Austin Owens

About Austin Owens

As a results-driven Engineering Leader with over 8 years of experience in manufacturing, I specialize in transforming operations and driving performance across multiple sectors, including petrochemical, food & beverage, and building materials. My expertise spans across team leadership, process optimization, and systems transformation—empowering organizations to exceed business-critical goals.I thrive in high-stakes environments, where my proven track record of leading cross-functional teams, optimizing manufacturing processes, and implementing industry-leading systems delivers significant cost savings, operational improvements, and enhanced product quality.Some of my core accomplishments include-Leading a diverse engineering team to a 17% improvement in quality systems compliance and delivering a 23% reduction in waste costs at GAF Materials-Owning a $20M portfolio of capital projects at Archer Daniels Midland, cutting project lifecycle variances by 30% and budget spend variance by 60%-Spearheading a Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) initiative at GAF in order to reduce downtime, boost efficiency, and strengthen overall product quality-Successfully executing $10M worth of capital projects annually at Arkema, leading to a 20% improvement in project delivery timelines while improving project reporting accuracy by 25%.I am passionate about leading teams to innovate and improve, using Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen, and data-driven methodologies to drive continuous improvement. Whether it\'s enhancing product quality, optimizing processes, or managing complex projects, my goal is always to deliver measurable results that align with strategic business objectives.If you\'re looking for a strategic engineering leader with a deep understanding of manufacturing operations, process improvement, and team development, let’s connect and discuss how I can help your organization thrive in a rapidly evolving industry.

Experience

1. Senior Technical Manager

   H.B. Fuller

   Jan 2026 — Present · Fridley, MN, US

   Serving as the technical and quality leader for the operation, owning product quality, process performance, and building alignment between customer expectations, operational execution, and financial results. Advancing a culture of continuous improvement, safety, and compliance. This includes implementing corrective and preventive actions and reducing quality incidents. Partnering with Operations and R&D to optimize formulations, improve yields, validate batches, and strengthen process capability across existing and new products.Owning ISO 9001 compliance, procedure development, audits, and continuous improvement of quality systems. Ensuring manufacturing operations are meeting safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements while embedding best practices into daily workflows. Owning site master data, including BOMs, recipes, and raw materials. Building, maintaining, and improving bills of materials and data integrity in alignment with enterprise standards and manufacturing best practices.Driving data-based decision making through SPC, Lean, and Six Sigma methodologies to lead quality investigations, improve productivity, and improve customer outcomes. Collaborating cross-functionally with sales to translating the voice of the customer into actionable insights and proactively influencing customer confidence through technical analysis and performance data.Participating as a member of the site leadership team, influencing strategic priorities and ensuring quality, safety, and environmental stewardship remain foundational to how products are manufactured and delivered.

Education

• University of Minnesota

  Bachelor's Degree, Mechanical Engineering Major

  2013 — 2017

• Kettle Moraine High School

  High School, General Studies

  2009 — 2013

Skills

• Teamwork
• Trumpet
• Research
• C++
• Mechanical Engineering
• Microsoft Office
• Sales
• Maximo
• Engineering
• Retail
• Microsoft Word
• Consulting Engineering
• Sap Products
• Management
• Cad
• English
• Event Planning
• Autocad
• Music
• Organization
• Adaptability
• Matlab
• Data Analysis
• Highly Responsible
• Project Management
• Solidworks
• Reliability Engineering
• Store Operations
• Problem Solving
• Customer Service
• Operations Management
• Downstream Oil & Gas
• Revit
• Ptc Creo
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Leadership
• Design Engineering
• Communication
• Manufacturing
• Testing