OBJECTIVE: Consulting, Senior Management, or Interim Management.
Retail, High-tech, Service, Distribution, Mail Order, Operations, Start-up or Turn-around.

EXECUTIVE PROFILE:

• Entrepreneurial and corporate senior-level management and P&L experience in retail, sales, high-tech leadership, business development and daily operations for consumer products, wholesale, manufacturing and supply chain environments.
• Formulate breakthrough marketing strategies for effective business plans; skilled in opportunity identification, competitive analysis, market positioning, brand management, contract negotiation, process reengineering and supply chain integration.
• Advise senior management and directors of various business implications, for solid policy decisions; track emerging industry trends; technology strategy, analytics, target and shape niche-driven marketing and supply chain relationships.
• Deploy Lean Management processes, applications and techniques: Just-in-time, Rapid Application Development, Extreme Software Development, Balanced Scorecard, Activity Based Costing, Shareholder Value, Business Process Redesign, Reengineering, Lean Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management, Business Transformation and Continuous Improvement.
• Technology application and business integration; formulate requirements, analyze business benefits and payback, qualify and select suppliers, lead technical teams in implementation, integration, software configuration and development.

WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY:

"I have to tell you, I was really impressed with the work that you and the ... team did on this project. I am a big believer in process and I feel strongly that the process that you guided us through was a critical success factor in having some decent requirements in a short amount of time. You should know that I would have given you guys an A+ on the requirements effort. You never failed to deliver, " business team leader, current project.

"Neil has strong influencing skills. The US and UK companies often had different views on key decisions. Neil was at the forefront of resolving such conflicts and gaining commitment to decisions that worked for the business," business leader, UK consulting firm.

"I'm sending this to thank you and your team for the help you provided in achieving the successful resolution of our ... project. In particular, your consistent focus on results, and supportive approach without trying to force a 'prescription' was effective with our group and appreciated. I believe you have created a helpful niche among the consultant options to drive results in the context of organizational capabilities and with flexibility regarding process. This is needed, albeit somewhat difficult to explain," executive vice president global research, development and engineering, US consumer products company.

"His broad business knowledge, particularly in supply chain, combined with his knowledge of SAP enabled us to drive significant changes, resulting in a three fold increase in product throughput in the warehouse (kitting and distribution) with only minor increases in head count," project manager, UK cellular network provider.

"Neil also possesses personal qualities, such as diplomacy combined with tenacity, to deliver projects effectively. He built an excellent rapport with senior line management, which translated into a lasting respect for his ability to 'do the right thing'," project development manager, UK cellular network provider.

"Neil's unique blend of skills and qualities make him an excellent candidate for most high-level management positions," former business partner.

"He has the ability to handle complex technical situations, understand and motivate people, and work equally well in either a matrix or traditional management environment," partner Big 6 consulting firm.

"He is self-motivated, well-organized, and results oriented. He budgets his time well, is a good delegator, but is not afraid to 'jump in and get it done' if necessary," former business partner.

"Neil is the consummate team player," manager international strategy consulting firm.

PUBLICATIONS:

" Taming the Beast", Steve Cardell and Neil Tiffin, Industrial Management, May-June 1999, pp 23-28. A six page article outlining the six steps necessary for successful enterprise information system implementations.

"GNU Enterprise Application Software", Neil Tiffin and Reinhard Muller, Informatik Informatique, No 6, December 2001. SVI/FSI Schweizerischer Verband der Informatikorganisationen, Fédération suisse des organisations d'informatique, Zürich. Description and status of the GNU Enterprise software project.

RESUME & CAREER BACKGROUND:

Consulting Firm, Chicago, IL, 1998 - Current
Principal
Responsible for business transformation, IT consulting, interim management and performance improvement consulting.

• Responsible for in-bound logistics process design for domestic agricultural equipment manufacturer.
• Responsible for process design and software requirements for currency processing at 35 domestic sites including the largest U. S. currency vault in the world.
• Responsible for bar code system requirements, warehouse process design, manufacturing process design and legacy software modification requirements in an FDA validated environment for an international pharmaceutical manufacturer.
• Responsible for inventory analysis and safety stock calculations for an international dog food manufacturer.
• Responsible for Lean Manufacturing implementation for an educational content developer and mail order operation.
• Analyze web membership B2B infrastructure and mainframe finance system projects for major health insurance company.
• Responsible for analysis and recommendations to integrate best-of-breed software packages including advanced planning, forecasting and warehouse management with legacy enterprise application for an industrial manufacturer.
• Responsible for reorganization of global research, development, and engineering business units for a global consumer products company.
• Responsible for defining the Supply Chain, Sales, and Accounting functionality for the GNU Enterprise software project (including design review and testing for CORBA middleware server.)
• Technical consultant for business forecasting and planning for a $800 million high volume consumer goods company.
• Consultant responsible for redesign of field sales processes and the selection of sales force automation software for a medium size metal building manufacturer.

