# ARTHUR E. SKOWRON PhD

# N99 W14922 Stillwater Ct

Germantown, WI 53022

\(262\) 257-0928

skowron-phd@wi.rr.com

**CAREER SUMMARY**

Operations professional with extensive experience in manufacturing,
materials, engineering, project management, safety, and quality.
Progressing from press operator to director level manufacturing and
quality responsibilities. Demonstrated skills in analyzing, developing,
staffing and implementing new concepts/projects effectively. Certified
as a Quality Engineer, EVA Expert, ISO 9000 Internal Auditor, and Total
Quality Management Facilitator. Functional experience includes:

Project Management ISO/TS 9001 Inventory Control

Operations Management Lean Manufacturing Facilities Operation

Functional Teams Strategic Planning Production Scheduling

Process Development Cellular Manufacturing Productivity Improvement

**PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE**

######## Grover Corporation, Milwaukee, WI 2004 to Present

A leader in the manufacture of piston rings.

Vice President of Operations

Responsibilities include all aspects of operations at Wisconsin and
Texas facilities.

· Led Certification effort to ISO/TS 9001-2000 standard

· Led Re-certification effort to ISO 14001:2004 standard

· Led, implemented, and trained Lean Manufacturing techniques for
manufacturing and office cells focused on revitalizing efforts for cost
improvements

· Led and implemented, Lean Manufacturing techniques at bottleneck
process improving productivity 87% allowing increase production and
saving the expense of adding another 1.7M of new equipment.

· Increased overall Productivity 35% from 52.1% to 70.2% at Wisconsin
Facility

· Increased overall Productivity 73% from 37.1% to 64.2% at Texas
Facility

· Reduced inventory levels 22%

· Improved on time shipments from 79% to 97%

######## JORDAN CONTROLS, Milwaukee, WI 2003 to 2004

A leader in actuator controls servicing power, grain and cement markets.
A subsidiary of Rotork Controls.

**Quality Manager**

Managed all quality related functions, customer contact and personnel.

· Implemented and certified to ISO 9001-2000 standard

· Lead, implemented, and trained Lean Manufacturing techniques for
manufacturing and office cells

· Implemented internal/external scrap control project reducing scrap 40%

· Additional responsibilities include the service department overseeing
\$2.2M revenue area, personnel and potential sales growth.

######## MERIDIAN INTERNATIONAL, Milwaukee, WI 2001 to 2002

A leader in the industrial metal finishing industry.

**ARTHUR E. SKOWRON Page 2**

**Director of Operations, US Meridian plants both located in Milwaukee,
WI **(contract position)

Consisting of a low-pressure brass foundry and a metal finishing company
for the faucet industry and Harley-Davidson.

######## · Lead turn around in manufacturing profitability, quality, and implementation of ISO program.

######## HUSCO INTERNATIONAL, Waukesha, WI 2000 to 2001

The dominant leader for industrial and agricultural hydraulic valve
industry.

######### **Manufacturing Manager, Waukesha Facility **(contract position)

Managed all aspects of manufacturing operations. Directed a team
consisting of 10 direct reports and over 300 colleagues. Specifically
hired to implement lean manufacturing techniques.

· Implemented Kanban techniques that reduced in-process inventory by
50%. 3450 pcs to 1725 pcs

· Implemented work teams in production and established manufacturing
team to coordinate production 24/7.

· Implemented product, process improvement (PPI) teams to focus on
quality, safety, production and cost utilizing shop floor colleagues to
direct improvements.

· Implemented lean techniques to reduce finished goods past due from
\$2.1M to under \$250K.

· Eliminated rework valve inventory from over 350 pieces to less than 5
pieces.

· Trained 85 employees in lean manufacturing techniques for floor
implementation.

## TOWER AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION/A.O. SMITH, Milwaukee, WI 1971 to 2000

A \$2.0B automotive supplier of large structure frames to the automotive
and heavy truck industry.

**Heavy Truck Business Unit Manufacturing Director 1996 to 2000 **

** **Managed all aspects of manufacturing operations including
production, scheduling, technical services, quality, inventory,
facilities appearance, stockroom, productive materials, lean
manufacturing system, maintenance and preventive maintenance programs.
Directed team consisting of 15 direct reports and over 300 colleagues.

· Led division turnaround from a \$3M loss to a \$9M profit over a
3-year period.

· Led strategic plan to triple customer processing and delivery by line
set to customer base.

· Coordinated major modifications to production areas to improve product
flow, and increase production by 25%, while achieving a 98% preventive
maintenance target.

· Led implementation of \$4.5M automated piercing facility three months
ahead of schedule.

· Developed capacity tools to guide build plans and manpower deployment
to lead an increase of customer on-time delivery from 74% to 97%.

· Established and implemented a lean manufacturing techniques program.

· Finished goods inventory reduction from \$2.8M to \$500K.

· Participated in interest based bargaining toward new union contract
implementation.

**Heavy Truck Division Quality Manager 1994 to 1996**

Managed all quality aspects of the heavy truck operations. Established
customer relationships with 7 major customers and 22 shipping
destinations. Led QS 9000 design and implementation as a core team
member. Designed and implemented selling of quality services to outside
companies. Directed team of 3 direct reports and 32 colleagues in the
Quality department. Led the statistical process control program (SPC),
benchmarking process and design of experiment program.

**ARTHUR E. SKOWRON Page 3**

· Awarded, Master of Quality and Self-certification (Freightliner
Corporation), ISO 9000 level (Volvo), Targets of

Excellence (General Motors), Q1 (Ford) and Military Standards (Oshkosh
Truck). Increased customer support and

reduced complaints by 22%.

**Heavy Truck Division Team Quality Manager 1991 to 1994**

Directed customer contacts based on a functional management team
approach. Responsible for 18 union colleagues. · Reduced department
costs by 18%, by restructuring overtime and job assignments.

· Designed, trained and implemented the Statistic Process Control (SPC)
programs, for 400 union and management colleagues.

· Trained 75 hourly colleagues in classroom setting and on the shop
floor in operator control programs. Increasing operation and quality
performance by 16%.

**Quality Control Gage Layout and Qualification** **1971 to 1987**

#### EDUCATION

**University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee**

Bachelor of Arts, 1975 Major - Economics

**Other Major Areas of Study Include**

##### California Coast University- Santa Ana, California

Masters, 1984 Masters Degree Business Administration

###### Doctor of Philosophy, 1990 Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration

### American Society for Quality

Certified Quality Engineer, 1992-1998

####### Advance Quality Planning FMEA\'s SPC Kanban

####### Kaizen Jidoka Benchmarking EVA

####### Lean Manufacturing TQM Taguchi Methods ISO 9000

####### Project Management QS 9000 PPI Interest Base Bargaining