Reinventing the Supply Chain Life Cycle (PDF)

irrigation equipment for agriculture, enhancing food production while conserving and protecting natural water resources. Stephen is responsible for operations of the division's mechanized irrigation product lines, with manufacturing in the United States, Spain, Dubai, Brazil, China, and South Africa, and with warehousing operations in Australia, Mexico, and Russia. He has been an operations professional for more than 25 years, with experience in M&A, managing manufacturing, supply chain management, and the recruitment and development of international professionals. Before joining Valmont, he served as the Director of Worldwide Operations for the Power Systems Division of the Kohler Company, where he led global operations in Singapore, China, France, India, and the United States. Stephen has a strong background in lean manufacturing, Six Sigma (DMAIC), supply chain management, quality, manufacturing engineering, production, customer service, and safety. Before joining Kohler Power Systems, he served as Operations Manager, Production and Inventory Control Manager, and Scheduling Manager for divisions of Newell Rubbermaid, gaining experience in acquisitions while helping manage operations in Mexico, Canada, the United States, United Kingdom, and France within the retail and B2B industries. Prior to his eight-year association with Newell Rubbermaid, Stephen's experience included 11 years in the defense electronics industry for Rockwell International and Hughes Aircraft companies, where he held positions in engineering, production, materials, and quality, producing radar systems for military aircraft (F-18, F-14, and F-15) and manufacturing global positioning systems (GPS) for handheld, vehicle, and missile (SLAM, TLAM) applications. He holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Iowa in operations and earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in industrial technology from the University of Northern Iowa. In addition, he has certification in Integrated Supply Chain Management from the University of Tennessee, Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) certification from the American Production & Inventory Control Society (APICS) and certification in technology from the Society of Manufacturing Engineering (SME).