Fast Track to Waste-Free Manufacturing: Straight Talk from a Plant Manager

John W. Davis describes himself as a "selfmade man " After high school and four years in the United States Air Force, a family situation made it impossible for him to attend college on a full-time basis. He therefore began his career on the shop floor with Virco Manufacturing (school and office furniture) while attending tech school at night, and over a period of years worked his way up to the position of time study analyst in the industrial engineering department. After eight years at Virco, Davis accepted a position as industrial engineer for a sporting goods firm (Shakespeare Manufacturing) where he says he received a "practical education" in both manufacturing and industrial engineering. It was at Shakespeare that he successfully assumed responsibility for a major product transfer of the firm's trolling motor operation from Kalamazoo, Michigan to Fayetteville, Arkansas and, in addition, was responsible for engineering a 100 percent gain in warehouse space, without brick and mortar, working with Towmotor Inc. in a LIFO warehousing approach. In 1974 Davis joined Carrier Corporation, a subsidiary of United Technologies, and over the years took on increasingly responsible positions, including the successful management of a number of industrial engineering departments within both the residential and commercial sectors of the business. In 1987 he assumed the position of manufacturing strategic planner which eventually led to being appointed plant manager of an operation in Indianapolis, Indiana. After making a most impressive turnaround in the manufacturing sector of this operation, Mr. Davis worked as a corporate consultant and team leader from 1993 to 1995 for a special corporate group that was assigned the task of traveling the world and teaching the principles, concepts, and techniques of world class manufacturing. It was during this period that Mr. Davis successfully developed his philosophy on waste-free manufacturing which he aggressively applied from 1995 until his retirement in 1998, while holding the position of Director of Operations over two manufacturing facilities within the Automotive Group of United Technologies. Mr. Davis has a degree in mechanical drafting, is a certified applicator in MTM, Work Factor and Univel, and a certified instructor in UTC flexible manufacturing. He was past president of the central Arkansas chapter of NMA (National Management Association), was a board member of Columbus Mississippi, Lowndes County Economic Development Association (CLEDA), and a member of Columbus, Mississippi, Lowndes County Association of Manufacturers (CLAM). Today John resides with his wife, Kathy, in Fairfield Bay, Arkansas and is involved in manufacturing consulting activities.