Tom Bohnert

About Tom Bohnert

An accomplished goal orientated manufacturing professional with demonstrated creativity in solving manufacturing problems and providing positive financial returns. I have extensive expertise in Manufacturing Engineering and I am a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. I began my Lean journey with teaching Total Quality Management at two Kraft plants. I then studied SMED, and I completed my die changeover project reducing from 30 minutes to 3 minutes or a 90% reduction. This sold me on the power of Lean. I also had many projects that eliminated waste from the processes resulting in hefty savings. These projects have increased capacity and reduced capital spending. With my experience as a Production Manager and Engineering Manager, I understand the challenges of front line management. I have worked with hundreds of employees in implementing Lean techniques in union and non-union plants.

Experience

1. Industrial Engineer Continuous Improvement Leader

   Mountaire Farms

   Nov 2019 — Present · Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, US

   Accountable for optimizing with purpose of increasing productivity, eliminating wastes, reducing costs, and improving quality. • Began a company-wide Continuous Improvement program. Sold executive management on the benefits of Lean and began rollout and training of all the employees in the Manufacturing Department. • Yield of product was 8% below standard. Facilitated team that used the Fishbone Diagram, the 5 Whys and developed action plans that resulted in a $5 Million in annual savings • New plant was behind in their startup curve plans. Implemented daily shift visual management meetings to review kpis for each shift compared to standard. This resulted in a $2.8 Million savings and helped the plant meet it start-up commitments. • Plant was consuming more water than the city could provide to the plant. Formed team and reduced usage by 32% and saved $1.1 Million over 3 years.

Education

• Purdue University

  BSIE, Industrial Engineering