Jeff Methe

Jeff Methe

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineer

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location of Jeff MetheWichita, Kansas, United States

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  • Timeline

  • About me

    Senior Operations Leader | Builder of High-Performing Teams | Applied Lean Six Sigma | Award-Winning Ops Excellence | Advanced Mfg Technology | Senior Director | VP

  • Education

    • Wichita State University

      -
      Bachelor of Science Industrial Engineering - Computer Science Minor

      Activities and Societies: Wichita Manufacturer's Association, Society for Manufacturing Engineering, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, American Society for Quality,

  • Experience

    • Raytheon Technologies

      May 1996 - Mar 2003
      Industrial and Manufacturing Engineer

      Supported Manufacturing Processes Including:MachiningSheet Metal FabricationCarbon Fiber FabricationAircraft Airframe StructuralFocus on Implementing Manufacturing Improvements

    • Beechcraft

      Oct 2004 - Apr 2012

      Championed and facilitated ever-improving manufacturing processes while leading team of 22 technical and Lean experts. Employed project management, Six Sigma, and technical industrial and manufacturing knowledge.• Increased offline production by 2.5 aircraft/week by improving production and supply to Final Assembly.• Coached project team to proactively address quality and reduce annual cost to King Air Program by $687K.• Oversaw project to improve engine hand-off, saving $150K annually and improving supplier partnership.• Leveraged Lean manufacturing to reduce aircraft completion time by 50% and direct labor by 28%, yielding $2.2M in direct labor savings and $370K in inventory cost.• Initiated, led, authored, and edited 54 manufacturing processes (English & Spanish) for company-wide use.• Led newly formed Technical Training Dept. Developed technical training program (50 courses), leading to increased COPQ avoidance (>$10M annually) and 56% reduction in scrap ($1.4M saved annually).• Facilitated 97% reduction in tail section defects on new business jet, averting line shut down. Project became company gold standard for facilitating a team to solve problems with Lean Six Sigma principles. • Received Hawker-Beechcraft Excellence Award (2007) for >65% defect reduction on aircraft program. • Successfully implemented visual factory, including 5S, shop floor metrics, and kanban systems. Show less • Facilitated a 97% reduction in empennage (tail section defects) - a project that is considered one of the most successful Six Sigma projects for Raytheon Aircraft-Hawker Beechcraft.• Six Sigma greenbelt training was developed around how I facilitated the team and applied Six Sigma principles.• Earned industry-leading Raytheon Six Sigma Expert (Blackbelt) Certification (first-time pass).• Facilitated > 65% reduction in cost of poor quality on aircraft program.• Established effective root cause and corrective action. • Lean Six Sigma expert for T-6 Texan II Program. Oversaw implementation of kanban system throughout all production departments. • Helped establish the T-6 Program as the 'gold standard' for quality and efficiency. Show less

      • Manager—Project Manager | Manufacturing Engineering and Continuous Improvement

        Mar 2009 - Apr 2012
      • Lean - Six Sigma Expert (Blackbelt)

        Oct 2004 - Feb 2009
    • LMI Aerospace, Inc.

      Apr 2012 - Oct 2013
      Director - Process & Performance Excellence

      I was hired to implement Lean Six Sigma, but reassigned week one to integrate newly acquired facility. Reported to COO. Managed 8 people (150 indirect) and $XM budget. Departed voluntarily after acquired by LMI Aerospace. Successes included:• Successfully integrated a 160-employee, independently owned company after acquisition.• Grew new site sales by 35% and increasing production capacity by 38% in 12 months.• Implemented new business operations processes across sales, marketing, hiring, talent development, production management, engineering, manufacturing, and logistics in multisite context (six sites).• Insourced XM (↑30% goal) and reducing parts lead time (↓ 50%) in 2012 by developing improved logistics.• Lead organizational restructure, overhauling roles and pay while positively addressing personnel issues.• Developed capital plan (all cost & benefit analysis) and site sales and cost budgets for 2013 (with CFO).• Established business growth strategy and leading work-type and customer analysis to evaluate opportunities. Show less

    • GPIglobal

      Nov 2013 - now
      Director of Operations (VP of Operations)

      In this role, I report directly to the company president. I manage 10 direct reporting managers (who lead 220 employees). I was recruited to improve performance through Lean Six Sigma and revitalize team culture. We’ve had success on both fronts, now frequently toured as an example of applied Lean Six Sigma, highly-motivated work teams, and healthy work culture.Business and Process successes include:• Doubling product output (EBITDA ↑32%) with a limited expense increase by implementing Lean Six Sigma practices to reduce defects and other wastes.• Reducing cost of poor quality (COPQ) by 93%, by applying Six Sigma principles.• Reducing downtime by > 9,000 hours the second year by employing Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) Toyota System.• Reducing stock-outs and reduced slow-moving inventory by 81% by transitioning to full-pull system; determined trigger points based on lead times, min. order qtys, consumption variation, and lead time variation.• Facilitated new product development process overhaul: Reducing product launch time by 50% (6 yrs. →3 yrs.) Increasing new product introductions from 3, in the prior seven years, to 14 in the last seven years.• Implementing project management system now used company-wide.• Advanced Mfg: mass production of machined precision castings, high-precision plastic molding, and diverse automation.• Leading project to leverage Amazon for direct-to-consumer sales, growing revenue by 6% in year one.Team and Culture Successes Include:• Pioneering value-add compensation system weighing technical abilities, soft skills, and attendance—increasing direct worker wage while recovering 100% of cost through Lean gains and turnover reduction.• Implemented 15-month leadership development program composed of 24, 2-hour sessions, one-on-one coaching, and application.• Established Six Sigma (yellow- & greenbelt) and Lean (yellow- & greenbelt) cert. programs.• The team of 10 reporting managers rate me 8.7/10 for servant leadership. Show less

  • Licenses & Certifications

    • Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T)

      MBBC
      Oct 2002
    • Six Sigma Expert (Black Belt)

      Raytheon Technologies
      May 2004
    • Certified Quality Engineer (CQE)

      ASQ - World Headquarters
      Jun 2003
    • Certified Six Sigma Blackbelt

      ASQ - World Headquarters
      Mar 2009