Educational Publisher, Washington DC Suburbs, November 2001 - January 2005
CIO/VP Supply Operations
Responsible for Information Systems, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Assembly, and Shipping activities.

• Manage highly successful e-commerce web site software development including complete site redesign, usability analysis, and feature enhancements.
• Manage successful call center software package requirements and implementation.
• Design and manage internet security for web server farm using MS IIS, Radware Linkproof, and Juniper Networks Netscreen firewalls.
• Manage cleanup of Microsoft environment consisting of several Microsoft 2000 Server and Advanced Server installations, Exchange, and SQL Servers.
• Managed the conversion of the web environment to .net.
• Managed search engine strategies.
• Manage suppliers and negotiate major contracts for shipping (UPS, Fed Ex), media cases, CDs, and DVDs.
• Responsible for significantly reducing back orders by establishing inventory service levels, lean manufacturing, and JIT processes.

International Consulting Firm, Stamford, CT and Reading, UK 1998-2000
Senior Consultant
Responsible for delivery of performance improvement and business transformation consulting services in the consumer goods, general manufacturing, telecom, and wholesale supply chain business sectors. Specialties included Supply Chain Integration, Customer Care Processes and Systems, and SAP re-implementation. Managed parts of the firms largest projects including extended assignments in the United Kingdom working at the executive level for FTSE 30 and smaller companies.

• Facilitated global strategy sessions that included top 20 managers and board members for a $400 million public company.
• Managed Supply Chain Improvement and Enterprise Wide system (IFS) selection project spanning Europe, Africa, North & South America, and Asia for an aircraft logistics, MRO, and flight services company.
• Analyzed processes and associated SAP MRP and Master Planning (MM and PP modules) implementation.
• Created project scope and plan to benchmark and improve telemarketing operations for major UK telephone advertising organization.
• Redesigned Sales Support, Forecasting, MRP, Picking, Fulfillment, and Sales Order Entry processes and the managed resultant SAP SIS and SD module re-configuration in electronics and telecommunications high volume consumer goods business. Results included 300% increase in sales and shipments with negligible increases in warehouse size, sales, customer care or warehouse staffing. Company recently sold for $21 billion.
• Applied business process redesign techniques to purchasing and expenditure authorization processes.
• Technical consultant and facilitator for a New Work Life System (Self Managed Team) design and implementation at a large US based union steel foundry.
• Conducted SAP post implementation performance analysis (MM, SD, FI, CO modules and Oracle database) for a UK company involved in extraction, processing, and sales of minerals to the construction, steel, glass, ceramics and agricultural industries.
• Responsible for Consulting Firm's web site development, maintenance, content planning and search engine strategies.

International Furniture Manufacturer & Importer, Chicago, IL 1995-1997
Vice President - Operations & Finance
P&L responsibility for all startup and daily business operations, including, procurement, technology, accounting, customer support, in-bound logistics, out-bound logistics, logo development and trademark registrations for this importer and distributor of headboards, footboards, futons and daybeds, targeting the top 100 furniture retailers in the United States.

• Established advanced unix based integrated manufacturing, sales, financial, and ROI ERP system.
• Coordinated production, established manufacturing, and managed purchasing for products manufactured in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Mexico.
• Negotiated contracts with steamship lines and trucking firms, achieving low-cost supply chain economics.
• Managed warehouse operations in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Chicago.
• Acquired and integrated a Kentucky mail order bedding line competitor into operations.
• Established volume mail order processing systems, customer service processes, and distribution for national mail order accounts.
• Established systems and procedures to complete monthly financial statements within 24 hours of month end.

High-Tech Manufacturing, Chicago, IL 1993-1996
President / CEO
In charge of all sales, operations, P/L, and manufacturing plants in Chicago and London, of this high-technology manufacturer of electrical coil winding machinery experiencing reduced sales and profits from increased international competition.

• Key accounts included Lucent Technologies, Seagate, GE, Square D, Ford, GM, Fender, Gibson, Bose and Rockwell.
• Forged sales relationships with business partners in Taiwan, Italy, Germany, and South America.
• Created sales and marketing strategies for Asia and Europe.
• Converted manufacturing operations from batch to continuous flow production and reduced manufacturing lead time from 18 weeks to 6 weeks.
• Improved the ship lead time from 26 weeks to 9 weeks.
• Decreased shipping repair part costs from $120 per shipment to $27 per shipment.
• Reduced overall manufacturing overhead by 40%, while increasing output by 50%.
• Recruited Ph.D. staff and managed advanced systems and motion research.
• Managed implementation of a HP-UX unix based, enterprise ERP system.
• Managed creative process that led to the development of the first company patents in 20 years.
• Managed wildly successful introduction of new product into the marketplace.
• Managed the development over 1 million lines of C++ and assembler code for machine interface, network interface, and machine programming.
• Managed the development of embedded systems hardware and software.
• Managed R&D budget in excess of $850,000 per year.
• Managed the design of C++ product configurator software to analyze custom machine applications and produce engineering specifications and sales quotations.
• Responsible for marketing the sale of the company in November 1996.

