Michael L. Mabon

Michael L. Mabon

Inspector / Quality Technician / Electronic Technician

location of Michael L. MabonCorpus Christi, Texas, United States

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  • Timeline

  • About me

    Retired at None

  • Education

    • Radio Engineering Institute

      1972 - 1974
      Associate's degree Electrical and Electronics Engineering
    • Thomas Jefferson High School, Council Bluffs, IA

      1969 - 1971
      High School diploma College Prep
    • University of Nebraska at Omaha

      1975 - 1975
      Quality Engineering
    • Iowa Western Community College

      1975 - 1976
      Electrical and Electronics Engineering

      Activities and Societies: IEEE

  • Experience

    • Control Data Corporation

      May 1972 - Apr 1980
      Inspector / Quality Technician / Electronic Technician

      Control Data (Omaha) produced computer disk products and componentsQuality Assurance Inspector (Disk Manufacturing Process Inspections)Quality Engineering Technician (Process and Warranty Evaluations)Electronic Technician (Disk Manufacturing Equipment Repair Technician)Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Technician (Equipment Design)Accomplishments:- Discovered source of disk pack failures on NCR Centurion computers- Wrote the operational procedures for Digital ETF (Error Track Formatter)- Designed error detection and counting circuits for Lark Module Drive tester- Designed interface for 1728-pixel line scan camera for 14-inch disk visual defect analyzer using slew-rate filters to generate error thresholds 'on-the-fly'- Designed 8-inch floppy disk formatter Show less

    • Syncom

      May 1980 - Mar 1982
      Quality Engineer / Manufacturing Engineer / Electronic Engineer

      Syncom produced half-inch magnetic tape, floppy disks and other productsManufacturing and Quality Engineer for Hard Disk and Floppy Disk ProductsElectronic Engineer supporting all Manufacturing and Testing EquipmentAccomplishments:- Created a proprietary burnishing process for flexible disk media- Achieved a 99.08% vendor rating from Wang Laboratories for floppy disks- Taught Statistical Process Control class to inspectors and Mfg technicians- Taught quarterly disk product knowledge classes to Sales and Marketing- Implemented disk cartridge testing with modified Pertec cartridge drives- Achieved an annual product return rate of only 0.4% for floppy disk products Show less

    • Luctor Corporation

      Apr 1982 - May 1984
      Quality Manager / Documentation Supervisor

      Luctor Corporation built disk testing equipment for disk drive manufacturersQuality Manager responsible for all quality issues and final inspectionDocumentation Supervisor responsible for managing the Drafting DepartmentInterim Buyer responsible for all purchasing for an interim 3-month periodAccomplishments:- Redesigned all wire-wrap boards to segregate standard wiring (using green wire) from custom wiring (using blue wire) to improve manufacturability, testability, and inspection, saving time and money while improving design integrity- Created Luctor's schematics conventions (drafting best practices)- Designed radial interface-to-daisy-chain interface converter box for an SMD drive- Designed first Seagate Winchester drive test stands and analog interfaces- Designed improved floppy disk interface for Magnum tester that out-performed original interface while reducing assembly costs by $200 per system Show less

    • Data General

      Jun 1984 - Sept 1986

      Data General, in Austin, produced printers and terminals for DG systemsEngineering Program Coordinator, Tape R&D GroupTape R&D Development EngineerAccomplishments:- Responsible for transferring the entire Tape R&D Lab from Westboro, MA to Austin, TX- Responsible for selecting and purchasing computer systems and test equipment for Austin Tape R&D Lab with a $2 million budget- Selected and developed several sources of 3480 tape recording heads- Developed an IEEE-488 automated test and data collection system using Nova 3 computers- Supported the development of the CheapTape (Irwin) tape drive for the Bulldog (MV2000) mini computer (commuting back to Westboro, MA)- Responsible for transferring entire Austin Tape R&D Lab to Durham, NH Show less Data General produced 16-bit/32-bit mini computers and peripheralsMass Storage Engineer supporting all DG disk and tape productsLiaison between Westboro, MA and Westbrook, ME disk/tape manufacturingAccomplishments:- Solved half-inch tape drive test stiction problem in Westbrook, ME- Solved EF Hutton QIC tape interchange problem due to ISV changes- Solved eight year head EMI 'noise' problem in DG pack drives in Westbrook, ME- Designed an ESD protection system for a QIC tape controller (Palmtree)- Part of team that designed and shipped a new tape drive in only 89 days Show less

