Jim Houlihan

• After being called upon to integrate PCE (Frankfurt, Germany) and establish/manage its NA sales & manufacturing center, I hired and trained support staff and field sales in quoting, engineering, software development, and project management. I then developed Go-to-Market strategy, pricing, financials, processes, and secured new supply chain and sourcing. We realized improvements in multiple lines with existing clients and secured new, marquee clients. This achieved full operational status… Show more

• After being called upon to integrate PCE (Frankfurt, Germany) and establish/manage its NA sales & manufacturing center, I hired and trained support staff and field sales in quoting, engineering, software development, and project management. I then developed Go-to-Market strategy, pricing, financials, processes, and secured new supply chain and sourcing. We realized improvements in multiple lines with existing clients and secured new, marquee clients. This achieved full operational status within a record 6 months, establishing the NA platform for continued NA sales growth, which attained +20% after the first year in operation. Show less

• Utilizing value stream mapping, I improved processes, purchasing, production, and accounting capabilities. I also replaced ineffective employees and secured new vendors with lower annual costs. Together with my team, implemented a new inventory management system utilizing bar coding, which saved 10% in labor costs and redeployed resources to value-added activities. I then secured a new strategic manufacturing partner to manufacture certain chemicals reducing specific product costs by 20% and… Show more

• Utilizing value stream mapping, I improved processes, purchasing, production, and accounting capabilities. I also replaced ineffective employees and secured new vendors with lower annual costs. Together with my team, implemented a new inventory management system utilizing bar coding, which saved 10% in labor costs and redeployed resources to value-added activities. I then secured a new strategic manufacturing partner to manufacture certain chemicals reducing specific product costs by 20% and implemented improved testing procedures that reduced waste (30%) and non-labor operational costs by 15%. These initiatives became SOP and continued to deliver the desired efficiencies. Show less

• I was charged by leadership to sustainably expand manufacturing into Europe and Asia and create partnerships with local Market Organizations. I selected and secured a manufacturing site, confirmed local component sources, collaboratively led workshops, and created a similar international partnership with Techgen in China. We navigated regional discrepancies to train sales and operational staff until it became independent. This reduced shipping costs and increased product offerings, which… Show more

• I was charged by leadership to sustainably expand manufacturing into Europe and Asia and create partnerships with local Market Organizations. I selected and secured a manufacturing site, confirmed local component sources, collaboratively led workshops, and created a similar international partnership with Techgen in China. We navigated regional discrepancies to train sales and operational staff until it became independent. This reduced shipping costs and increased product offerings, which increased international sales 300% over the next 4 years. Show less

• I identified and documented new process improvements that eliminated waste and designed and deployed training while installing a “Process Council” to achieve continuous improvement. These efforts led to the implementation of ISO 9001 procedures and received UL & CE certifications. I also implemented monthly job cost reporting, rolled out new timekeeping system with training and governance that led to new and accurate standard costing. These efforts secured J&J as an account, quadrupled sales… Show more

• I identified and documented new process improvements that eliminated waste and designed and deployed training while installing a “Process Council” to achieve continuous improvement. These efforts led to the implementation of ISO 9001 procedures and received UL & CE certifications. I also implemented monthly job cost reporting, rolled out new timekeeping system with training and governance that led to new and accurate standard costing. These efforts secured J&J as an account, quadrupled sales over 3 years, increased EBITDA 11X, and eventually led to the acquisition by Mettler-Toledo; because of these transformations, I was retained as Head of Operations and Finance of Mettler-Toledo. Show less

• Following the acquisition of CI-Vision, the Head of Product Inspection tasked me to improve margins. I trained the team in LEAN techniques and Kaizen events, implemented JIT, instituted KPI, and streamlined manufacturing. Within 2.5 years, this improved margins 53%, reduced lead times 44%, while overall sales increased ~55%. These methodologies were shared across the division and sister companies; was promoted to head of PCE, North America as a result.

