Core Competencies, Training, & Experience of Dean Inman
Education:
- B.S., School of Engineering and Technology, Southern Illinois University. Chemical Engineering Specialty with extensive work in Chemistry and Mechanical Engineering.
Specialized training:
- CALTECH ---- The Commercial Development Process and Technical Personnel Development Training.
- UVA --- Finance for the non financial manager
- University of Wisconsin --- Thermoforming thermodynamics & processes
- AMA --- Project Management skills*
- MAL --- Process Improvement Skills*
- UVA --- German language classes
- Vista --- SPC analysis & interpretation
- CPI TAI --- Boot camp --- extensive program for team dynamics, statistics, problem solving skills and techniques, coaching and team facilitation*
- CPI --- Number Crunchers – SPC team member and instructor*
- CPI --- TQM and CPI implementation leader*
- CPI --- leader of various teams for problem solving
- CPI --- original founder of Executive Steering Team
- CPI TAI --- The Product Development Process*
- CPI TAI --- Team Facilitator Training*
- CPI TAI --- Root Cause Analysis Training*
- ISO Registration classes*
- cGMP training
- Various computer software classes
- Microsoft Office, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project Manager
- Various SAP training classes.
- Senior Member Society of Plastic Engineers
` Note * have taught these subjects
Career Highlights include the following:
- 30+ years continuous extrusion, calendaring, coating, converting, package design, film and polymer engineering and machinery design, problem solving, Quality Control systems, process optimization and production management and operational experience.
- Polymeric Applications, LLC, owner --- Offering plastics processing and manufacturing consulting services in addition to other activities relating to family farming and real estate operations located in Illinois.
- Klöckner Pentaplast of America, Inc. (17+ years) --- Started the Polyester Extrusion Operation for gamma sterilizable medical device packaging from the concept to the current operation of industry leader with total operational responsibility ($150 million/yr. sales). Total responsibility for all technical areas for the Product Quality, Quality systems, Process Engineering,Technical Service and R&D functions. Team leader for several innovative new products and processes. KP is a $1.8 billion company.
- Industrial Coatings Group of Chicago (15+ years) in a variety of capacities from Development and Extrusion process engineer, plant design leader, product QC & QA, extrusion line design engineer, green field plant construction in Germany and US (project leader), equipment purchases, Manufacturing Manager and Plant Manager. Total engineering and production responsibility for approximately 25 cast and blown film lines with concentration in the Polyethylene, Polypropylene polymer areas.
- US Industrial Chemicals (Quantum/Millennium) (2 years) as an Application & Process Engineer in their Polymer Services Laboratory for a resin manufacturing company --- Specialty in cast and extrusion coated process and polymer development of PE, HDPE and EVA co-extruded films for various food packing applications.
- Titles of positions held:
- Film & sheet production --- 30 + years of rigid PVC film extrusion and calendering equipment design, production operation management and product development.
People development --- I have mentored machine operators to become, supervisors, supervisors to become managers, engineers to become plant managers, lab technicians to become engineers, and in many cases trained my direct replacement so that I could go on to my next project. I believe and practice that the eventual success or failure of any organization depends upon the training, dedication, respect and skill of the people within and connected to that organization.
Quality Assurance --- Administrative part of the product quality program for all specifications, procedures, ISO certifications, customer complaints, customer technical requests, pharmaceutical procedures, medical and food company audits and the establishment and maintenance of the company quality policy and systems for North and South America.
- Quality Control --- The process auditing function which includes the actual product testing and inspection as they are being produced and the maintenance of all of the records for raw material and processing traceability for the products for North and South America.
- Production and Operations Management --- In my assignments as a Plant Manager I had total responsibility for efficient operation and profitability. As a Manufacturing Manager, I had the same responsibility but for multiple production sites. My career of the establishment of new production sites, joint ventures, plant and production expansions have taken my “operations” skills to a new level where I had to take something from a concept and at times an empty field to a productive and profitable operation. I also have considerable experience of taking an operation that may be operating at an acceptable level and through analysis, planning, teamwork and implementation to install true “continuous improvement” where obtaining the last few available percentage points of productivity is achieved and then the process of “looking for more improvement opportunities” continues.
- Raw Materials ---The establishment of all raw material specifications, raw material cost savings programs, testing, and vendor contact for all raw material performance and specification issues for North and South America.
- Direct technical contact with raw material suppliers to obtain best quality materials at best possible value.
- Led Raw Materials optimization team.
- Formulations --- Develop, control and maintain the records of all of the formulations for all of the products of the companies in North and South America.
- Expert in the area of property refinement by process, additive and formulation adjustment.
- Led team to reduce costs by formulation optimization.
- Government regulations --- Government agency contact for all areas regarding Food and Pharmaceutical regulations. Maintenance of the global Drug Master File for all Medical Device packaging, Pharmaceutical and Food packaging films. Various environmental control issues and routines for water, air, OSHA etc.
- Legal, contracts --- Administration for all legal issues regarding patents, contracts and secrecy agreements. Responsible for all document content, attorney interaction as required and customer/vendor contact.