      • Engineering Program Coordinator

        Mar 1985 - Sept 1986
      • Mass Storage Engineer

        Jun 1984 - Mar 1985
    • CompuAdd

      Sept 1986 - Mar 1988
      Quality Manager / Quality Engineer / Mass Storage Engineer

      CompuAdd was a small PC manufacturer competing with Dell ComputerQuality Manager supervising 5-7 inspectorsQuality Engineer supporting inspectors and Manufacturing EngineeringMass Storage Engineer supporting 'Lifetime Memories' CompuAdd dbaAccomplishments:- Developed a hard drive copying process for a CompuAdd dba that specialized in Desktop Publishing systems- Wrote an advertising column called 'The Access Times' for 'Lifetime Memories' (a CompuAdd dba that specialized in Mass Storage Products)- Solved floppy disk drive test error problem that occurred at final test- Reduced customer returns from 16% to less than 6% in nine months Show less

    • Dell Computer

      Mar 1988 - Mar 1993
      Quality Manager / Quality Staff Engineer / System Integration Manager

      Dell Computer manufactures desktop, laptop personal computers and serversQuality Manager in charge of 3 In-Process and 5 Final QA InspectorsQuality Staff Engineer (for VP of Quality)System Integration ManagerAccomplishments:- Taught my inspectors to 100% visually inspect a computer system in only 45-60 seconds using WWII aircraft identification techniques- Improved error reporting by reducing 999 error codes to just 14 syntax-driven error descriptions- Developed an automated daily quality report that was based on MIS reported defects and distributed to over 50 managers every morning- Developed an automated daily 'First Pass Yield' report that was distributed to over 50 managers every morning- Developed an defect classification system that divided defects into 'cosmetic', 'functional', and 'workmanship' categories- Redesigned the Dell System 310 bill of materials to use a Dell System 320 PCB and eliminated massive rework and many customer returns to reduce costs and improve quality (new Dell System 310R)- Eliminated over 5,000 incomplete shipments waiting in the Shipping Department in just three weeks by acting as a 'Master Expediter' to prioritize orders and focus efforts to clear the backlog- Managed the system Integration department for three months, processing over 30,000 highly customized orders, and shipping all but two computer systems by the end of the fiscal year Show less

    • General Diagnostics

      Jun 1993 - Jun 1995
      Quality Assurance Supervisor / MIS Manager

      GDI was a third-party repair depot spun off from Tandem's Field Service divisionI was hired to implement the entire Quality Management SystemSupervised and trained 3 QA inspectorsManaged 1 MIS technicianAccomplishments:- Implemented Material Review Board (MRB) system to process rejected material- Developed an EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) system using Mercator software- Implemented an ISO 9001 certification effort- Developed configuration management system for CableData terminals Show less

    • Telxon Corporation

      Sept 1995 - Jun 1996
      Quality Engineer

      Telxon manufactured portable wireless bar code scanning equipmentManager of System Integration Department (TDY, last month in the Quarter)Quality Engineer managing an ICT (In-Circuit Test) department (Teradyne)Accomplishments:- Helped SID meet, and surpass, its quarterly production goals- Trained as an ISO 9000 Internal Auditor (Perry Johnson)- Developed a reporting plan for MRB that decreased inventories and reduced RTV cycle times- Implemented a tight TAR (Test, Analyze, and Repair) loop at ICTExperienced in Surface Mount Technology (SMT), IPC 610, and In-Circuit Testing (ICT) Show less

