James Pitak

Serve as executive leader for diverse manufacturing companies in 1099/Contract W-2 roles. ** Representative Executive Leadership Roles Include (details listed below): ► Chief Operating Officer: JC Ford Company (via Cerius Interim Executives) ► EVP of Operations – East Asia: Samvardhana Motherson Reflectec (SMR) ► VP of Operations: Ryko Manufacturing, Inc. ► VP of Operations: Palladium Energy, Inc. Develop short- and long-range strategies for global organizations, including public, private, and private equity companies. Deliver top-line and bottom-line growth through strategic management of P&L, operations management, international manufacturing, and supply chain management. ► NOT a Consultant. I specialize in quickly assessing the business, creating a strategy moving forward and executing on it, YES, that means actually doing the work. An 'Interim & Contract Executive' is not consulting, we don't deliver long reports you can't act on, we FIX, we BUILD, we GROW, we LEAD ◄ "Vision without execution is hallucination" - Thomas Edison

Chief Operating Officer / Interim Operations Leader (W-2 Contract, 6 Months) Client: JC Ford Company (via Cerius Interim Executives) Brought in as a stabilizing operations leader following the unexpected departure of the COO, coinciding with the company’s relocation of manufacturing operations from California to Tennessee. JC Ford (Family Owned) is an approximately $50M capital equipment manufacturer serving the global tortilla, flatbread, and snack food industry, with a long history (est. 1945) of designing and manufacturing automated production equipment. Key Contributions & Responsibilities: Provided day-to-day operational leadership to maintain continuity across manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, and administrative functions during executive transition Supported and coordinated operational aspects of the multi-state facility relocation, mitigating risk to customer delivery, production schedules, and employee retention Acted as a bridge between ownership, senior leadership, and plant-level teams to ensure clear communication and decision-making during a period of uncertainty Assessed operational processes, organizational structure, and leadership gaps; implemented short-term fixes while documenting longer-term improvement opportunities Stabilized production planning, vendor relationships, and customer commitments to avoid disruption during the transition Helped onboard and prepare the organization for the eventual handoff to permanent leadership Founded in 1945, JC Ford designs and manufactures automated equipment and systems used in tortilla, flatbread, and snack food production worldwide such as sheeters, pre-sheeters, ovens, masa mixers/feeders, cooling conveyers, flour presses, fryers, and chip choppers. Operating from an 80,000-sq-ft manufacturing and engineering facility, the company combines automation, process expertise, and modern machining capabilities to deliver reliable, industry-leading production solutions.

Delivered record-breaking EBIT in three plants, 11% to 15% and 15% YOY growth in revenue. Managed $600M P&L with 1,900 employees across six (6) manufacturing facilities (147 Injection Molding Machines) and International Purchasing Office. Recognized for record-high ROCE at 58% and 42% in two plants and 34% across the operation. Significantly improved inventory control/DOH to 15 days with record-setting achievements of 13 and 17 days in two plants. Delivered consistent advancements to cost reduction with 52.6% YOY improvement. Won Board of Directors approvals for brown-/green-field capacity expansion projects and capital equipment acquisitions. Key member of Global Senior Management Group, providing executive leadership for East Asia operations for the $1.8B Tier-1 automotive supplier and manufacturer of rearview mirror system and intelligent camera technologies. Provided strategic direction and operational guidance for all OpCos. Drove operational excellence and global best practices across facilities in China, Korea, and Japan. Delivered significant improvements to new product introductions (NPI), product quality, on-time delivery, customer satisfaction, and engineering—resulting in multiple plants awarded both Ford Q1 and Volvo VQE. Led the development and execution of the Continuous Improvement Program, critical KPIs, Lean manufacturing, Kaizen, full Toyota Production System (TPS), and Hoshin Kanri strategy deployment/alignment (think Danaher DBS). Delivered strong results in purchase price variance, labor reduction via semi-automation, post-production product cost optimization, supplier selection, and working capital objectives. Oversaw multi-site international manufacturing operations, P&L, engineering, and supply chain functions. Provided expertise in business development, sales, purchasing, HR, finance, customer satisfaction, budget planning, and resource allocation for all OpCos. Div of Samvardhana Motherson Group.

