Oakland University

Kettering University

Salem High School

Innovations / Advanced Engineering Manager

Great Lakes Great Responsibility is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the Great Lakes for all people. We strive to empower people by sharing tools and knowledge to take action on behalf of our most treasured resource: the freshwater of the Great Lakes. Our expanding family of volunteers are committed to creating clean, healthy freshwater resources that can be sustained for generations.

Great Lakes Great Responsbility

Director At Large

● Compelled the HELLA Board of Directors, in a shark tank-style pitch, to invest in an electric vehicle (EV) charger using new technologies from university research.  Currently, leading a development team of 12 that is accelerating the development of this product and quoting it to several OEMs.
● Navigated organizational challenges associated with innovation and unchartered waters for many internal teams, defining new processes leveraging prior start-up experience.
● Established research relationships with Kettering University, the University of Tennessee and the University of Michigan related to EV charger topologies, led a team that created 6 patents and secured internal funding and a team to transfer the charger concept into a series production product.
● Innovation ambassador promoting the creation and protection of intellectual property and coaching the engineering staff on this topic.
● Defined from scratch and currently drive a program to leverage HELLA's advance engineering funds with funds from public-funded projects.  Brought in over $350,000 in funds over the last 3 years from the Department of Energy.
● Grew the Advanced Engineering team from a solo effort to a team of 5 engineers and 2 engineering interns.

HELLA

Innovations / Advanced Engineering Manager - Automotive Division Electronics

● Entrepreneurial leader of a small team that explored markets and created business cases for the deployment of HELLA's technology in industrial versus traditional automotive markets.
● Identified a compelling niche for HELLA's automotive-based stereoscopic camera within the U.S. retail store metrics market.  Repurposed the camera as a "people counter" and created a plan for HELLA to enter the retail metrics market with this device. Established retail data analytics customer-base and sold over a quarter-million dollars worth of people counters in the first year.
● Led the launch of an aggressive 5-month schedule to bring HELLA's first-ever LED retrofit streetlight product to the marketplace.
● Studied the airport lighting market and supported the product development testing for a LED-based airport runway lighting product.

Product Manager  - Industries Division

● As a founding member of Pixel Velocity, which provides high-speed imaging & algorithms to the security market, was instrumental in all aspects of starting a new venture including the initial business plan creation, fundraising, strategic planning, business development, and sales.
● Led multiple high profile security camera projects including the U-M Stadium, Lexington Airport, O’Hare Airport, Midway Airport, the Port of Detroit, University of Southern Mississippi Stadium, the National Gallery of Art & Fort Knox.
● Designed, installed, staffed and led an assembly operation that was capable of making over 2,000 security cameras a year, as well as the systems that supported those cameras. Created the processes, work instructions and trained the assembly team to ensure the operations supplied high-quality product to customers.
● Developed the prototype control panel for a cardiac ultrasound machine.  This product would eventually be spun out into a second start-up, Epsilon Imaging.
● Researched, selected and set up a PLM (Product Life Management) system to document, control and communicate Pixel’s product designs internally and to partners and suppliers.
● Managed over 700 part numbers that went into Pixel’s products. Directed the purchase of approximately $500K of materials and services per fiscal year.
● Product manager for the development of Pixel’s security camera and its respective digital input, PCIe card.  Concept-to-initial-product was achieved in 4 months.
● Developed the supply base that provides the electronic assemblies and mechanical components that make up the security system.
● Negotiated contracts and pricing with suppliers, reviewed supplier’s facilities and equipment and collaborated with them to resolve design and quality issues.
● Sold $70,000 worth of Pixel’s high-speed image processing platform products before the company changed directions & concentrated its efforts on a security and surveillance video system and a cardiac ultrasound device.

Pixel Velocity

Director of Manufacturing (founding team member)

● Bootstrapped this pre-Google Maps business that created and distributed 3D computer models to businesses, universities, and municipalities.
● Created the requirements for a realtime 3D model viewer and hired a programmer to code the specification.  
● Completed and sold a model of the HELLA North America plant for use in corporate sales presentations.
● Designed multiple virtual campus tours.  Sold Alma College a 3D model and virtual tour of their campus.  Produced and packaged 500 DVDs with the Alma virtual tour to distribute to prospective students.

City Simulation

Co-Owner

● Led a global team including Engineering in Plymouth, MI, and Lippstadt Germany and production plants in Flora, IL, and Hamm, Germany, which created HELLA's first rearview camera product. The project culminated in a successful new product launch for HELLA and a new feature for Chrysler vehicles.
● Responsible for the staffing, budgeting, and development of the manufacturing and testing departments.
● Managed the design, specification, and installation of high volume electronic assembly lines and purchased capital equipment for the production floor.  Provided the manufacturing perspective during business development activities that evaluated business opportunities.
● Led the launch of two high-volume product lines: Volkswagen's keyless entry model (500K unit/year) and Mercedes M-Class climate control modules (120K units/year).

Project Manager  - Automotive Division Electronics

● P&L responsibility for plant operations.  Managed the daily operations of the electronics contract manufacturing facility.
● Coached, hired, developed and managed a group of approximately 25 people including engineers, technicians, buyers, machine operators, and assemblers.
● Evaluated new business opportunities with prospective customers and the owner of the company.
● Scheduled production for the company's own products as well as its contract manufacturing business.
● Engineered the redesign of the company's inventory system physically on the plant floor and within its ERP database.
● Set up the framework for the company's quality system. Led the team responsible for implementing ISO-9000.
● Implemented a product repair system that reduced turnaround time from weeks to two days.

EDP Company

Plant Manager

● Consolidated the company’s sister plant in Redford with ATI’s main plant in Clawson through the implementation of manufacturing cells that allowed for the more effective use of plant floor space.
● Reduced product lead-time from 6 weeks to 24 hours on all products for standard order quantities.
● Reorganized the inventory into a kanban system, which reduced inventory levels by 20%.
● Researched and implemented a new server and intranet, and upgraded the company’s ERP software.
● Designed custom reports that accessed ATI’s database to create production schedules, monitor inventory levels, and analyze sales figures.
● Researched and qualified vendors to take on processes and components that were not part of ATI’s core competencies.

Assembly Technologies Inc.

● Converted the production floor from traditional functional/batch-type manufacturing to lean manufacturing resulting in a 50% reduction in plant floor utilization and reduced work-in-process inventory from $1.5M to $327K over 2 years.
● Led a project that resulted in the award of $2.3M of incremental business from Subaru.
● Led the team that obtained the company's initial QS-9000 certification.
● Designed and established a test lab that could handle 90% of the company’s product validation test needs.

Matt McAmmond