Manuel Escamilla

Leading private label brake fluid manufacturer and packaging provider, producing specialist, bespoke solutions for the biggest brands in the world.

Managed the production and logistic departments as well as inter-departmental collaboration in developing improvement projects, prior to COVID-19-related layoff.

Key Achievements / Projects:

• Overhauled departmental chart and updated position descriptors, clarifying leadership roles.
• Defined framework for improvement projects on ERP reimplementation and formalizing maintenance and project management department.

Exclusive premium brand distributor of equipment as well as supplies for the industrial, construction and automotive industries.

Led the operations of the company focusing on providing the commercial team with the best internal structure to support their efforts for creating sustainable value, achieving this through an agile supply chain, a strong client – oriented post sales program, modern guidelines for employee training, evaluation, recruitment and promotion, together with improving policies as well as procedures in administrative and financial oversight. Responsible for company-wide Profit and Loss (P&L).

Key Achievements / Projects:

• Improved inventory management effectiveness by reducing 21% the Cost-per-Order with a 15% increase of Warehouse Capacity Use Rate. Reduced over 90% Dispatched Order Discrepancies as well as Customer Returns, improving the Delivery In-Full On Time from 77% to 98%. Fill Rate and Inventory Turnover optimized over 20%. The aforementioned was achieved through Kanban, GPS integration and training, focusing the latter on Warehouse Management and Supply Chain best practices.
• Reorganized the Human Resources department by implementing better practices for talent acquisition, on-boarding and training. Updated position descriptors and the HR Information System as well as deployed an internship program as one of the pillars for talent acquisition.
• Reduced Repair Cycle by 60% and Customer Complaints by 45% after redesigning Kärcher and HILTI’s technical service shop focusing on LEAN, Kaizen and Kanban principles, designing and implementing a quality control system as well as promoting a program for technicians to achieve higher technical certifications, showing consistent improvement on a quarterly basis.
• Reengineered the financial and administrative processes through LEAN and chaired the SAP Business One implementation project, reaching full-modules deployment in less than one year while being recognized as one of the best SAP projects in the region.
• The above-mentioned contributed to an EBIT increase from 7 to 18% after 18 months.

Plastic and packaging solutions manufacturer for the food & beverage, agricultural, chemical, consumer goods and pharmaceutical industries, with operations in over 20 countries throughout the continental Americas and Caribbean.

Responsible for the day to day activities of the main manufacturing plant (Production, Maintenance, Quality and Logistics) in addition to leading multifunctional teams in charge of the design, construction and commissioning of new plants along with production lines. Led the conception, design and introduction of multiple new and modified products. Advised along with assisting subsidiaries and customers in the Americas and Caribbean. Head of the productivity and costs control team, food safety team leader, FSSC 22000 / ISO 9001 internal lead auditor. Responsible of the operating Profit and Loss (P&L).

Key Achievements / Projects:

• Achieved a consistent throughput, quality rate and machine availability inter-annual improvement of + 5%.
• Consulted and trained customers on packaging technology, process improvement, quality control and food safety management, positively affecting the efficiency of industrial operations as well as market performance of products.
• Designed and implemented a multi-site Statistical Process Control System, achieving real time integration of 14 factories.
• Developed a Validation and Qualification plan (Design, Installation, Operation and Performance Qualifications) in accordance with COLGATE-PALMOLIVE's requirements for supplier validation, achieving yearly recertification.
• Designed and constructed 3 new manufacturing plants (Mexico, Honduras and Panama) and over 75 production lines.

Managed day and night shift operations of a +£180M multi-site plastic processing and industrial packaging manufacturing plant, comprising multiple industrial processes including blow moulding, stretch blow moulding, injection and extrusion moulding. Trained and coached plant operatives on process and machine troubleshooting, quality control, productivity, LEAN and Industrial Health and Safety. Improved most performance indicators while raised awareness on aligning efforts to customer satisfaction as the main drive. Deployed LEAN and Six Sigma initiatives in a highly controlled environment (quality and food safety).

Key Achievements / Projects:

• Designed and implemented an SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Dies) program, reducing the set-up time by an average of 50% in all subsidiaries, directly affecting throughput by 5% together with operational cost by 8%.
• Improved the OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) index after one year by 25%, with a 45% scrap reduction and Six Sigma level on over 70% of the quality specs of the main production lines.
• On-Time Delivery (OTD) improved by 20% while maintaining high safety and environmental standards.