A specialist in manufacturing improvement at the shop floor level, I have been involved in this work for my entire working life in my variety of different roles in Operations and Engineering.

Over the years I have had virtually every possible manufacturing operations and engineering role including Plant Engineering (Maintenance), Engineering Project Managment,  Production Supervision, Management, and Plant Management.

My major expertise (and the work I love doing) is working with groups of production and maintenance personnel as a trainer and problem solving facilitator, focusing on helping them find sustainable solutions to current problems, as a way to build skills and value for basic manufacturing processes.

The second part of this process is then working with these groups to develop, or upgrade, these basic manufacturing processes, safety, quality, housekeeping, equipment operations, equipment care, etc. Their participation ensures that the key component of sustainability, ownership, is well in place.

I have worked with many, many people over the years, through many, many, actual manufacturing issues. I have seen many things begin to really work, and many things stop working. I believe I know and understand the reasons why this happens and how it can be avoided.

Over the years (many of them) I have picked up a fair amount of technical knowledge and capability, but also knowledge and capability around what it takes to get the ownership and buy-in needed to make the technical pieces actually work.

I retired after spending over 30 years in manufacturing with the Clorox Company, and with several other companies before that including Johnson and Johnson, and the Burndy Corporation. My roles, for much of the later years were mainly focused on improving operations by fostering the installation and ongoing implementation of basic manufacturing and maintenance procedural mechanisms, across all of about 30 varied (traditional, self directed teams, union, non-union) plants in the US and Canada.

These included:

• Basic Equipment Care Mechanisms and Procedures performed by Operational and Maintenance Personnel, (Manual and computer based)
• Problem Solving, Corrective Action and Improvement Processes, Work Order Systems, Maintenance Planning and Scheduling Systems. (Manual and computer based)
• Equipment Downtime Collection, Communication Mechanisms, and Review Processes. (Manual and computer based)
• CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) implementation (Three successive systems, Hemisphere, Maximo and SAP) (Manual and computer based)
• Equipment Changeover, Startup and Operating Procedures
• Safety, Quality and Housekeeping Procedures.

For the last two years before I left Clorox, I spent about 90 percent of my time in a plant which had been doing poorly, with OEE levels in the mid 30 percent range. Over the course of these two years, by focusing on establishing the basic processes listed above, OEE moved to the mid 60 percent range and continues to increase.

Prior to Clorox, operational and engineering experience with Johnson & Johnson and with the Burndy Corporation.

BSc Mechanical Engineering, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
MBA York University, Toronto, Canada
Professional Engineer (Retired) in Ontario, Canada.
SMRP Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional CMRP
US Citizen

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"John bonds quickly with small groups and is welcomed by the participants. His low key style is a pleasure to watch as he keeps the teams to a strict process yet gives them the freedom and knowledge to solve their problems.
John is a tireless and dedicated worker/teacher who joins operators in the trenches. He has the patience to allow them to learn at a pace they can absorb".
Tom Williams
Improvement Manager
Major Consumer Products Manufacturer

"I've known John for many years and have always found him extremely knowledgeable in the field of packaging and manufacturing in general. John is the consummate professional, who understands the technical nature as well as the human nature required for implementing lasting change in any manufacturing environment. John exudes the confidence of a professional that has, "been there, done that" and understands."

R.W. Hooper
Director of Maintenance Excellence
An International Chemical Company.