Tapan Palei

• Lead global procurement and sourcing initiatives, managing supplier networks across Asia and other regions. • Achieved average 22% product cost savings through strategic negotiations and supplier transitions. • Onboarded 10+ new suppliers, enhancing product quality, competitiveness, and supply reliability. • Successfully launched 5 new product variations, with 11 more in the new product development (NPD) pipeline. • Streamlined procurement processes, enabling faster turnaround and improved cross-functional coordination between sourcing, logistics, and production teams. • Ensured adherence to quality and compliance standards in procurement activities.

• Jamiak Inc. is a San Diego based data driven consumer product and brand creation company. • Performing supplier search & selection, managing RFQ and RFI process, ordering samples, negotiating for best price, lead time etc. on advantageous terms & maintaining product wise supplier record in Jira cards. • Issuing purchase orders, record keeping invoices in open-source ERP Odoo and managing follow-ups. • Verifying product compliances & certifications e.g., MSDS, UN38.3, UL, ETL, WERCSmart, DG Safe Transport by Sea & Air etc. to be procured. Developed a database for existing products compliances management which sends periodic reminder emails before the renew/expiry date of a product certificate. • Working with cross functional teams for product customization, feature enhancement, preparing packaging, marketing assets, specs sheets, user/instruction manuals & assisting CS team to answer tech queries. • Undertaking review of latest supply chain activities e.g., recent HS code amendments, change in DG shipping guidelines etc. to make the sourcing process bottleneck free while saving cost & adding profits. • Leaded sourcing agents to ensure day to day activities are completed efficiently & management is updated with the comparison sheet having latest specifications, price, lead time & communications for review.

• BauBax LLC is a creative lifestyle products design and manufacturing firm. • Overall involvement from start to end of new tech enabled lifestyle products being launched to product being sold. The products are: feature rich travel jackets, travel pants made with merino wool & bamboo fabric, travel shoes made from coconut coir, natural latex, merino wool & bamboo, smart clothing wireless charging apparel, Svanki: The Heated Ice Cream Scoop, Pupple: The All-in-1 Smart Pet Gadget. • Conceptualization, design & development of product prototypes to launch on crowd funding platforms Kickstarter & Indiegogo, close monitor of their performances & helping CS team on backer’s tech queries. • Shortlisting factories, visiting & attending meetings in different Chinese cities personally for vetting them, signing contracts, preparing production plan sheets, finalizing bulk production, doing constant follow-ups for the smooth progress of the production, visiting factories for QC of the bulk-produced goods, managing shipping related tasks of the bulk manufactured goods for sending them to different global warehouses. • Managing returns, dealing with 3PLs who can rework on the products, repack & send to warehouses.

• SkillRex Technology LLP is a tech-education management firm, was incepted with the aim to develop vocational, technical, soft skills in the budding engineers of our country in the field of Robotics, Embedded Systems, Virtualization, Cloud Computing, Android Application Development, Augmented Reality etc. • Coordinating & negotiating with PCB manufacturers, electronic component suppliers & PCB assemblers for the manufacturing of different educational robotics, embedded systems, electronics & plastic products. • Searching, coordinating & negotiating with bulk buyers/wholesalers for products to increase sales. • Developed an online product store & managed the inventory which helped in doubling the product sales. • Developed video courses on robotics & embedded systems for providing online training to students. • Dealing with Engineering College & School managements for tie-up to establish robotics & embedded systems labs in their premises for providing advance technical knowledge to their students on demand. • Tied-up with Aavriti, IIT Mumbai for conducting summer internship programs for students across India.

• Technophilia Systems Pvt. Ltd. is a tech-education management firm, providing prospective training solutions to the Indian masses in the fields of Educational Robotics, Embedded Systems Design, Cloud Computing & Android App development. • Worked in embedded systems, robotics & automation hardware & software/firmware development projects starting from R&D to testing, documentation, troubleshooting & maintenance. • Undertaken prototyping, simulation, schematic capture, layout editing, gerber file generation of single & multilayer PCBs, creation of BOM for assembly, material follow-up & procurement at the right time. • Written codes, performed testing/debugging & troubleshooting of MCU based products. • Leaded the R&D team, prepared and managed skill matrix for the engineering team, interns & production workers based on performances, interacted & guided teams to ensure smooth progress of the project work. • Training new team members on an ongoing basis on relevant tools, topics and process improvements, involved in the successful execution of Quality Improvement Programs (QIP), Faculty Development Programs (FDP), seminars, workshops at IITs, NITs, major engineering colleges & universities across India.