-material ordering process using existing Bills of Materials and Microsoft Excel production schedules, reducing excessive wire-mesh inventory by 33% through demand-based purchasing.
- Implemented 5S practices throughout plant and yard, achieving greater organization and improved workplace efficiency.
- Conducted system-wide audit of equipment for Lockout/Tagout processes, correcting inaccuracies and enhancing documentation accuracy.
- Implemented a quarterly employee-recognition program focused on performance, attendance, attitude, and teamwork to strengthen employee engagement and morale.
Plant Manager
Creative Foam Corporation
Berthoud, CO
03.2019 - 12.2022
- Managed plant operations and planning across multiple shifts, overseeing 100+ employees and coordinating production, supply chain, inventory, quality assurance, maintenance, and ISO activities to ensure operational efficiency.
- Managed daily plant operations, optimizing resources and ensuring alignment with production, supply chain, inventory, quality, maintenance, safety, and customer expectations.
- Improved production output and efficiency by 15% within one year through focused reductions in cycle time, downtime, and production-loss inefficiencies.
- Led Engineering, Production, and Maintenance teams in implementing more than $932K in process improvements and cost savings involving labor, materials, and established processes.
- Improved the plant safety record by 89%, rebuilding cross-functional safety teams and implementing consistent training, audits, and accountability practices.
- Improved preventive-maintenance on-time completion from 70% to more than 95%, using data collection and spare-parts tracking to reduce unexpected machine downtime.
- Implemented 5S shadow boards, production-cell tool caddies, and Kanban material locations to improve workplace organization, material availability, and standardized work practices.
- Developed structured training phases for entry-level through advanced positions, enhancing consistency between trainers and departments.
- Established employee-recognition program to enhance engagement, morale, and teamwork, fostering positive workplace relations.
Director of Operations
Kiosk Information Systems
Louisville, CO
08.2017 - 03.2019
- Directed daily production activities for kiosk metal fabrication and manufacturing operations, leading 2 Managers, 4 Supervisors, and 65 direct-labor employees.
- Managed production schedules and activities to meet committed build, shipping, and revenue objectives.
- Managed spending for fabrication, paint, production, and graphics departments to ensure resource availability for production requirements while adhering to budget controls.
- Implemented production-schedule reporting to track labor allocation and revenue across production builds, enhancing accuracy of planning for new orders.
- Led Project Management, Engineering, and Production teams through Bill of Materials reviews prior to release to Purchasing, Fabrication, and Production, reducing BOM-release inaccuracies by 25%.
- Coordinated cross-functional teams to resolve production constraints and maintain schedule commitments.
- Conducted monthly safety and legal reviews for two manufacturing facilities, ensuring adherence to compliance standards.
Senior Project Manager
Kiosk Information Systems
Louisville, CO
03.2005 - 07.2017
- Managed multiple concurrent custom-manufacturing projects and field-installation schedules for major customers including IBM, Busch Entertainment, Dave & Buster's, Behr Paint, AT&T, Verizon, Ticketmaster, and Home Depot.
- Led project teams in defining scope, goals, deliverables, and schedules, aligning resource requirements with sales and external customers to meet project objectives.
- Directed project management department workload, assignments, resource allocation, schedules, and customer requirements, ensuring timely order completion and customer satisfaction.
- Managed project costs, supplier material-delivery schedules, and revision control while tracking project progress and providing ongoing customer support from launch through installation.
- Directed scope and cost changes using formal change-management processes to maintain project schedules and financial objectives.
- Led Project Management team in resolving schedule and execution roadblocks to maintain project timelines and enhance delivery.
- Honored with Kiosk Presidential Award for Employee of the Year by CEO and Senior Management Team.
Senior Project Manager
Trend Technologies, LLC
Longmont, CO
04.2001 - 03.2005
- Managed project schedules, costs, and budgets for concurrent programs generating approximately $5 million in annual sales, ensuring alignment with major accounts including Intel, Motorola, HP, EchoStar, and O’Neil.
- Led cost-reduction projects across multiple programs to meet Intel Corporation's mandatory 5% quarterly cost-reduction requirements, driving efficiency improvements.
- Delivered a process and material change that reduced purchased-component cost from $10.60 per kit to $1.26 per kit, reduced lead time from 12 weeks to 2 weeks, and addressed quality issues associated with the original process.