Provided strategic operations leadership and oversight for $80M private equity-owned (Trivest, www.trivest.com) industrial capital equipment manufacturer with operations in the US and UK. Developed and implemented the business strategy and operational plans to drive financial and corporate objectives. Directed organizational restructuring, improving KPI visibility and enabling data-driven decision making. Reduced supply chain cost 7% by implementing innovative, low-cost country sourcing strategy. Automated field service material order process, saving $250K per year. Identified and corrected 42 facility and manufacturing safety issues. Established new LCC focused on supply chain development in China. Led strategic initiatives, including NPD, NPI, Lean Six Sigma, quality, operational excellence, organizational development, and cost reductions. Oversaw manufacturing quality, supply chain, sourcing, purchasing, materials, OSHA compliance, and logistics.

Led global manufacturing and supply chain operations in the US, Brazil, and China for $165M private equity-owned (Marlin Equity Partners, www.marlinequity.com) consumer electronics manufacturer. Managed $100M+ P&L, engineering, quality, burn-in and testing, sourcing, purchasing, materials, strategic planning, and logistics. Led the successful restructuring of $100M, 750-personnel manufacturing facility in Brazil. Reduced supply chain cost 7% by improving annual supplier and logistics negotiations. Improved changeover time 86% through implementation of NPI, Lean Six Sigma, 5S, PDCA, SQDIP, and Gemba. Key contributor to 45% increase in overall EBITDA (high contributions from Brazil) and 20% revenue growth across global manufacturing operations. Directed supply chain optimization strategies with 90% from China, Korea, and Japan. Achieved record-setting site output of $10.8M/2.2M units with company reporting a record $50M third quarter in 2010. Developed and managed the global operations excellence strategy.

Recruited to manage $20M global business unit with multi-plant operations and full P&L responsibility for $400M global supplier of electronic components and solutions. Maintained certifications in ISO 90001, ISO 13485, TS16949, AS9000, AS9100, ITAR, other FDA regulations, ISO Class 7 10,000 and ISO Class 8 100,000 clean rooms. Developed and implemented business strategy for three domestic and international manufacturing sites and three different product lines in the US, Costa Rica, and China. Led the successful turnaround and right sizing of EMS and CEM. Improved business performance 32% in the first year. Saved $300K annually while minimizing impact on other operating divisions by closing unprofitable product line. Realized $350K in annual savings through operations consolidation, equipment reconfiguration, and labor cost reduction. Streamlined manufacturing processes, product development, financial forecasting, and continuous improvements. Led a high-performance 60-person team to excel.

Director of Engineering & Program Management Managed engineering and program management departments, driving results toward corporate target of doubling growth in two years for $20M private manufacturer of automotive components. Recruited and mentored new engineering talent and program managers, including direct reports locally and in China. Key leader in implementation of 5S, TS16949, APQP, and TPS methodologies within engineering and program management. Accelerated issue resolution process, instilling sense of urgency.

Recruited to prepare companies to be sold, including $450M global provider of cellular infrastructure equipment/services and $60M multi-national company, distributor of Honda connectors, and manufacturer of cable assemblies. Led improvements to Asia-Pacific operations with $10M P&L, including distributors, channel sales, and strategic partnerships, Successfully removed barriers to the sale of each company, resolving complex customer, financial, and human resource issues. Represented Mhotronics Chairman regarding legal, accounting, and due diligence in executing a minority shareholders buyout. Delivered additional $10M in revenue for Mhotronics and $5M in revenue for Allen Telecom.

Launched and managed $5M business unit start-up, including P&L. Negotiated contract to be the first-ever contract manufacturer (EMS) of Motorola cell phone batteries. Led a team overseeing sales, marketing, and program management for Motorola and Korean OEM customers. Created a bilingual Program Management team focused on implementing Motorola processes and quality procedures

Managed global exports, sales, marketing, and product development for automotive aftermarket products for $200M organization with 10 automotive component manufacturing factories. Headed four group companies: Auto Parts Manufacturers, APM Radiators, APM Air-Conditioners, and APM Shock Absorbers. Negotiated company’s first US contracts, achieving two distributors with fixed yearly incremental purchase volumes and multi million-dollar revenue value. Developed and implemented marketing strategy, provided cost and recovery plans, led risk management, and drove continuous improvements to support market demands and customer satisfaction. Implemented management by objectives (MBO) strategy, KPIs, and program management procedures.