Trace Taylor

About Trace Taylor

I have more than nine years of experience in manufacturing engineering with 2.5 years in management, with a focus on assembly, welding, soldering, staking, potting, brazing, and additive manufacturing processes. I apply my skills and knowledge in lean six sigma, design for manufacturing, and quality management to reduce scrap, improve first pass yield, optimize material utilization, and enhance traceability and inspection. I also coach new engineers on best practices, work with cross-functional staff on manufacturing planning and strategy, and host and resolve customer and AS9100 audits. I am passionate about delivering high-quality products that meet customer requirements and safety standards.

Experience

1. Manufacturing Engineering Manager

   Pivotal

   May 2024 — Present · Palo Alto, CA, US

   Leader of the manufacturing engineering group in charge of bringing a prototype aircraft from design conception to production.• Built and mentored a team of 5 manufacturing engineers and contractors from associate level to senior level engineers.• Facilitated the implementation of MES (Manufacturing Execution System) and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) on the shop floor bringing the company in compliance with AS9100 standards.• Oversaw all manufacturing activities from composite structures bonding, Harness fabrication to IPC-620 Class 3, electronics integration and final assembly ensuring top quality and testing for aircraft certification.• Guided tooling design and development to aid manufacturing processes from temporary tooling for prototyping to permanent tooling for production.• Successfully led the implementation of a process change for harnessing, which resulted in a one-week reduction in build time and eliminated 60% of splices for data signals on the FWD and AFT wings.• Created and managed manufacturing procedures and process specification to meet AS9100 standards.• Presented regularly to senior leadership on operational status and proposed solutions to manufacturing challenges.• Constantly collaborated with design teams to feed Design for Manufacturability (DFM) items by creating and maintaining a master DFMA sheet documenting issues and proposing solutions.• Worked with new and existing suppliers aiding the quoting process and first article inspection (FAI).• Created a manufacturing build tree of the entire aircraft to facilitate the MBOM creation documenting all lower-level assemblies and what order they should be installed in the aircraft for peak efficiency.• Worked within budgetary constraints and assisted with budget forecasting for the manufacturing department.

Education

• The Ohio State University

  Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), Welding Engineering Technology/Technician

• University of Cincinnati

  Bachelor of Applied Science - BASc, Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering

• University of Cincinnati

  Bachelor of Science (BS), Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical/Space Engineering

Skills

• Aerospace Engineering
• Microsoft Word
• Labview
• Microsoft Office
• Welding Process
• Matlab
• Solidworks
• Engineering
• Lean Manufacturing
• Manufacturing
• Powerpoint
• Microsoft Excel
• Simulink