Byron Upton

Experience

• 

  Crown Equipment Corporation

  Sept 2007 - Mar 2023

  Supervised 10 department staff members, while also providing operational excellence leadership for five additional branches in the Gulf region.Optimized parts inventory levels across 38 locations by driving a 20% reduction in obsolete inventory and increasing off-shelf availability to over 85%.Led the implementation of a lean inventory process for stock receiving that reduced processing time by over 60%, ensuring most inventory items moved from dock door to shelf within 4 hours.Implemented and maintained 5S visual management processes to enhance workflow and minimize waste, resulting in a 25% improvement in the parts allocation process.Train and teach the culture of continuous improvement to all levels of the organization and establish local subject matter experts throughout the region.Responsible for working cross-functionally with other business segments to lead projects that reduced waste, optimized resource utilization, and streamlined workflow.Developed process to improve data integrity of purchase order and receiving documentation that resulted in an over 80% decrease in lost paperwork and ultimately streamlined accounting processes. Show less Oversee Branch Parts Department Activities Conduct meetings with parts personnel to coordinate activities and discuss issues. Coordinate parts department activities with service and sales departments. Set parts inventory levels and review periodically. Monitor overstocked and understocked parts and modify order levels as appropriate. Review and modify departments operating procedures as necessary. May oversee parts fleet vehicle maintenance. Oversee periodic return of overstocked items to factory. Oversee parts orders from vendors. May review and/or approve some or all invoices from vendors and to customers. May complete transactions/adjustments such as credit memos in inventory system. Conduct periodic part inventory audits and reconciliations and coordinate with accounting. Develop Parts Sales Strategies and Coordinate with Service and Sales Departments Conduct and participate in parts strategy meetings. May also plan account strategy with customer service sales people. Confer with Branch Manager or Service & Parts Manager concerning parts department performance. Coordinate activities related to parts among Sales Managers, Service Manager and used equipment sales/leasing/rental/loan activities. Monitor Customer Accounts Maintain direct contact with current or prospective customers at end user locations. Participate in customer service for key accounts. Establish and monitor parts consignments at selected accounts.Recruit, Develop and Evaluate Personnel Train, develop and counsel direct reports. Conduct training on products and procedures with individuals and groups. Make compensation recommendations on and communicate compensation decisions to all direct reports. Participate in any complex personnel situation, such as a termination. Review time and attendance of personnel on a regular basis. Show less Receive and Quote Parts Orders Receive parts orders from customers, service technicians, and parts van personnel. Provide technical parts information and quotes as needed. Input parts orders into parts system to be pulled.Process Parts Orders and ReturnsProcess and pull parts orders. Issue/create credit requests when appropriate for parts returns. Process and batch charges made by credit card. Process purchase orders to order parts from Crown and outside vendors. Process parts needing locations in stockroom and those being returned to stock. Process all cores for proper shipment and credit.Van InventoriesAudit van inventories. Adjust min/max levels as appropriate.MiscellaneousCycle count inventory as required. Prepare reports as requested. May be responsible for: shipping and receiving of parts; ensuring accuracy in counts and movements of parts; putting away stock orders; researching competitive parts information; maintaining parts files; and operating tire press. May provide back-up support for service customer care. Perform other duties as assigned. Show less

  • Parts Operations Manager

    Feb 2014 - Mar 2023

  • Parts Supervisor

    Oct 2011 - Feb 2014

  • Parts Department Customer Care Representative

    Sept 2007 - Oct 2011
• 

  Equipment Depot

  Mar 2023 - now

  Parts Operations Manager

  Developed new training and coaching strategies for the Parts team members, resulting in a 15% improvement in overall performance.Identified manually intensive data collection tasks for the Parts team and worked with the Service team to launch tools that reduced daily email traffic by 40%Designed and implemented processes that minimized obsolete inventory and boosted expenditure on OEM and private label aftermarket parts.Developed stockroom reorganization plan, focusing on enhancing efficiency through strategic product placement, sorting existing items, and optimizing space utilization.Reduced overall headcount by 44% while exceeding revenue goals by 20%. Show less