MIKAEL THOMAS
Ypsilanti,MI
Summary
Accomplished and results-driven Senior Analyst with extensive experience in global tooling, procurement, and supply chain management. Proven track record in managing multi-million dollar annual spends, leading cross-functional teams, and achieving significant cost reductions through strategic negotiation, cost improvement initiatives, and supplier development. Adept at optimizing part and tool design, enhancing supplier competitiveness, and standardizing processes to improve efficiency and performance.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Sr. Buyer
General Motors, GM
Warren, MI
11.2022 - Current
- Responsible for leading a team of 3 as lead strategy buyer for CCA collision team major suppliers with net spend of approximately $350mil. .
- Developed and maintained supplier annual cost targets resulting in $1.35mil business savings.
- Lead weekly stakeholder meetings with key suppliers focused on project management and key performance metrics.
- Evaluated supplier proposals against predetermined criteria such as price competitiveness and quality assurance protocols.
- Assigned tasks to cross functional team members and supervised their activities to ensure on time deadline adhearance.
Seat Analyst-Program Lead Buyer
Toyota Motor North America
Ann Arbor, MI
06.2017 - 11.2022
- Manages approximately $500 million in annual spend globally with focus on strategic negotiation
- Cost improvement and supplier competitiveness and development
- Created seat sourcing strategy to achieve optimal cost and quality for Lexus NX and RX vehicles
- Working collaboratively with Design and Cost Planning divisions, utilizing gentani data, and industry
- Benchmarking studies
- Leads international cost planning/sourcing meetings with Japanese counterparts monthly to ensure
- Program readiness and target achievement
- Created standard process & OP for cost reporting to improve overall efficiency, reduce unreported
- Costs and ensure on time reporting of Seat team costs to Cost Planning Division
Seat Analyst-Seat Frame Commodity Lead
Toyota Motor North America
Ann Arbor, MI
06.2017 - 12.2018
- Managed approximately $250 million in annual spend globally as seat frames and misc
- Metals as
- Subject Matter Expert (SME)
- Created department wide metals and seat frame master data and training used for onboarding of
- New teammates and reference material and knowledge reinforcement of current buyer team
- Singlehandedly reviewed quotes/gentani data of all engineering changes during seating cost
- Planning stages, ensuring quotes were to drawing specification and agreed with cost standard
- Agreements, thereby reducing design cost creep by approximately 17% over cost planning period
Global Commodity Buyer, Seat Complete
General Motors, Inc.
Detroit, MI
01.2013 - 05.2017
- Managed approximately $300 million in annual spend globally with focus on strategic negotiation
- Contract management and global supplier development
- Negotiated a capital and burden restructuring of Canadian seat business with supply base
- Achieving a cost avoidance of $50Mil
- Executed technical deep dive of Cadillac XTS seat cost structure, utilizing benchmark data, cost
- Estimator data, and negotiation skills to generate a $60k direct savings to program annual budget
- Contributed to team 2016 over-achievement of savings target by $13Mil (awarded Team GM
- Award)
- Analyzed benchmark data, supplier capability, and sourcing strategy to develop year-over-year
- Supplier business plan and program annual budget planning
Program Purchasing Buyer, Chassis Systems (Volt EV)
General Motors, Inc.
Detroit, MI
01.2013 - 07.2015
- Assisted in the launch of the 2016 Chevrolet
- Volt
- Managed approximately $230 million in annual spend across the Chevrolet Volt chassis
- System
- Responsible for leading and coordinating the relationship between the project team, vehicle line
- Team, and the supplier throughout the vehicle development
- Contributed $75k in component cost savings, $99k in cost avoidance, and $196k in tooling
- Savings throughout program development period
- Managed the supplier relationship and ensure the achievement of cost and performance targets, as
- Well as timing commitments
- Supported the System Management Team during request for quotation and sourcing
- Activity
Supplier Quality Intern
Ford Motor Company, Inc.
Dearborn, MI
05.2012 - 08.2012
- Developed a website to serve as a central communication portal between Ford and
- Suppliers
- Constructed a software allowing for supplier quality analysis and historical data
- Querying
- Reduced supplier quality claims notification delay by
- 88%
- Managed an international cross-functional team including two supplier quality engineers, systems
- Developer, and Czech Republic IT personnel in the construction of the PCS Claims Website
- Restructured Supplier Technical Assistants Engineer documented processes to reflect current best
- Practices
Territory Sales Manager, Intern
PhillipMorrisUSA, Inc.
Wixom, MI
05.2011 - 08.2011
- Managed $4.3 Million dollars of revenue in 50 store accounts
- Constructed an in-depth industry analysis of southeast Michigan region
- Implemented key improvements in product supply chain management and brand marketing, impacting
- More than 40% of total territory revenue
- Restructured individual accounts ordering processes, improving order
- Efficiency
- Developed partnerships with accounts to concertedly develop business and increase revenue
Education
Master of Business Administration, Finance -
THE MIKE ILLITCH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Detroit, MI01.2018
Bachelor of Arts, Business- Supply Chain Management -
ELI BROAD COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
East Lansing, MI01.2012
Skills
- Strategic Negotiation
- Cost Improvement
- Supplier Development
- Team Leadership
- Strategy Development
- Cost Planning
- Industry Benchmarking
- Cost standards Development
- Capital and Burden restructuring
- Supplier Relationship Management
- Cost and Performance targets
- Competitive Sourcing
- Data Analysis
- Product Lifecycle Management
- Analytics and Reporting
- Stakeholder Management
Workplace Leadership Activities
- Toyota R&D African American Collaborative- Finance Chair (2019-2022)
- MSU Recruiter- Toyota R&D- (2020-2022)
- NBMBA Lead Recruiter (2015- 2022)
- MSU GPSC Recruiting, Lead Talent Management Scout (2013-2017)
- GM Workplace of Choice Employee Engagement, Committee Lead (2013- 2015)
Timeline
Sr. Buyer
General Motors, GM
11.2022 - Current
Seat Analyst-Program Lead Buyer
Toyota Motor North America
06.2017 - 11.2022
Seat Analyst-Seat Frame Commodity Lead
Toyota Motor North America
06.2017 - 12.2018
Global Commodity Buyer, Seat Complete
General Motors, Inc.
01.2013 - 05.2017
Program Purchasing Buyer, Chassis Systems (Volt EV)
General Motors, Inc.
01.2013 - 07.2015
Supplier Quality Intern
Ford Motor Company, Inc.
05.2012 - 08.2012
Territory Sales Manager, Intern
PhillipMorrisUSA, Inc.
05.2011 - 08.2011
Master of Business Administration, Finance -
THE MIKE ILLITCH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Bachelor of Arts, Business- Supply Chain Management -
ELI BROAD COLLEGE OF BUSINESS