Trung Duong

Industrial Performance Engineer @Ghirardelli Chocolate Company

San Leandro, CA, US

Drove a high-impact Work Sampling project, delivering $331K in annualized savings by optimizing labor utilization, eliminating a full-time position across all shifts, and boosting operational efficiency during record-high cocoa prices- Orchestrated an Overweight Reduction project, achieving $130K in savings and revealing a $1M+ zero-loss opportunity. Implemented Design of Experiment, SPC training, and Gage R&R study, enhancing stability for all filled square products, comprising 80% of line throughput. Recognized by Lindt Group Head of Industrial Performance as a “textbook example” of Kaizen excellence at Ghirardelli- Fostered 100% adoption of a new sampling procedure, gaining support from veteran operators- Strategically defined labor standards for 300+ items, achieving 25% cycle time reduction and driving annual budget process optimization- Influenced 75% of new products at San Leandro factory by providing labor cost estimates and manufacturing feasibility assessments during the New Product Development (NPD) process- Pioneered a data-driven Setup Standards methodology, reducing budgeted labor costs by 20%($520K) and leveraging insights to strategically deploy Kaizen teams, addressing changeover inefficiencies- Developed a process bottleneck calculator, enhancing system visibility and clarifying a decade-long bottleneck in the sugar system- Trained Production teams in Root Cause Analysis, integrating tools like Pareto Charts, Fishbone Diagram and 5 Whys to support Kaizen initiatives and drive sustainable process improvements- Streamlined operations dashboards and conducted ad hoc analyses, enabling data-driven New Product Development, Capital Expenditures, and Process Improvement decisions.

Cornell University

Master of Engineering - MEng

University of California, Davis

Bachelor of Science - BS

International School of Ho Chi Minh City - American Academy

High School Diploma