    • Marco International

      Aug 1996 - Jun 1998
      Quality Manager / Quality Engineer / Test Engineer

      Marco International was a contract electronic manufacturer and memory marketerQuality Manager supervising 6 Final Inspection QA inspectorsQuality Engineer supporting QA inspectors, Incoming Inspection and ICTTest Engineer supporting GenRad In-Circuit Test departmentAccomplishments:- Eliminated corrosion problem on Ross Technology CPU cards by improving the water and the type of saponifier used in the cleaning process- Eliminated cost of leasing 6 Bosch & Lomb binocular microscopes by purchasing 8 Vision Engineering Mantis microscopes with a 4 month ROI; improved quality with reduced operator fatigue were also benefitsExperienced in Surface Mount Technology, ICT testing, IPC 610, and ANSI/ESD 20.20 Show less

    • RG Electronics, Inc.

      Jul 1998 - Sept 1999
      Quality Engineer

      RG Electronics manufactured restraint-free patient monitoring devicesQuality Engineer supporting ManufacturingPerformed failure analysis, component evaluations, and warranty evaluationsAccomplishments:- Implemented several cost reductions that improved quality of final unit

    • Telxon Corporation

      Sept 1999 - Jun 2000
      Quality Engineer

      Telxon manufactured portable wireless bar code scanning equipmentQuality Engineer supporting new product quality improvementsAccomplishments:- Worked with Ed Zunich of Terrier Corporation to teach 'Practical Process Improvement' and 'Quality-Focused Leadership' programs (PPI was taught 3 quarters in a row)- Analyzed the DPMO for 3 new products (Juniper, Hickory, and Aspen units) to determine maximum yields given a six-sigma process. Juniper and Hickory were less than 95% yield; Aspen was less than 89% yield- Implemented an ISO 14001 Ni-cad battery recycling programExperienced in Surface Mount Technology (SMT), IPC 610, and ICT testing Show less

    • CAD-Tech, Inc.

      Jul 2000 - Sept 2000
      Production Manager

      CAD-Tech manufactured SMT solder stencils and SMT inspection templatesProduction Manager, including Purchasing, Quality, and EngineeringAccomplishments:- Re-validated the manufacturing process and discovered that the rectifiers could not supply enough current to electro-polish large stencils, so larger rectifiers were ordered to correct the problem- Found new sources for stainless steel mesh, stainless steel plate, aluminium frames and epoxy that improved quality and reduced costs- Designed and built two heated steel tables that reduced epoxy cure times- Installed work aids in Final Assembly to reduce waste and cycle time- Doubled Final Assembly throughput by acquiring a new frame stretcherExperienced in Surface Mount Technology, including solder paste printing techniques. Show less

    • Xplore Technologies

      Sept 2000 - Nov 2001
      Quality Manager / Supplier Quality Engineer

      Xplore Technologies manufactures ruggedized tablet computersQuality Manager, including Quality Engineer and Supplier Quality EngineerManaged Incoming supplier quality from several important suppliers: Ten-X, Xetel, K-Tec, SMTC, Delta Electronics and Intermet CorporationAccomplishments:- Created and implemented a complete Quality Management System- Created and implemented complete MRB (Material Review Board) system- Created and implemented a SCAR (Supplier Corrective Action Request) system- Created a six-month ISO 9000 certification planExperienced in Surface Mount Technology (SMT), IPC 610, soldering standards, and ANSI/ESD 20.20. Show less

    • RG Electronics, Inc.

