Ted McLachlan

About Ted McLachlan

I’m a manufacturing and engineering executive with 25+ years of experience leading large-scale engineering, automation, and operations organizations across global manufacturing and distribution environments. My career has focused on building high-performing technical organizations and transforming complex operations into scalable, technology-enabled manufacturing systems. I operate at the intersection of people, process, and technology—aligning engineering strategy with business growth, margin improvement, and operational excellence. I have led multi-site engineering, maintenance, and automation organizations of 250+ employees, managing capital programs from $3M to $150M+ while supporting high-volume manufacturing and logistics networks. Across companies such as Amazon, Assurant, Electrolux, Henkel, and Mauser Packaging, my teams have delivered measurable operational impact including: • 200+ product launches in a single year • $15M+ annual capital portfolios and automation investments • Major gains in OEE, uptime, throughput, safety, and cost-per-unit • Enterprise deployment of Lean, TPM, predictive maintenance, and reliability systems I specialize in Industry 4.0 and digital manufacturing transformation, including: • Smart factories and connected equipment • Predictive maintenance and reliability engineering • High-speed manufacturing automation • Automated warehousing and fulfillment systems • Data-driven operational decision systems Beyond technology, I’m known for building strong leadership pipelines and accountable engineering cultures. Many of the leaders I’ve mentored now run manufacturing sites and global engineering teams. Some of the transformations I’m most proud of include: • Launching fully automated manufacturing and fulfillment facilities • Converting maintenance organizations from reactive firefighting to reliability-driven systems • Leading large-scale automation programs that improve labor productivity and operational performance I’m energized by organizations where engineering excellence, automation, and operational discipline create competitive advantage. If you’re working on automation strategy, manufacturing transformation, Industry 4.0, or scaling engineering leadership, I’d welcome the opportunity to connect.

Experience

1. Director of Engineering

   Assurant

   Dec 2023 — Present · Nashville, TN, US

   Provide BU-level engineering leadership for a highly automated fulfillment operation, overseeing capital strategy, automation deployment, reliability engineering, and process design. Partner with commercial, operations, and automation teams to deliver scalable solutions aligned with customer SLAs, cost targets, and growth objectives.

Education

• University of Michigan-Dearborn

  MBA, Management

  1997 — 2001

• Lawrence Technological University

  BS, Mechanical Engineering

  1987 — 1991

• Wayne State University

  MS, Manufacturing Engineering

  1992 — 1996

Skills

• Kaizen
• Six Sigma
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Automation
• Lean Manufacturing
• Project Management
• Supply Chain
• Fmea
• Continuous Improvement
• Engineering
• Engineering Management
• Product Development
• Leadership
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Stamping
• Automotive
• Process Improvement
• Process Engineering
• Machining
• Budgets
• Program Management
• Manufacturing
• Electrical Engineering
• Grinding
• Procurement
• Ppap
• Change Management
• Purchasing
• Manufacturing Operations Management
• Supply Chain Management
• Conveyors
• Management
• Spc
• Root Cause Analysis
• Human Resources
• 5s
• Painting
• Cmm
• Weld
• Product Design