Nicholas Stalder
Thurmont,MD
Summary
Ambitious Production Manager with 18 years of experience in Pet food manufacturing environments. Motivates employees to align performance with company objectives in fast-paced production environments. Superior competency in resource allocation, production scheduling and workflow management. Demonstrated success in handling the full product development lifecycle with an efficiency-driven approach. Record of improving product diversity and innovating unique designs and approaches. Knowledgeable Product Development Manager adept at collaborating with team members, other departments and customers to produce relevant, high-quality products that drive company growth. Well-organized and proactive with excellent communication and planning abilities. Ready to offer 18 years of progressive experience to your company. Talented department manager well-versed in product research, design and development. Hardworking and focused professional with in-depth understanding of market, customer and business needs. Top-notch team leader and complex problem-solver. Accomplishments include developing more than 125 new products and streamlining production costs through with an analytical approach and knowledge of manufacturing processes. Familiar with research and development, marketing and customer service standard.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
1
1
HACCP and PCQI certified
Work History
Production Manager/Product Development
Max And Ruffy's (Earth Animal)
Westminster, MD
02.2020 - Current
- Directed concept design, feature definitions and production support.
- Reviewed product development budgets, expenditures and research.
- Oversaw development of more than 10 new products each year.
- Maintained internal product knowledge database.
- Resolved issues quickly to maintain productivity goals.
- Managed continuous improvement initiatives to drive gains in quality, flow and output.
- Reviewed work for quality and compliance with company standards and design specifications.
- Created streamlined production schedules and collaborated with production employees to communicate objectives and goals.
- Developed and implemented cost controls and other expense reduction measures.
- Implemented program changes to identify and quickly resolve root cause issues bottlenecking production levels.
- Liaised with internal and external parties on procurement of new product formulations, international requirements and regulatory changes.
- Mentored personnel on best practices and protocols to maximize productivity.
- Distinguished product issues and gathered information on customer experiences.
Production Manager/Product Development Manager
Big Creek Foods
Gainesville, GA
10.2016 - 02.2020
- Reviewed product formulations for quality, cost-effectiveness and compliance with brand guidelines and category parameters.
- Prepared detailed functional specification documents for product innovation and improvements.
- Assisted project team by scoping, scheduling and developing product roadmap.
- Gathered quotes, created prototypes and arranged raw materials shipments to meet tight production deadlines.
- Created innovative, science-based product formulas for our co-manufacturers
- Oversaw development of more than 20 new products each year.
Chief Production Manager/ Plant Manager
Cal Premium Treats, Perris
, California
06.2014 - 06.2016
- 1st year at Cal Premium Treats I was responsible for plant build out, duties during build out included
- Established proper segregation and product traffic flow in facility design
- Built plant to highest quality standards of our industry.
- Set equipment and assisted with requisite utility placement, electrical, controls, steam, water, and air
- Tested and calibrated all equipment in conjunction with manufacturers to ensure equipment warranties were intact
- Worked with manufacturers to train all employees on safe and proper usage of equipment including preventative maintenance, equipment troubleshooting and operations
- Assisted writing BRC compliant written food safety plan, assisted in building HACCP plan, and trained staff in proper testing procedures for CCP's and other quality control points
- Equipment that I have intricate mechanical, operational, and troubleshooting knowledge of following from Cal Premium Treats
- Wenger TX85 Thermal extruder, Automated process control system used to operate the extruder, load cells,
- Cable-Vey dry conveyors, Colussi rack washer system, micro-motion liquid controls, liquid pumps (Seepex), jacketed steam mixer kettles, transfer conveyors, rotary Ferris wheel cutters sytems, servo cutoff assemblies, and conventional VFD driven face cutoff assemblies and multi pass cooling conveyors
- Seydelmann vacuum bowl chopper, bulk meat handling systems (AmFec) including block breakers, bulk bins, transfer conveyors, metal detectors, AMTek microwave system, Vemag vacuum pumps, waterwheel assemblies, guillotine cutter assemblies, photo eye control assemblies, vacuum tumblers, Enviropak dehydrator ovens, air assisted liquid smoke applicators, thermo-couplers used for oven controls and CCP's
- Roberts IMP 1250 and 1500 Cloud packaging
- HiTek bucket conveyors and multi-head weight scale buckets, flow wrappers, forklifts both propane and electric, Praxair IQF tunnel, and bulk liquid nitrogen tanks
- Additionally I worked closely with maintenance in operation and maintenance of reverse osmosis filtration system, Muria boiler systems, and Atlas Copco air compressors
- After Production started was responsible for assembling production crew, training staff in all aspects of production, establishing GMP's, safety training, proper equipment use, employee disciplinary action, production scheduling, and general day to day operations.
Quality Manager
Crosswind Industries
Sabetha, KS
01.2008 - 06.2014
- Updated quality control standards, methods and procedures to meet compliance requirements.
- Followed quality standards and procedures to minimize errors and maximize customer satisfaction.
- Developed and deployed production control plans and created work instructions and procedures.
- Orchestrated and led team in executing gauge repeatability and reproducibility studies cataloging all major devices on floor.
- Implemented process controls that generated cost saving initiatives and product improvement
Education
Criminal Justice
Wentworth Military Academy And College
Cameron, MOHigh School Diploma - undefined
Sabetha High School
2000
Skills
- Team Recruiting and Hiring
- Pricing Strategies
- Cross-Departmental Alignment
- Product Development Budgeting
- Staffing Requirement Determination
- Processing Oversight
- Product Planning
- Cost Control Programs
- New Product Development
- OSHA Regulations
Accomplishments
I hold process patents for products produced and developed under my supervision. Products currently produced and distributed nationwide through major retailers.
Certification
HACCP and PCQI certified
Affiliations
CAPS (Community Animal Protection Services)
Red Cross Volunteer
Additional Information
I am a seasoned veteran in pet food manufacturing with a proven record of continual improvement and product development and personnel management.
Languages
German
Limited Working
Spanish
Elementary
Timeline
Production Manager/Product Development
Max And Ruffy's (Earth Animal)
02.2020 - Current
Production Manager/Product Development Manager
Big Creek Foods
10.2016 - 02.2020
Chief Production Manager/ Plant Manager
Cal Premium Treats, Perris
06.2014 - 06.2016
Quality Manager
Crosswind Industries
01.2008 - 06.2014
Criminal Justice
Wentworth Military Academy And College
High School Diploma - undefined
Sabetha High School
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