      Nov 2001 - Jun 2004
      Quality Engineer

      RG Electronics manufactured restraint-free patient monitoring devicesQuality Engineer supporting ManufacturingPerformed failure analysis, component evaluations, and warranty evaluationsAccomplishments:- Qualified new suppliers and components

    • San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind

      Jun 2004 - Sept 2006
      Quality Manager

      SALB is part of the nonprofit National Industries for the Blind, which secures government contracts for military clothing, office supplies, and other goodsQuality Manager, including Quality Engineering and Manufacturing EngineeringAccomplishments:- Planned, developed, and achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification for a non-profit light- assembly and sewing facility that employs a 75% visually impaired workforce in just six months with no findings.- Improved reporting and analysis of quality inspection data over several product lines- Improved a major customer’s satisfaction and confidence in our ability to meet their quality and production goals and objectives which resulted in additional contract opportunities with other customers- Developed Production Planning tools to track daily performance- Developed an H5N1 (Bird Flu) Pandemic Response Plan for management Show less

    • RSI Inc.

      Sept 2006 - Aug 2010
      Quality Manager

      RSI-CRI, Inc. is an aerospace and military contract electronic manufacturerQuality Manager, including Quality Engineer and Manufacturing EngineerExperienced with AS9102 First Article Inspection proceduresAccomplishments:- Achieved a difficult AS9100B/ISO 9001:2000 recertification two weeks after starting with the company (10/2006)- Achieved AS9120 certification for the Pflugerville Distribution Facility (11/2008)- Improved document control system by adopting the KnowledgeTree open source software application.- Improved the Corrective Action system by contracting with a web-based services provider located in Ft. Worth, TX- Implemented an improved binocular optical inspection system for cable harness inspections (Vision Engineering)- Developed a project management system to meet all of the AS9100, section 7.0 requirements for product realization- Developed 5-S, Lean Manufacturing, and Risk Management programs (including spreadsheet risk managementExperienced in IPC 620, cable assembly, J-STD-001, and ANSI/ESD 20.20. Show less

    • Scientific Machine & Welding

      Mar 2011 - Apr 2011
      Quality Manager

      SM&W is a manufacturer of build to print, precision, machined components and turn key assembliesQuality Manager - hired to prepare company for AS9100:2009 certificationAccomplishments:- After a two months at Scientific Machine & Welding, the project to prepare them for AS9100 certification was cancelled because they were not prepared for the magnitude of the work required

    • Quality in Austin

      May 2011 - Nov 2012
      Consultant and Trainer

      Quality in Austin provides management consulting services, customized on-site training solutions, and training seminar programsAccomplishments:- Developed 'How to Write Effective Procedures' training seminar- Developed 'How to Write Effective Job Descriptions' training seminar- Developed 'Working on the Right Side of the Pareto Chart' seminar

    • Mico Machine Company

      Sept 2012 - Oct 2013
      Quality Manager

      Quality Manager for an AS9100:2009 Quality Management System. Mico Machine manufactures CNC-machined parts for the aerospace industry.

    • LTD Material

      Oct 2013 - Mar 2014
      Quality Manager

      LTD Material manufactures quartzware for the semiconductor industry.

    • Quality in Austin

      Apr 2014 - Oct 2014
      Consultant and Trainer

      Consulting on a variety of ISO 9001 and AS9100 issues. Develop and present performance improvement training seminars.

    • SQA Services, Inc.

      Sept 2014 - Oct 2014
      Senior Quality Professional

      Providing a variety of client source inspection services in the Austin, TX area.

    • Shell Machine Works, Inc.

      Oct 2014 - Mar 2016
      Quality Manager

      Shell Machine Works has been supporting the oil and gas industry in South Texas since 1958. I joined the company to help it achieve API Q1 and 6A certification. We have also been approved for GE, Baker-Hughes, Cameron, and Weatherford AVLs (Approved Vendor Lists). Our capabilities include CNC Lathe and CNC Milling abilities, as well as three robotic cells and a complete fabrication department. (http://www.shellmachineworks.com/).While at Shell, I was able to prepare them for their API Q1 certification, which they achieved last year. Show less

    • Improved Piping Products, Inc. (IPP)

      Aug 2016 - Jan 2017
      Quality Manager

      Improved Piping Products, Inc.is a leading innovator and producer of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipe fittings and accessories. I am currently implementing new Quality reporting systems and preparing the company for ISO 9001:2015 certification.