Ernst & Young, Kansas City, MO 1991-1993
Manager, Performance Improvement Consulting Practice.
Provided consulting and technical assistance services in sales, business development and project management to industrial manufacturers, specializing in global competition and import operations.

• Managed and materially participated in the sale of a $2 million engagement.
• Conducted team and quality training for a client's executive team and 600 employees.
• Advised the CEO of a $65 million fashion-oriented manufacturing division of a $1.2 billion company in restructuring management, to turn a loss of $1 million per month into long-term profitability, following the highly publicized merger of two of the largest industry competitors.
• Contributed to a 30% rise in the stock price of the parent company during a recessionary market.
• Decreased total inventories from $18 million to $5.4 million.
• Established a Supplier Certification Program and reduced the supplier base by 38%.
• Decreased the order entry time for existing customers from 25 days to 3 days.
• Reduced management layers from 15 to 4.
• Reduced the average manufacturing lead time from 12 weeks to 3 days, by implementing cellular manufacturing and JIT production.

Coopers & Lybrand, Kansas City, MO 1989-1991
Sr. Consultant, Information Technology Systems Consulting Practice.

• Managed Factory Management Systems analysis portion of a Computer Integrated Manufacturing project for a focused electronics factory at a major DOE facility managed by Allied Signal Aerospace Company.
  • Reduced the production cycle time by 30% and inventory by 69%.
  • Project credited in Congress for providing a competitive edge over other DOE facilities and expansion of the Kansas City location as part of the nationwide Nuclear Weapons Complex consolidation.
  • Equipment analyzed included Tandem Non-stop, DEC Vax, and IBM mainframe systems with technology spanning 1960 to 1991.
• Manage software requirements, development, and implementation (SUMMIT methodology) to migrate a 65 store and a 45 store retail grocery chain to new IBM 3090-200 MVS and DOS systems.
  • Responsible for MVS CICS software development for the retail pricing, direct store delivery, time & attendance, shelf label generation, price modeling systems. Other project responsibilities included file conversion strategy, implementation scenarios, and test specifications.

Sunrise Systems, Division of IBT, Inc., Kansas City, KS 1982-1988
Group President
Directed the startup, subsequent sale, and daily operation (pre and post sale) of this $5.2 million manufacturing technologies engineering and consulting firm. P&L responsibility for sales, manufacturing and engineering activities.

• Manage turnkey factory systems integration, design, and installation. Technology included supervisory software, vision systems, communications systems, robots, bar code, identification technologies and PLCs.
• Manage office systems software integration, design and installation. Systems included G/L, A/P, A/R. Inventory, Real Estate, Investments, and Sales Order Processing.
• Established UL-approved manufacturing facilities to support Food Industry systems.
• Managed custom embedded microprocessor hardware and software system and product design.
• Sold Sunrise to the strategic business partner and managed the merger into a $70 Million organization.
• Established firm as an SCO unix, Informix DBMS, and Allen-Bradley VAR.

 Key clients and projects included:

• Paper Products Company: design paper manufacturing plant planning, scheduling, and manufacturing execution systems for achieving 200 inventory turns per year.
• Consumer Goods Company: redesigned all paper and information flows to reduce overhead in soap production plant; reduced overhead costs by 18% and direct costs by 24%.
• International Pharmaceutical Company: produced a strategic plan, with a current systems analysis, to implement a paperless information transfer in compliance with FDA requirements; recommendations partially implemented worldwide.
• Major Automotive Company: correct AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) communications problems in three days after production delay of several weeks by the OEM; integrated 360 manufacturing cell systems into plant floor supervisory computers, and redesigned the Radio Identification system to improve recognition from 54% to over 98%.
• Design automated machinery to produce round ice cream lids, monitor remote oil well production, hospital data distribution and others.
• Develop preventive maintenance software product used world-wide by well known cosmetic manufacturer.

EDUCATION:

University of Missouri
Bachelor of Science, Computer Science

Last Update: December 5, 2011
Copyright ©2006, 2008, 2011 by Neil Tiffin - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, This resume may not be submitted to any potential employer without written authorization of Neil Tiffin. Printable version available on request.