|
|
|
Vice President Engineering
Diamond Systems
Farmington Hills, Michigan
Sectors: Agriculture, Machinery & Equipment
Status: Search Completed
(View
PDF Profile)
THE
OPPORTUNITY
For more than seventy years Diamond Systems, a $43 million
dollar privately held company, has been a driving force
throughout a niche of the agricultural industry. Known for the
continuous introduction of technological advancements, the
company’s revolutionary products have positively impacted egg
grading, packaging and breaking operations throughout the world.
Poised well for both product and market expansion over the next
five years, the company is currently seeking an experienced Vice
President of Engineering who is able to implement a structured
approach to product development and management thus enabling
Diamond Systems to pursue its goal of being the #1 supplier of
egg processing systems in the world.
Many reasons may lead a seasoned engineering professional to
explore this very special opportunity. Perhaps an individual is
currently working for a larger company and desires to work in a
smaller, less bureaucratic, entrepreneurial environment. Another
engineering executive may be attracted by the opportunities
involving international growth and product line expansion.
Regardless of the specific reasons, the right candidate will be
attracted to the company’s leadership, its technologies and the
tremendous potential for growth. This is truly an exceptional
opportunity for the right technical leader.
THE COMPANY
With 70 years of experience and success, the company today ranks
#2 world-wide among suppliers of egg processing systems and is
gaining on the #1 position. The business is both profitable, and
in most respects, stable. Company revenues are currently in the
range of $35-45 million dollars, but are subject to fluctuations
due to the volatility of the U.S. egg market. Recognizing this,
current management has made several key improvements to increase
financial stability. First, they have transitioned manufacturing
operations from being fully integrated to being assembly
focused. Secondly, they have made several operational
improvements, including laying the foundation of a quality
system and implementing lean principles throughout the plant,
e.g., cellular manufacturing and kaizen teams.
Diamond Systems currently employs approximately 120 individuals
and manufactures its product lines in a 150,000 square foot
plant in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Additional sales, parts and
service locations are in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The
company’s product lines are in three main areas:
• Farmpackers gather and pack unsorted eggs at the farm
production units at a rate of 25,000 to 72,000 eggs per hour.
• Grading Systems load, wash, inspect, weigh and pack eggs into
cartons and trays at a rate of 10,000 to 150,000 eggs per hour.
• Breaker - Seperators load, wash, inspect, break and seperate
the egg yolks from the egg whites at a rate of 1,000 to 144,000
eggs per hour before pasteurizing, drying or freezing.
The company enjoys a leading market share for several product
segments in the Americas, while in other product segments and
geographic regions of the world the market share is less than
20%. Throughout all markets the company continues to maintain
its reputation for “taking care of the customer” which is so
critical in the fraternal industry in which it operates. As
such, a prospective candidate will appreciate the dynamics of a
“relationship driven” industry rather than one that is driven
purely by price.
THE POSITION
Diamond Systems is currently seeking a new Vice President of
Engineering who will be responsible for directing and managing
all new product development and engineering activities within
their Farmington Hills, Michigan headquarters.
As a member of the executive team, the VP of Engineering will
work closely with the President of the company and together with
the VP’s of Sales & Service, Operations and Finance will develop
a future vision for Diamond Systems. They will translate this
vision into a strategic plan and will foster its acceptance and
implementation throughout the company.
This position will work closely with the Sales Department and
the company’s customer base in order to fully understand the
technical needs of the markets served by Diamond. They will lead
the technical development of profitable customer solutions and
once awarded will have ultimate oversight of all projects from
concept through successful start up in the customer’s plant.
The new VP will be skilled in project planning as they will
assign the necessary technical resources to each new project.
Through their skills in work flow planning and their
professional management approach they will insure that formal
processes of product development are followed and that a high
degree of structure and accountability exists throughout the
department.
The position is responsible for overseeing a staff of 15
individuals representing the software, electrical and mechanical
engineering groups within the department. With a need for
increased bench strength and lead engineering competency
throughout these groups, the new VP will be charged with
identifying, developing and mentoring a team of dynamic and
forward thinking engineers who are organized, well planned and
positioned to meet the future needs of the corporation.
The new Vice President will manage and assign all engineering
resources as it relates to manufacturing support. They will
improve upon existing design procedures and processes in order
to insure that clean releases are provided to manufacturing.
QUALIFICATIONS
The right candidate will have a minimum of 10 years experience
as an Engineering Manager, Director or Vice President depending
upon the size organization they have been employed by. Ideally
they will be coming from a business that is of a larger size
within the custom engineered equipment marketplace where they
will have served in an executive engineering capacity.