• The Company lacked a Sales & Marketing BU, which was complicated further by its bankruptcy and hindered advertising spend. Over 5 months, I implemented a new CRM, hired Sales/Marketing Managers, implemented new lead generation engines, directed a DRIP campaign, and recruited digital marketing and Sales staff. In addition, I reduced the number of products from 8 to 3 and implemented direct marketing methods with new messaging. This improved Sales team confidence with new tools, standardized… Show more

• The Company lacked a Sales & Marketing BU, which was complicated further by its bankruptcy and hindered advertising spend. Over 5 months, I implemented a new CRM, hired Sales/Marketing Managers, implemented new lead generation engines, directed a DRIP campaign, and recruited digital marketing and Sales staff. In addition, I reduced the number of products from 8 to 3 and implemented direct marketing methods with new messaging. This improved Sales team confidence with new tools, standardized messaging, daily huddles with role-playing, and daily reporting for KPI. We also implemented new revenue streams, including eCommerce, Amazon, HR & insurance brokers, unions, and universities, among others. This realized ROI after ~2 months, and continuous improvement became a common focus for the company. Show less

• I was also called upon by the GM and Head of Product Inspection to spearhead the first-ever roll out of new standardized product and service offerings. I analyzed profitable sister service sites, established profitable service maintenance and TIER pricing plans, developed new marketing materials and trained Sales teams. Overall, we standardized 8 system products, reducing resources requirements. This created a waste-reduction culture, the new LIDO RapidFit Design dramatically increased… Show more

• I was also called upon by the GM and Head of Product Inspection to spearhead the first-ever roll out of new standardized product and service offerings. I analyzed profitable sister service sites, established profitable service maintenance and TIER pricing plans, developed new marketing materials and trained Sales teams. Overall, we standardized 8 system products, reducing resources requirements. This created a waste-reduction culture, the new LIDO RapidFit Design dramatically increased margins, and service revenue increased from by millions in 3 years. Show less

• The CEO charged me to create a growth strategy and improve forecasts and budgets. Over 45 days, I crafted a vision, mission statement, and core values all aligned with a new Hedgehog Concept. Utilizing the new strategy, I further created go-to-market strategy, target market personas, and segmentation strategy. I also deployed new products and even a new financial business model. Presented and won approval from the Board. These methods became SOPs for future strategic planning and resulted in… Show more

• The CEO charged me to create a growth strategy and improve forecasts and budgets. Over 45 days, I crafted a vision, mission statement, and core values all aligned with a new Hedgehog Concept. Utilizing the new strategy, I further created go-to-market strategy, target market personas, and segmentation strategy. I also deployed new products and even a new financial business model. Presented and won approval from the Board. These methods became SOPs for future strategic planning and resulted in enhanced communication and variance reporting with commentary. Show less

• In addition, I was commissioned to improve lead times and reduce material costs within the supply chain. I assembled a team to perform Materials analyses, replaced higher-cost/lower-quality vendors (which saved 50%), brought select processes in-house, and standardized systems. This reduced SKUs, inventory, and components and shortened vendor lead times 55%, eliminated 25% - 30% of shipping costs while improving cashflow and elevating margins with less inventory.

• Post-acquisition, the Founder and 2 key personnel left the company, so I created a new organizational chart and spearheaded efforts to restructure, identify, and fill gaps in the ELT. Within 5 months, I interviewed candidates, promoted select staff, and recruited others based on core values. Despite initial change resistance, I conducted coaching/mentoring meetings and workshops and sourced leadership trainers. Implemented robust employee review processes tied to business strategy, frequent… Show more

• Post-acquisition, the Founder and 2 key personnel left the company, so I created a new organizational chart and spearheaded efforts to restructure, identify, and fill gaps in the ELT. Within 5 months, I interviewed candidates, promoted select staff, and recruited others based on core values. Despite initial change resistance, I conducted coaching/mentoring meetings and workshops and sourced leadership trainers. Implemented robust employee review processes tied to business strategy, frequent staff communications & quarterly “all-hands” meetings. These efforts created a cohesive team and fueled ~20% YoY growth. Show less

• The mature business lost its second-largest customer the previous year, so I implemented targeted customer profile tiers, a marketing/sales funnel, and a CRM database. I collaboratively improved the existing website, rolled out SEO and PPC campaigns, implemented email campaigns, established telemarketing, established FABs for each product, managed product improvements and R&D. In addition, I created & deployed a sales strategy; hired and trained new sales resources, implemented quoting… Show more

• The mature business lost its second-largest customer the previous year, so I implemented targeted customer profile tiers, a marketing/sales funnel, and a CRM database. I collaboratively improved the existing website, rolled out SEO and PPC campaigns, implemented email campaigns, established telemarketing, established FABs for each product, managed product improvements and R&D. In addition, I created & deployed a sales strategy; hired and trained new sales resources, implemented quoting process, ensured utilization of CRM software, and grew sales through cross-selling, These efforts quadrupled lead flow (+452%), increased sales 17.2%, customer count 16%, restoring order and stabilizing the company. Show less