- Coordinated cross-functional resources to enhance manufacturing processes, improve product quality, and ensure timely delivery, optimizing cost performance.
- Reduced manufacturing scrap from 45% to 5% by identifying root causes and implementing corrective actions and process improvements.
Packaging Project Engineer
Bestop Inc
Broomfield, CO
06.1997 - 04.2001
- Led packaging redesign projects that generated approximately $300K in annual cost savings while improving shipping integrity and reducing package-size requirements from 21 configurations to 5.
- Designed and implemented packaging concepts for automotive customers, improving customer satisfaction and compliance with industry standards for Daimler Chrysler, General Motors, Toyota, Isuzu, and KIA.
- Enhanced product protection and reduced scratches and zipper impressions on PVC glass by 75% through targeted packaging design improvements, resulting in improved product quality.
- Managed process and equipment improvements to address ergonomic concerns and eliminate injury risks by implementing vacuum hoists, adjustable air tables, pallet-strapping equipment, and improved hand tools.
- Facilitated Team Oriented Problem Solving (T.O.P.S.) teams to identify and eliminate root causes of manufacturing and product issues, improving overall production quality.
New Product Development Lead
Gerry Baby Products
Thornton, CO
08.1994 - 06.1997
- Led New Product Development teams through a record number of product releases, delivering 14 new products toward a corporate goal of 25.
- Coordinated cross-functional teams in engineering, manufacturing, tooling, and product development, achieving successful product launches that aligned with strategic goals.
- Managed $1.8 million capital budgets for tooling and manufacturing equipment across 14 concurrent projects, maintaining budget adherence and project timelines.
- Received Lightning Bolt Award from company's President and CEO for outstanding contributions to product development initiatives.
CAD/New Product Testing Technician
Gerry Baby Products Company
Thornton, CO
04.1991 - 08.1994
- Created CAD drawings for plastic and metal components and developed assembly instructions, streamlining engineering and new product development processes.
- Built test fixtures and prototype models, enabling engineering to identify potential design issues during product evaluations.
- Conducted First Article Inspection Reports for new components using CMM, optical comparator, and precision hand-measuring equipment, ensuring compliance with quality standards.
- Received EXCEED recognition from vice presidents of quality and design & engineering for exceptional performance.
Education
Mechanical Engineering Technology
Metropolitan State College
Denver, COAssociate of Occupational Sciences - Computer Aided Drafting/Design
ITT Technical Institute
General Studies -
Aims Community College
Greeley, COSkills
- Operational excellence
- Plant operations leadership
- Production planning
- KPI development
- Cost reduction
- Lean Six Sigma
- Root cause analysis
- Quality management
- Safety and compliance
- Inventory management
- ERP / MRP Systems
- Project Management
- Operational strategy
- Team leadership
- Microsoft Office
Certification
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Go Lean Six Sigma
- ChromeOS for Enterprise Deployment Credential Certification
- ChromeOS for Enterprise Sales Credential
- Leadership Certification IPG Institute
- Coaching: Moving People Forward IPG Institute
- Safety: Your Leadership Role IPG Institute
- Critical Thinking for Manufacturers Front Range Community College
- Corrective Action Refresh Training Magna International
- Six Sigma Training StorageTek
- Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) Magna International
- Team Oriented Problem Solving (T.O.P.S.) Facilitator Training Magna International
- Ergonomic Principles Training Donald Day
- Plastics & Injection Molding Training Prime Alliance
- Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) Management Resources International
- Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Steven Covey Leadership Center
- Project Management & Leadership Training Fred Pryor
Timeline
Director of Operations
meldCX
10.2023 - Current
Plant Manager
Oldcastle Infrastructure
12.2022 - 10.2023
Plant Manager
Creative Foam Corporation
03.2019 - 12.2022
Director of Operations
Kiosk Information Systems
08.2017 - 03.2019
Senior Project Manager
Kiosk Information Systems
03.2005 - 07.2017
Senior Project Manager
Trend Technologies, LLC
04.2001 - 03.2005
Packaging Project Engineer
Bestop Inc
06.1997 - 04.2001
New Product Development Lead
Gerry Baby Products
08.1994 - 06.1997
CAD/New Product Testing Technician
Gerry Baby Products Company
04.1991 - 08.1994
Mechanical Engineering Technology
Metropolitan State College
Associate of Occupational Sciences - Computer Aided Drafting/Design
ITT Technical Institute
General Studies -
Aims Community College