The new VP of Engineering will be working closely with the
President and Vice Presidents of Sales/Service, Operations and
Finance. As such, the right candidate has a track record of
effective, collaborative leadership. They will be an adaptive
“team player” and will be able to drive needed changes
throughout the company in a manner that allows all involved to
see the benefits of change.
The new Vice President will have a high degree of business
process orientation as they will assist in continually driving
improvements throughout the company. Exposure to or experience
in quality standards and procedures will be to their benefit.
The right candidate will have strong skills in design for
manufacturability and will have a basic understanding of finance
which will enable them to understand the costs related to
developing and manufacturing new products.
The new VP will be skilled at forming relationships with
customers and may have at one time in their career served in a
sales or sales engineering function. He/She will have a nose for
new business development and by nature may be an introvert but
is bent towards being an extrovert. Given the international
characteristics of Diamond’s customer base, the right candidate
will be accepting of foreign cultures and will look to
accommodate any special needs or technical requirements that may
be relevant to a specific market.
Strong leadership skills are required in this position as the
new Vice President will be developing and mentoring a
professional team of engineers who will develop new products for
the company. Typically the company has up to three products at
one time in the development phase and as a result will require
someone who has prior experience in project planning and in
developing organized work flows. They will be organized and able
to balance competing workloads.
An engineering degree is required in this position and the
chosen candidate will preferably hold an advanced degree in
business. Diamond Systems designs, manufactures and services a
highly automated, engineered product that is specific to a
customer’s application. As such, a candidate who is innovative
and has prior experience with high speed automation will be able
to maximize their contribution to Diamond Systems.
THE LOCATION
It is quite probable that the right candidate has enjoyed living
in a locale similar to Southeastern Michigan, an area with
“Midwestern” values and metropolitan accessibility. Perhaps the
candidate grew up in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, or Ohio and
would like to return to their roots. Regardless, they will value
the quality of life in the Midwest and see it as a great place
to live.
Located in Southeast Michigan, Farmington Hills is situated
within minutes of the Detroit River, Lake Huron and Lake Erie.
Water recreation for eight months of the year abounds. Boaters
enjoy the beauty and vastness of these beautiful Great Lakes,
while the sports person may take advantage of plentiful fishing
in these waters all year long.
Known as “The Fraternal Twins”, Farmington and Farmington Hills
offer an atmosphere that fosters business growth and progress as
well as an exceptional standard of living for its 95,000
residents. The Cities make up a total of 36 square miles,
consisting of a unique balance of historical charm and a sense
of high-energy business growth and progress. With an average
home price of $192,000, this community offers living
accommodations 20% less than the national average. Situated in
the heart of Southeastern Michigan, the Farmington/Farmington
Hills region offers accessibility to major thoroughfares.
Located at the crossroads of Interstates 696 and 275, the
corporate and residential communities find access in and around
Southeast Michigan to be easy.
For the individual with a love for
the arts, Southeastern Michigan has much to offer. The City of
Farmington is home to the historic Farmington Civic Theater,
fully restored to preserve its 1940's flair and décor.
Surrounding areas offer music and theatre at such well known
places as the Fox Theatre, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and
Detroit Institute of Art, just to name a few. Southeastern
Michigan, rich in history and culture, is also home to many
museums and cultural exhibits.
For the sports enthusiast, the Detroit area has much to offer.
Detroit is well known for its NHL Stanley Cup team, the Detroit
Red Wings and the NBA Champion Pistons. Detroit is also home to
a MLB team the Detroit Tigers and an NFL team the Detroit Lions.
Additionally, the area was host to the 2005 MLB All Star Game,
the 2006 NFL Superbowl, and will host the 2008 NCAA Midwest
Regional Finals and the 2009 NCAA Final Four.
With over 125 golf courses, Southeast Michigan has been ranked
#8 in the country in courses with real estate according to the
National Golf Foundation. Golf Digest has rated Michigan as the
12th best golf destination in the world! The area is also home
to the Buick Open (Warwick Hills Golf Resort), 2004 Ryder Cup
(Oakland Hills Country Club) and Ford Senior Players
Championships (TPC, Dearborn).
Residents of Southeast Michigan place a great emphasis on
quality education for youth and adult students alike. In
addition to a number of highly acclaimed private institutions,
Southeast Michigan is home to two Big Ten schools: University of
Michigan and Michigan State University, as well as other top
rated universities: Oakland University, Wayne State University,
and the University of Detroit.
|
|
