Larry E. Davis, PMP, CSSBB

Experience

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  AK Steel Corporation

  Mar 1993 - May 2020

  AK Steel is a world leader in the production of flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steel products for the automotive, appliance, construction and electrical power generation markets. The firm and its subsidiaries operate numerous facilities throughout North America, and collectively posted revenues of $6.36 billion in 2019. As of March 2020, it operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.• Reported to GM of Product Development at Research and Innovation Center developing new products and continuous improvement processes• Contributed to the implementation of a new stage-gate project management process by educating all levels of the company in the processes and procedures• Led and influenced others on cross-functional teams to successfully launch a portfolio of over 50 product development and process improvement projects; doubled the number of new products launched over a period of three years while increasing the number of new projects established by 54%• Improved the execution of project management process by implementing new tools and techniques; benchmarked best practices and standardized meeting facilitation techniques • Forecasted and manage a $2.5M budget, • Established the annual Top 10 goals and KPIs for product development; tracked and published weekly performance reports• Delivered C-Level presentations, provided weekly communications of critical projects, and seek executive level approval for product launch• Motivated others and facilitate change management process through monthly reviews of project health against projected milestones• Developed a new department focused on the continuous improvement efforts of both new and existing products; successfully wrote and received approval for 8 Project Charters in last two years generated $6M of savings Show less • Led a team of engineers responsible for new business development for major stainless and electrical steel accounts. Supported customers with material selection and qualification requirements with prototype inventory• Developed and initiated new product development projects based upon “voice of the customer” needs and competitive product intelligence• Coordinated efforts with Purchasing and Legal Departments to develop IP protection and establish JDA for new product development projects Show less • Relocated to Atlanta, GA in 2012. Led a virtual team of 9 direct and 6 contract employees that worked remotely; hired, trained and deployed 8 new employees over a three-year period due to an explosion of growth in the Southeast automotive market; met customer quality KPI’s for several key automotive OEM’s and Tier One stampers from California to South Carolina; major customers included; Toyota, Mercedes, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, GM• Forecasted and managed a $1.5M budget; approved expense accounts• Developed a series of Web based training modules to standardize best practices across four departments of 30 people.• Attended monthly Supplier Quality Meetings at Toyota Corporate headquarters to address root cause and corrective actions at the General Manager level•. Identified and managed risks in the supply chain to avoid customer claims•. Collaborated with Quality department to Improve root cause analysis, and A3 corrective actions responses for Toyota Quality Problem Reports• Provided formability support to troubleshoot stamped parts. Implement reference panel programs using thickness strain and circle grid analysis. • Presented on the topic of basic steelmaking and management of steelmaking defects for 10 years at semi-annual Customer Technical Symposiums• Met Toyota Corporate quality KPIs and differentiated my company with regard to responsiveness and root cause corrective actions, which contributed to multiple Toyota Quality Performance Awards and led to a growth in volume of over 140%• Led innovation workshops that generated 45 ideas to streamline communications, improve integration of new systems and address pain points in daily functional duties to improve operational efficiencies Show less • Relocated to Springhill TN in 1994 and had an office on-site at GM Saturn stamping operation. Supplied 85,000 tons/year. Supported the plant with respect to claims resolution, defect identification, and formability analysis. Made three trips to Japan to provide circle grid analysis support for the buy-off of hard tools for the 1997 Saturn Sport Coupe.• Relocated to Detroit MI in 1996 and supported the launch of first business at Chrysler in 15 years. Supported the qualification of products and the launch of a new galvanized coating line by following stamping trials at multiple OEM and Tier One stamping plants. • Relocated to Middletown OH in 1998 to support the GM Indianapolis Stamping Plant that consumed 300,000 tons/year of exposed and unexposed steel. Managed the entire value chain to satisfy customer requirements for conformance to spec and fitness for use to resolve issues from steelmaking through blanking, packaging and transportation. Show less

  • Manager Project Coordination and Continuous Improvement

    Jun 2019 - May 2020

  • Manager, Project Coordination and Specialty Steel Applications

    May 2017 - May 2019

  • Regional Manager, Customer Technical Services

    Jan 2003 - May 2017

  • Sr Customer Technical Services Representative

    Mar 1993 - Jan 2003
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  Steel Dynamics, Inc. Flat Roll Group

  Nov 2020 - now

  Applications and Technical Service Engineer