Kliton Shqina

• In multi-faceted role, oversees production operations in multiple facilities, contributes to product development design and testing, and manages client accounts as head of customer service. • Establishing company’s reputation for top-quality products to expand into new markets and compete with Italian manufacturers. Introduced new stock supported online ordering portal for large retailers. • Currently developing new supply chain, vetting international and domestic raw material suppliers. Switched suppliers for a key product to obtain a superior quality while reducing labor cost by 25%. • Through skillful negotiation, decreased the raw material cost for a flagship product by 17% by working with an Italian supplier to tailor the material to the specific end use. • To reduce costly downtime, led a team effort to decrease stoppage in weaving of a new product, which increased loom efficiency by 70% and lowered defects from 3 to 1 per piece. • Improved the quality of in-house yarn dyeing from 75% to 93% by obtaining internal input on needs and gathering intelligence from external business connections, contractors and machinery experts.

• Recruited for respected operations expertise and industry knowledge to facilitate the production restart and product development after the company’s purchase of 3 Warren Corporation mills. • Quickly resolved any operational issues, addressing the root cause to prevent reoccurrence. Developed lean initiatives and established productivity standards to deliver smooth daily operations.

• Directed all stages of the manufacturing process for US subsidiary of global textile wholesaler with 120+ employees. Managed 2 supervisors and 45 non-exempt employees across 6 departments. • Managed $750K raw materials and maintenance budget and oversaw planning and control for entire manufacturing process from scheduling raw materials through delivery of final product. • Reduced manufacturing costs by 10% by outsourcing to external mending contractor and reduced weaving machinery downtime by 15% through multiple efficiency initiatives. • Increased efficiency by 23% and reduced required labor by 30% by implementing barcode scanners in the shipping department and a new simultaneous inspection and mending process. • Served as a liaison between executive leadership at international headquarters and senior management teams across 3 facilities in USA.

• Supported the Vice President of Operations in implementing process flow modifications to improve performance and the overall efficiency of manufacturing operations. • Closely monitored production to ensure the highest level of quality. Reduced labor costs by determining staffing requirements based on daily production level forecasts. • Helped manage operational and personnel matters in a fast-paced production environment. Advised VP of Operations with material forecasting, capacity planning and order expediting. • To achieve organizational goals, collaborated with the IT department to design and implement reporting tools for improved monitoring of quality objectives. • Instrumental in implementing the K-match line, utilizing an innovative manufacturing process that maintained the color of fabric within tight tolerance limits, resulting in minimized customer cost. • Improved on-time delivery of customer orders from 95% to 99% by redesigning daily reports and tracking through the various manufacturing production stages. • Led international team in the setup of a new drawing-in machine and facilitated employee training utilizing multilingual skills to translate between the US employees and Italian technicians.

• Oversaw all aspects of production management, team leadership and process improvement. Researched and resolved manufacturing issues, troubleshooting machinery and operations flow. • Coordinated manufacturing floor operations and workflow, supervised employees, defined staffing needs and established production schedules to achieve production goals. • Boosted production efficiency by 25% by implementing fully automatic warping machines, which allowed the operators to load and unload yarn packages while the machine was running. • Managed raw material levels to meet production requirements and oversaw quality control for the production line to ensure a superior final product. • Supervised, trained and monitored performance of 35+ employees across 3 departments. Coached staff to improve employee morale and increase productivity and quality of work. • Ensured a safe work environment through the consistent implementation of safety awareness training programs and compliance with OSHA regulations and company policies. • Played a key role in integrating an automated warehouse facility that increased efficiency by 50% and achieved the same level of production in 2 shifts as previously completed in 3.