Seth Ledbetter, E.I.T.

Experience

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  Midcon Cables Company

  Jan 2005 - Jan 2012

  Lead Manufacturing Engineer

  Presided over all functions of the Manufacturing Engineering department in the production of wire harnesses and cable assemblies, supervising and providing guidance to 8 engineers and technicians. Utilized Microsoft Project for allocating and tracking the progress of 50-60 open projects. Performed engineering functions for highly complex and difficult product configurations. Interviewed and selected potential candidates for employment. • Conceived of and proliferated 3-dimensional build fixture concept, enabling production of increasingly complicated harness designs, growing market share by 15%.• Completed Lean Six Sigma project to incorporate conveyor oven heat shrink process, robust Delrin mold tooling material, and backwire electrical test equipment for the Joint Strike Fighter program, reducing labor cost by 30%.• Reviewed labor and material costs for critical sales opportunities, citing savings opportunities in the form of alternate tooling, processes, specifications, and materials to reduce prices, increasing bid win rate by 10%.• Eradicated ribbon mold rework by inventing heat shield tool to prevent melting during solder sleeve installation.• Discovered supplier of, and implemented use of machined, spring-loaded mating connectors for electrical testing, realizing a material cost savings of 50% versus purchasing OEM connectors, as well as 70% less labor in time required to attach test cables for a 15% throughput increase, improving on-time delivery to the customer by 10%.• Researched and sourced pin insertion foam packaging material for the protection of fragile and exposed connector pins, eliminating customer returns due to shipping damage. Show less

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  EaglePicher

  Jan 2012 - Jan 2016

  Project Engineer

  Conducted thermal battery design and manufacturing activities ranging from conceptualization through support of full-scale production for 20% of department product offerings. Serviced 10 customer accounts as primary point of contact for proposal requests, requirements definition, technical data package approvals, design reviews, environmental testing, and failure analysis efforts.• Drove development of advanced cathode material for the flight termination system battery used on the SM-3 intercept missile, ushering in a new generation of extended operating life, low impedance thermal batteries and increasing market share by 10%.• Employed SPC methods to predict imminent non-conformances and implemented corrective actions, saving $500K in failure investigation expenditures.• Crafted standardized design review meeting PowerPoint template, cutting 15 hours of engineering labor from preparation cost, increasing customer approval first pass yield by 50%. • Requalified existing battery stock at Jet Propulsion Laboratory for deployment on the Mars InSight lander, saving the customer $100K in engineering and manufacturing cost and expediting project completion by 9 months. • Utilizing design for manufacturing principles, improved stack and igniter alignment in the Joint Stand-off Weapon control section battery, increasing product reliability, winning back business that had previously been lost to a competing supplier, achieving a sales revenue increase of $1.6M.• Received achievement award for applying Six Sigma methodology to reduce leak rate defects, increasing product yield by 25% and profit margin by 10%. Show less

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  ABB

  Jan 2016 - Jan 2019

  Process Engineer II

  Initiated and managed 20-30 open projects focused on improvements to the safety, quality, efficiency, and sustainability of various distribution transformer manufacturing processes ranging from core and enclosure fabrication through internal assembly, drying, oil filling, testing, final assembly, painting, and inspection. • Executed installation and commissioning of 2 additional low frequency heating vacuum chambers, doubling throughput for large designs, resulting in an additional $4M annual revenue.• Formulated and oversaw integration of innovative remote valve actuator system utilized during heat exchanger clean-in-place procedures, nullifying burn hazard risk to the operator, decreasing lost time injuries by half.• Worked closely with assembly operators to devise color-coded visual management shelving system for low and high voltage bushings, decreasing inventory by 75%, liberating $750K in working capital.• Incorporating lean manufacturing principles, rearranged stock room layout, and implemented component storage location numbering system, reducing parts kit wait time and overall cycle time at the point of use by 15 minutes.• Combined low-energy reverse osmosis and electrodeionization technologies into hybridized water purification system for electrocoat paint process, achieving a $250K annual savings through decreased water usage, lower power consumption, and less reject water sewerage.• Salvaged and refurbished unused transfer cart, replacing obsolete and unsupported DC drives with state of the art variable frequency drives and avoiding $100K in new equipment cost.• Spearheaded the creation and plant-wide adoption of paint defect acceptance criteria, eliminating unnecessary rework, lowering repair costs by 90%. Show less

• 

  Signify

  Jan 2019 - Jan 2022

  Senior Manufacturing Engineer

  Selected and carried out process optimization initiatives for architectural lighting manufacturing operations throughout warehouse, fabrication department, paint line, and 22 assembly lines delivering $60M in annual revenue.• Implemented Kanban systems to eliminate part shortages at the warehouse and assembly lines, decreasing lead time to the customer by 75%.• Applying 5S methodology, simplified assembly workstation layout and optimized parts bins arrangement, maximizing throughput, increasing productivity by 20%.• Managed development, testing, and implementation of batch picking software, reducing kitting time by 66% and enabling 50% workforce reallocation. Show less

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  Advanced Assembly

  Jan 2019 - Jan 2019

  Master Scheduler

  Collaborated with multiple departments and external suppliers to ensure circuit board assembly projects are completed on time and within budget. Generated and disseminated the production schedule for 30-40 active designs outsourced to partner suppliers comprising $4.8M in annual revenue. • Coordinated with purchasing manager, enacting new protocols for ordering components shared across multiple product lines, preventing misplacement at the supplier, and reducing delivery time to the customer by 10%-25%.• Applied best practice software operating procedures, enabling multitasking within the SAP application, improving productivity by 50%. Show less

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  Kärcher North America Inc.

  Jan 2022 - now

  Manufacturing Engineer III

  Improve manufacturing efficiency by analyzing and planning work flow, space requirements, and equipment layout. Assure product and process quality by designing evaluation methods, testing finished-product and process capabilities, establishing standards, and confirming manufacturing processes. Manage assigned resources and coordinate the work of others in performing responsibilities and completing projects.