- Customer Technical Service -- Responsible for all Technical Service for all products to all customers in the Americas (North and South America) to include the planning for the travel and for technician preparation for customer visits for Technical Service Personnel. Leader for thermoforming film design and performance at all customers.
- Department Leader --- Technical Department Head to include QC & QA, Corporate Steering Team Member “executive committee”, responsible for all department issues such as budgets, personnel planning and issues.
- Process Engineering --- Led the Process Engineering Group to address manufacturing problems, special process instrumentation and controls, design and updating of processes and equipment to include machine and process design and to assist in the product development and product support area.
- Production line rebuilds and updates that have increased production capacities by up to 50%+.
- 360 degree process evaluation and robustness studies to establish priorities and plans for improvement. Conduct “where are the weak links” studies and then made the necessary improvements.
- Laboratory Services --- Responsible for all laboratory services including all analytical services that occurred inside and outside of the companies (color lab, analytical lab, physical property lab, QC labs).
- Film and plastic property analysis and measurement techniques.
- Package design and analysis.
- Founder of Market Segment Business Teams --- Sponsor for the Product Area Business Teams. I designed and started eight Business Teams (Thermoforming, Decorative films, Pharma, Food, Credit Card, thin films, etc.) and helped to maintain their effectiveness and efficiency.
- Corporate Enterprise Wide Computer Systems --- Special assignments for IT (SAP software) and I was a member of the IT Steering Team or Information Technology “Corporate computer systems” Executive Committee.
- Special assignments for Company Acquisitions and other Corporate programs.
- Commercial Development --- Led the New Product Development program as the technical leader in cooperation with the co-leader from the marketing area of the Commercial Development Team to design, develop, improve and to commercialize the products of the companies.
- Led teams to develop packaging films and processes for applications for multiple customers and end use applications. Some famous brand names are attached to these products. I was instrumental in establishing vendor/customer teams to bring new products and operations to reality.
- Acquisition Technical and Manufacturing Due Diligence --- Acquired three strategic film production companies. Led the technical due diligence for acquisition of a Polyester bottle recycling & extrusion plant, purchased assets of major PVC competitor, and a Styrene and PP extrusion plant.
- Multiple Sale of Companies and divisions including preparation, negotiation and due diligence --- Negotiated and sold operations and companies as business directions shifted.
- Started joint ventures --- In Germany created a joint venture to produce 10 micron HDPE film. Created partnership with German firm to adhesive coat film in the U.S. for lamination to rigid films.
- Plant expansions and Green Field starts ---- Four US plant start-ups from green field through site selection, building, commissioning, hiring, training, start-up, operation, profitability and baseline efficiency and eventual turn over to site operation personnel. Three plants in Virginia and one in West Virginia. I was the leader from green field site selection through machinery design and purchase, installation, staffing, training and bringing the new facility into efficient operation with all procedures and quality system in operation.
- New facility site searches ---- Conducted several site searches for location of new production facilities in the US and in Europe.
Polymers:
- HDPE --- film and sheet
- LDPE --- film and sheet
- PP --- copolymer & homopolymer
- PETG (Medical Device gamma sterilizable clear plastic)
- APET
- Rigid PVC
- PVDC
- Barex
- Fluorocopolymers
- Styrene
Extruder types:
- Single screw up to 6 inch diameter
- Twin screw conical and parallel
- Planetary extruders
- Co-kneaders, one and two stage
- Various combinations of multiple extruders for co-extrusion (as many as five extruders for one line)
Processing lines
- PVC rigid and foam plate lines in German plant
- Cast film --- thick and thin (mono and co-extrusion)
- Sheet extrusion (mono and co-extrusion)
- Extrusion coating (mono and co-extrusion)
- Calendering lines (3, 4 and 5 roll configurations)
- Transverse Direction Orientation for shrink bottle sleeves
- Machine Direction Orientation for battery wraps
- Blown film for consumer packaging
- Embossed film lines
- Baby diaper tab film lines and diaper plastic films
Converting Processing:
- Thermoforming lines, Sencorp, Brown, custom
- Adhesive coating and lamination
- Surface tension modification
- Corona treatment
- Flame treatment
- Adhesion promotion coatings
- Sheet cutting
- In-line
- Precision off-line
- Moisture and oxygen barrier coatings for pharmaceutical areas
- Silicone coatings for release and slip properties.
- Lamination processes
- In-line
- Off-line
- Web handling and tension control
- Heating, drying and cooling of web process.
- Melt filtration
- System computer control --- total operational loop
- Nuclear thickness measuring equipment
- On-line camera surface defect detection and measurement systems
Auxiliary equipment and processes:
- Hot and cold mixers, high intensity and ribbon blenders
- Polymer dryers
- Resin storage and conveying systems
- Scrap reclaim systems
- In-line and off-line
- Secondary re-pelletization processes and lines
- Densification systems
- Automatic formulation and mixing systems (volumetric and gravimetric)
- Granulator, cutters, saws and grinders
- Winders and slitters
- Sheeters and packagers
- Direct contact with most major machinery producers in Europe and the US.
Locations of my primary operations:
- United States
- Illinois – multiple locations
- Virginia – multiple locations
- West Virginia
- Ohio
- Canada
- Germany – multiple locations
- Netherlands
- Switzerland – multiple locations