Kevin Wade

About Kevin Wade

Experienced Tooling Engineer and Toolroom Manager with a proven ability to concept, design, build, manage, launch, and continuously improve tooling, with a strong primary focus on injection molding.Known for bridging the gap between engineering, manufacturing, and production, I lead tooling projects from early concept through production launch while driving efficiency, quality, and long-term reliability. I bring hands-on technical expertise combined with strong leadership, project management, and process development skills to deliver tools that perform.Core Specialties:Injection Mold Tooling (Concept to Production)Toolroom Management & Team LeadershipTool Design, Build & Continuous ImprovementProject Management (Cost, Timing, Quality)Procedure Creation & ImplementationBuild Team Leadership & Cross-Functional CollaborationManufacturing & Production SupportProcess Optimization & Problem Solving

Experience

1. New Mold Build Program Manager Corporate Tooling Engineer

   M & M Industries, Inc.

   Apr 2023 — Present · Chattanooga, TN, US

   Lead and manage enterprise-wide new mold build programs across all corporate manufacturing locations, ensuring alignment with business strategy, production readiness, and long-term asset performance.Own the capital tooling process, including CapEx justification, RFQ development, supplier selection, and collaboration with Purchasing to execute purchase orders and manage supplier commitments.Establish and govern corporate mold build standards, tooling specifications, product quality measurement plans, and structured production handoff documentation to ensure consistency, repeatability, and scalability across sites.Apply data-driven, best-practice methodologies to guide tooling design decisions, build execution, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement initiatives.Direct and facilitate weekly supplier build reviews, tracking progress, managing risks, and driving accountability to meet cost, quality, and timing objectives.Travel to mold builders to oversee and approve tool runoffs, validations, and final acceptance, ensuring tools meet corporate performance and quality standards prior to production release.Partner with processing, manufacturing, and resin suppliers to develop robust, stable, and capable molding processes that support efficient production launches and long-term quality performance.Serve as a technical and strategic liaison between engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, and external suppliers, ensuring seamless execution from tool build through production launch.Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, applying structured problem-solving and continuous improvement principles to tooling programs and production systems.

Education

• Jackson Co. Technical School

  Machine Shop

  1981 — 1984

• Skyline High School

  General Studies

  1981 — 1984