BENNIE M.

GRAY
Macon, GA. 31220 478 461-4470 bmgray2560@gmail.com

MECHANICAL ENGINEER
Six Sigma ~ Lean Manufacturing ~ Process & Continuous Improvement ~ Industrial Engineering
Root-Cause Analysis ~ Product Engineering ~ Research, Design, Development & Construction~ Data Analysis

Operations Manager, Mechanical Engineer and Continuous Improvement Professional with 18 years of experience.
Implemented process improvements using Lean Principles and Six Sigma. Worked closely with Maintenance,
Production Technicians, Engineering and Safety Manager to create a productive and safe work environment.
Methodical problem solver and analytical visionary in all facets of technical management with the ability to solve
problems quickly and effectively. An analytical, solutions-driven professional, with a strong desire to exceed
expectations and deliver the effort necessary to achieve company goals.

AREAS

OF

STRENGTH

Research Project Management

Design for Ergonomics

Materials Engineering

Analysis & Controls

Equipment & Tooling Design

Leadership & Team Building

Development Planning

Research & Development

Exceptional Safety Record

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
General Machine-Diecron, Griffin, GA
Lean Manufacturing Leader, 2012-2014
Oversaw and directed the implementation of Lean Manufacturing in the warehouse, tool room, shipping and receiving,
CNC machining, manual machine programming and office support.
Utilizing the 5S process, successfully restructured the following areas:
Shipping and Receiving/Material Warehouse
Arranged materials in rack locations to be managed by the material system. Created visual managed material
staging areas for CNC machines to improve material flow.
Tool Room
Created a tool library to improved inventory control and gave better visibility of tool availability to programmers.
Also staged tools in the tool room for next jobs.
Machine Work Areas
Reorganized all machine work areas, only leaving tools and materials used daily. Created shadow boards and gave
everything a home.
Utilizing hands on approach to problem solving
Designed and developed shadow boards, special racking and shelving to minimize space requirements and
improve tooling and material presentation.
Created Team Communication Boards, Production Status Board and Problem Resolution Boards to increase
communication and capture/resolve problems.
Led the production and support teams, including shipping and receiving, machinist, programmers, quality, and
materials associates to accomplish our company safety, quality and production goals. By removing waste and
improving processes we improved the machine runtime efficiency by 20%.
Implemented and maintained month metrics to track company goals.
Successfully freed up 2500 sq-ft which will be used to add more equipment.
Trane-Ingersoll Rand, Macon, GA
Quality & Manufacturing Engineering Manager, 2009-2011
Directed and managed a team of quality, technical service and manufacturing engineers to drive process
improvements resulting in a $500k reduce in warranty expense.
Increase quality awareness by leading a self-directed team of production technicians to resolve production issues
resulted in the elimination of 20-30 production issues per month.
Trained a cross functional team in the use of Six Sigma tools to resolve problems.

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Led a cross-functional team that reviewed technical service calls and ship product defect data to prioritize and
implement solutions to improve customer satisfaction.
Implemented Problem Resolution Boards in all production areas to be used as a tracking tool to improve
production productivity.
Managed Quality Management System and Non-Conforming Material System to improve internal process and
customer satisfaction.

Trane-American Standard, Macon and Forsyth, GA

Operation/Plant Manager, 1996-2009
Product Development Engineer, 1988-1996
Led a team of 250 employees, 3 shift operation, including engineers, production leaders, office support, materials
and production associates to accomplish our company safety, quality and production goals.
Managed 5 production lines and sheet metal fabrication to achieve 6% year over year productivity improvement.
Reduced product lead times from12 weeks to 6 weeks using Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma to improve
material and process flow.
Administered design modification on existing tooling to incorporate Six Sigma and ergonomics concepts, which
improved productivity and reduced job-related injuries.
Honorably served as member of the project to facilitate the 3-2 building consolidation resulting in a $1M cost
reduction.
Developed and implemented Product Resolution Board which track Safety, Quality and Production issues which
resulted in improvement in all areas with the involvement of the entire work force. Daily production walks to
address board issue to drive continuous improvements.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology, South Carolina State College, Orangeburg, SC
Various professional courses in:
Six Sigma, SPC, TQM, Lean Manufacturing, Project Management, Demand Flow Technology, Communications,
Ergonomic and AutoCAD

PATENTS
US patent 4,696,223, Pneumatic Pressure Actuator