Kevin Ellingson
Stevensville
Summary
Quality-focused Production Manager with 25 years of leadership experience spanning multiple disciplines, including Continuous Improvement, Operations, and leading Project Management initiatives. Demonstrates a track record of success in fast-paced, highly regulated global environments by effectively planning, organizing, directing, and overseeing large-scale production operations. Highly skilled at balancing the efficient and cost-effective use of personnel and materials in response to production demands, while also delivering improvements in process, cost, and quality productivity. Expertise in making solid decisions in pressure-packed situations that ensure employee safety, quality products, and profitable results.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
Work History
Production and Continuous Improvement Manager
Abbott Laboratories
01.2022 - Current
- Full responsibility for delivering high-quality products, driving operational excellence, ensuring compliance, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.
- Manage process improvements that support and enhance quality systems and adhere to global regulatory standards, such as FDA 21 CFR and international infant formula requirements. Lead initiatives to maintain product quality and meet compliance standards.
- Boost financial and operational performance through cost control, budget management, and tracking key metrics like OEE, labor efficiency, downtime, units per hour, CIP, and material usage. Develop and implement plans to enhance line performance using continuous improvement strategies.
- Promote a safety-conscious and accountable work environment while encouraging operator involvement in managing costs and performance.
- Demonstrate strong manufacturing leadership by successfully completing corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), maintaining quality records for non-conformances, conducting thorough investigations, and executing effective action plans across multi-shift OEE operations.
- Collaborated with the FDA to establish standardized manufacturing practices for infant formulas.
- Coach and direct multi-shift operations while guiding a team of leaders to deliver high-quality products.
- Project managed a cross-functional team of product engineers, quality engineers, and operations leaders to improve NPS and achieve customer service excellence in the visual quality of the finished powder product.
- Recognized for increasing OEE by reducing production downtime by half, which improved production efficiency by over $10M annually.
Production Manager
Abbott Laboratories
01.2016 - 01.2022
- Responsible for the overall performance of a multi-shift manufacturing team of 12, and high-level production demands.
- Champion compliance with organizational policies and procedures, meeting all local and statutory requirements and adhering to the SQF, FDA, OSHA, Domestic and International Food Safety regulatory requirements.
- Increased production efficiency to lower product costs; drive profitability through continued process improvements within the department.
- Operated within budget with a focus on margin, material utilization, and Cost Improvement Program (CIP) goals.
- Developed employees to enhance retention, improve engagement, and address skill gaps by implementing targeted cross-job training programs.
- Effective cost management and shared accountability for line budgetary decisions with direct manager. Tracked trends and continuously improved budgetary performance for overtime (OT), direct expenses, operating equipment effectiveness (OEE), labor, downtime, schedule performance (units per hour, Lbs./Hour), year-over-year CIP, and material usage.
- Achieve performance management goals by creating and implementing strategic plans aimed at enhancing department performance and quality metrics.
- Effective cross-functional collaboration with other department leaders to sustain daily production schedules.
Sr. Dryer Operator
Abbott Laboratories
01.2011 - 01.2016
- Proven expertise in overall dryer operations and powder processing equipment, adhering to manufacturing compliance standards, Abbott's GMP, and safety protocols to meet OSHA and FDA regulations.
Owner | Construction Manager
Advantage Builders
01.1996 - 01.2011
- Developed and managed construction building projects ranging from $500K to $2M.
- Managed a diversified team of carpenters, apprentices, administrative staff, and sales professionals.
- General contractor of residential, commercial, and industrial projects.
- Providing pre-engineered steel buildings, design-build services, construction management, precast concrete products, selected demolition, and rough and finished carpentry, along with select interior finishes.
Education
Bachelor of Science -
Ball State University
Muncie, INSkills
- Lean six sigma
- Value stream mapping
- Lean manufacturing principles
- Operational excellence
- Employee leadership & development
- 5S methodology
- Quality management systems
- Process efficiency management
- Workflow optimization
- Process improvement solutions
- Business process analysis
- Determining metrics
- Operations management
- Analyzing business processes
- Production tracking systems
- Maintaining records
- Waste reduction
Timeline
Production and Continuous Improvement Manager
Abbott Laboratories
01.2022 - Current
Production Manager
Abbott Laboratories
01.2016 - 01.2022
Sr. Dryer Operator
Abbott Laboratories
01.2011 - 01.2016
Owner | Construction Manager
Advantage Builders
01.1996 - 01.2011
Bachelor of Science -
Ball State University