Summary

Overview

Work History

Education

Skills

Professional Development

Timeline

JEREMY J. NELSON

Milwaukee,WI

Summary

Results-driven operations professional with proven track record in overseeing plant operations and optimizing production processes. Adept at fostering team collaboration and ensuring operational efficiency while adapting to evolving demands. Strong skills in resource management, process improvement, and safety compliance. Reliable and goal-oriented, consistently delivering impactful outcomes through strategic leadership and decisive action.

Overview

years of professional experience

Work History

Plant Manager

Trace-A-Matic

Brookfield, WI

01.2026 - Current

Provide daily operational leadership across precision machining job shop operations, driving performance, productivity, and on-time delivery to exceed customer expectations.
Lead manufacturing plant leads, machinists, quality, and engineering teams through structured communication cadences, performance management, and continuous feedback.
Develop and execute weekly production schedules to minimize machine idle time, improve throughput, and optimize resource utilization.
Drive Lean manufacturing initiatives including 6S implementation and continuous improvement projects to enhance efficiency and operational flow.
Monitor plant performance metrics and productivity targets (>85%), implementing corrective actions to sustain operational stability.
Partner with Quality leadership to strengthen quality management systems, root cause processes, and corrective action execution on the shop floor.
Review operational reports and adjust production strategies to respond to demand shifts, capacity constraints, and customer priorities.
Lead personnel development activities including training recommendations, performance coaching, and hiring decisions in partnership with Human Resources.
Foster a high-accountability culture focused on teamwork, open communication, safety, and alignment with company values.

Engineering, Quality, & CI Manager

Glenn Rieder

West Allis, WI

01.2022 - 12.2025

Directed enterprise-wide Quality and Continuous Improvement initiatives across a $100M multi-site commercial manufacturing organization.
Led weekly capacity planning and production forecasting across engineering, materials, and operations to improve schedule adherence and workload stability.
Visualized financial projections and job efficiency metrics, delivering weekly executive KPI dashboards, enabling data-driven strategic decisions and improving forecast accuracy by approximately 15%.
Restructured 26-person engineering department, removing throughput bottlenecks, scaling outsource detailing capacity, and achieving record output without increasing fixed overhead.
Facilitated cross-functional collaboration to refine estimating and project management standards by presenting findings to fix the three biggest causes of losses, improving project profitability.
Diagnosed that delayed drawing returns were causing schedule compression & pioneered surveillance measures, ensuring drawing approval times decreased by 14 days, thus optimizing project flow.
Standardized company-wide quality systems including corrective action tracking, rework coding, audit cadence, and cross-site process alignment.
Implemented maintenance management system integrated with SAP, MES, and SCADA, overseeing preventive maintenance prioritization, facilities coordination, and CAPEX execution.
Led kaizen events across multiple plants, reducing excess inventory, improving operational flow, and implementing 5S standards.

Industrial Engineer

Fairbanks Morse Defense

Beloit, WI

08.2019 - 12.2021

Constructed a cellular layout plan for 67,000 sq ft manufacturing facility to maximize flow & productivity.
Executive team began implementation of layout plan in June of 2021.
Analyzed internal data (~2,800 part numbers) using DCA method to create product families.
Project manager on multiple manufacturing projects. Two new machining centers along with corresponding cell components totaling $3M in capital investments.
Implemented 5S & led lean initiatives throughout manufacturing facility & distribution center.
Facilitated & participated in multiple kaizen events that focused on 5S & visual management.
Led efforts to improve existing processes with the outcome of improved quality, cost reduction & increased productivity. Created, developed, & implemented efficient manufacturing systems.
Completed time studies & developed work instructions for critical processes & engine lines.
Became proficient in Oracle & utilized AutoCAD as these programs were used frequently.

Process Engineering Supervisor

Frito Lay