Nathan Konopka

About Nathan Konopka

I am an experienced Supply Chain Management professional with OEM manufacturing background and an MS in Engineering. I am passionate about leadership and mentorship, and the associated opportunities to transform an organization. I strive to lead not only by example but through cooperative efforts. This approach has also helped me to diffuse many challenging situations during my career and to build positive working relationships by taking a calm, rational approach and quickly drilling to the facts in order to provide quick and reasonable resolution to the crisis at hand. My attention to the human and interpersonal aspect of the business world has helped me to build strong relationships and earn respect as someone who will speak with a clear and consistent voice and who will emphasize global cooperation and support in building a cohesive corporate network. My intellectual curiosity helps drive me to truly understand underlying issues, and is a tremendous asset in my problem solving approach and my ability to support and mentor. My colleagues and suppliers would describe me as a detail-oriented, responsive, and supportive individual that can be firm and direct but always fair and reasonable. I am currently in a Project Management role within the Purchasing organization; it is a fantastic opportunity to draw on my diverse background and unique skillset and be a part of a transformational project for Ford Motor Company.

Experience

1. Product Owner, I-erp

   Ford Motor Company

   Feb 2020 — Present · Dearborn, MI, US

   Product Owner for eQuality Tools and Supplier Performance Dashboard, representing Purchasing business needs relative to assigned global products- Co-led (with IT counterpart) development of a Supplier Performance Dashboard utilizing the Fiori landscape within SAP S/4 HANA, and actively sought out and implemented continuous improvement ideas- Co-led (with IT counterpart) development and successfully launched the PCF-based electronic Capacity Analysis Report (eCAR) on time with high organic adoption, positive user feedback, and BIC defect rate, with additional high-visibility enhancements also successfully launched- Co-led (with IT counterpart) development and successfully launched the PCF-based electronic Supplier Risk Assessment (eSRA) on time, with version 2.0 released ahead of schedule, all with positive user feedback and BIC defect rate- Led overall launch timing management for eQuality PCF applications - Led training development and cascade for all assigned products- Utilize agile methodology within Rally to drive on-time completion of user stories (consistently above 95% velocity and acceptance rate)- Develop understanding of legacy data structures and possibilities for bringing data into the S/4 environment- Develop understanding of S/4 data structures and maximize ability of system to support business needs- Actively engage shareholders from current business processes to ensure that new systems maximize incremental benefits and minimize incremental pain points- Actively engage with a wide variety of IT supporting functions to understand IT architecture and align on best options for incorporating business requirements

Education

• Wayne State University

  BA, Chemistry

  1990 — 1993

• Wayne State University

  MS, Chemical Engineering

  1994 — 1996

Skills

• Fmea
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Supplier Quality
• Spc
• Lean Manufacturing
• Six Sigma
• Supplier Negotiation
• Components
• 5s
• Team Building
• Product Development
• Kaizen
• Ppap
• Rubber
• Team Leadership
• Raw Materials
• Apqp
• Purchasing Strategy
• Procurement
• Root Cause Analysis
• Vda 6.3 Process Audits
• Global Sourcing
• Purchasing
• Value Stream Mapping
• Supplier Evaluation
• Continuous Improvement
• Process Improvement
• Manufacturing
• Stamping
• Cost Analysis
• Emotional Intelligence
• Supplier Audits
• Quality System
• Dmaic
• Chemicals
• Iso
• Quality Control
• Purchasing Processes
• Injection Molding
• Plastics