    • None

      Apr 2017 - now
      Retired
  • Licenses & Certifications

    • ISO 9000 & AS9120 Comprehension (including AS9100B)

      ISOmetrix
      Feb 2008
    • Certificate of Completion; Quality Focused Leadership

      Telxon Corporation / Terrier Corporation (Ed Zunich)
      Dec 1999
    • Certificate of Award; ISO 9000 Internal Auditor

      Perry Johnson, Inc.
      Oct 1995
    • Certificate of Completion; Data Communications / Modems

      General Diagnostics Inc.
      Sept 1993
    • Certificate for Effective Quality Auditing

      Richard Kleckner and Clyde Brewer
      Aug 1988
    • Certificate of Completion; Organizational Behavior I

      Data General Corporation
      Apr 1986
    • Certificate of Completion; H100 Data General Computer Architecture

      Data General Corporation
      Jul 1984
    • Certificate of Completion; Models 6236/6237 Disc Subsystems

      Data General Corporation
      Jul 1984
  • Honors & Awards

    • Awarded to Michael L. Mabon
      Outstanding Achievement in the Implementation of ISO 9001:2000 San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind Dec 2004 Presented to me in recognition for achieving ISO 9000 certification for them within 6 months of my hire date (June 14, 2004 to December 17, 2004).
    • Awarded to Michael L. Mabon
      Outstanding Performance Award Xplore Technologies (Brian Groh, Pres/CEO / John Ishak, VP Eng) Apr 2001 In Recognition of your outstanding support and valuable contribution that made the quarter (Fiscal Q4 2001) a success
    • Awarded to Michael L. Mabon
      System 210 Development Team Member Dell Computer Corporation Aug 1989 Plaque to commemorate the first customer shipment, August 4, 1989
    • Awarded to Michael L. Mabon
      Certificate of Appreciation for Valuable Contribution American Society for Quality Control, Section 1414 May 1989
    • Awarded to Michael L. Mabon
      Certificate of Appreciation; Fifth Annual Texas Quality Conference American Society for Quality Control, Section 1414 Aug 1988
    • Awarded to Michael L. Mabon
      Technical Excellence Award Peripheral Products Co. (Division of Control Data Corporation) Jan 1980 A $1,000 award for developing a floppy disk formatter for $5,000 in 4 months (when the existing development program was $200,000 over budget and 18 months late). My design was adapted for future two-sided floppy disk formatters built by the Test Equipment Department. This project was credited with saving $100K in the first 6 months of operation.
    • Awarded to Michael L. Mabon
      Letter of Commendation Don E. Reiner, Manager of Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Jul 1979 Please accept my offering of appreciation for a job well done in the development of the REMEX Flexible Disk Formatter.Your timely development of this unit provided Flexible Media Manufacturing the most cost effective and only alternative to obtain Single Sided Format capabilities in the quantity and time required.As a consequence, we are now in an excellent position on Single Sided Formatting and will benefit as well by the Two Sided Remex System D. Taggart's Group will be… Show more Please accept my offering of appreciation for a job well done in the development of the REMEX Flexible Disk Formatter.Your timely development of this unit provided Flexible Media Manufacturing the most cost effective and only alternative to obtain Single Sided Format capabilities in the quantity and time required.As a consequence, we are now in an excellent position on Single Sided Formatting and will benefit as well by the Two Sided Remex System D. Taggart's Group will be building. Show less
  • Volunteer Experience

    • Instructor - Basic Astronautics / Model Rocketry

      Issued by Omaha Composite Squadron / Civil Air Patrol
      Omaha Composite Squadron / Civil Air PatrolAssociated with Michael L. Mabon