NIK ZDJELAR

4865 Meadow Lane

Hamburg, New York 14075 Tel:
716.649.0212
E-mail: nz9cf8e4@westpost.net

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Operations Manager/Process Engineer with fifteen years of supervisory experience
that effectively builds/leads high performance teams and delivers on-going impr
ovement in productivity, quality, cost structure, safety, and business performan
ce.
Industry Experience:
Steel, Automotive Components, Metals
Selected Skills:
a Training/Developing Employees a Scheduling a
Manpower Utilization
a Lean Manufacturing Practices a Safety Standards a
Process Improvement
a Labor Relations/Union Negotiations a Leadership/Supervision
a 5-S Improvements

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Buffalo Recycling Enterprises, Buffalo, New York

July 2009-present
1st Shift Operations Manager
Manage a team of 25 non-union production workers, frontloaders, scale clerk, and
warehouse forklift operators to safely manufacture the highest quality, contami
nant free product. Reporting directly to the Plant Manager on safety issues, qu
ality problems, and overall output on the dayshift, my focus has been to success
fully start a new, state of the art recycling facility. With capabilities of ru
nning 25 tons an hour of single stream recyclables, my primary function has been
working with regional managers and equipment manufacturers to fine tune the ope
rating system and optimize tonnage.
1 Worked with designers and engineers on plant startup and coordinated with c
ontractors on the
finalization and preparation for operations from July-September 2009
2 Coordinated with various temporary agencies in the hiring of the workforce
and perform
Performance reviews.
3 Work closely with sales representative in strategizing run plans and ways t
o meet customer
demands.
4 Helped develop improve Standard Operating Procedures for all the positions
in the Plant.
5 Trained 2nd shift Production Supervisor.
6 Efforts have been concentrated on increasing output without affecting quali
ty. Improving overall
production from an average of 16 ton an hour to an average of 23 ton an hou
r since September
2009. Initiating policy of relief system in order to continually have the p
roduction line run.
7 Keep a constant supply of necessary tools and resources needed to run an ef
fective Plant.
8 Conduct Plant tours to the community on the ways we are making a difference
to the community
and world through the process of recycling.
9 Reduce injuries or near misses by being proactive and formulating correctiv
e actions.
10 Creating, reviewing, and prioritizing work orders for our Maintenance Depar
tment.
11 Striving to become ISO certified by way of the standardizing of policies an
d practices and keeping
records.
12 Consistent in the maximization of the workforce during downtime events; i.
e. accomplishing 5-S
endeavors in a timely manner.
LUVATA BUFFALO, INC. Buffalo, New York 2007 - 2009
Operations Manager
Supervised a team of 30-45 union production line operators, mechanics and electr
icians to support schedules and meet customer needs. Worked with the Quality and
Finishing Departments to ensure specifications were met. Utilized materials and
manpower to achieve optimum pounds per man-hour with the highest Overall Equipm
ent Effectiveness (OEE). Conducted team meetings to discuss safety, quality, and
production results. Oversaw process/procedural conformance, safety programs, an
d employee disciplinary hearings.
1 Worked with the Lean Manufacturing Team to introduce and implement the aLuvata
Production Systema.
2 Taught the workforce to utilize Total Preventive Maintenance Boards to bring a
ttention the need for equipment to be worked on and maintained to provide maximu
m output.
3 Conducted 5-S audits and planned cleanup and work area organization when equip
ment was idle during periods of time. Achieved 100% weekly compliance with the a
udits and job completion.
4 Initiated work station team boards designed to track productivity and identify
machine deficiencies.
5 Used short interval follow-ups with the various operations to determine the ro
ot causes of issues and to ensure the operators had all their materials and supp
ort to achieve and exceed reasonable expectations.
6 Participated in Hourly-Salary Problem Solving Workshops that improved Safety,
Quality, and Productivity.
7 Conducted frequent work practice observations and time studies; decreased chan
geover time on machines from 40 minutes to between 20-25 minutes.
8 Reduced the amount of lost time by 25% through effective ergonomic and prevent
ive measures.
VISTEON CORPORATION, Ypsilanti, Michigan 2004 - 2007
Lead Supervisor
Managed a team of 2 Production Supervisors, 2 mechanical engineers, and a Mainte
nance Foreman on 2nd shift, producing ignition coils and starters for Ford Motor
Company. Worked with Area Manager to develop and maintain goals and strategies.
Oversaw staffing, quality, and equipment and housekeeping standards. Worked wit
h Maintenance and Quality Departments to reduce downtime while improving cycle t
imes. Acted as a liaison with Quality Manager with our customers in Windsor, Ont
ario. Conducted shift start-up meetings. Conducted investigations into product n
onconformities. Worked with Suppliers on incoming quality issues.
1 Decreased costly expedites which improved on-time shipments from 80 to 92% dur
ing my tenure.
2 Established new roles and responsibilities for the Tray Loader position (job e
limination with new responsibilities to another worker) that credited the compan
y with $324,000 a year.
3 Improved cycle time on Coil Assembly #5; increased output from 1,200 to an ave
rage of 1,450 per hour.
4 Established Standardized Work lists and expectations as a guide to discover bo
ttlenecks and redirect Maintenance support to our biggest problems.
5 Eliminated Packer position on Final Assembly lines 3 and 4 with yearly savings
of $216,000.
6 Established and worked with IT in the creation of a new work request system.
7 Led negotiations for Maintenance personnel to carry Nextel phones to decrease
the time when a machine was down and the time it took for the support group to a
rrive.

Nik Zdjelar

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
BETHLEHEM STEEL CORPORATION/INTERNATIONAL STEEL GROUP, Lackawanna, New York 1995
- 2004
Production Supervisor/Process Engineer
Supervised and coordinated production line with 15-25 United Steel Workers to ma
nufacture a quality product at the lowest possible cost on a rotating swing shif
t. Controlled manpower needs and canvassed for overtime assignments. Reported s
afety incidents, initiated investigative reports, and maintained Job Safety Anal
ysis records. Conducted job reviews and improved/updated Standard Operating Proc
edures. Worked with the various upstream and downstream processes to create a be
tter product for the customer.
1 Involved in the new creation of the Production Supervisor as a Process Enginee
r; hired Union Crew Leaders to take on supervisory responsibilities, worked with
the Middle Management and Union in the creation of new roles and responsibiliti
es for various workers on the Hot Dip Galvanize Line.
2 Eliminated the need for a Quality Inspector with the successful installation o
f a computerized inspection system saving $250,000 dollars per year.
3 Effectively eliminated the usage of an overhead crane by installing remote con
trol cranes.
4 Improved the Critical Analysis Quality Control (CAQC) by making better visuals
for the operators to be notified of product nonconformances.
5 Purchased Blocker Rolls that led to defect removal being accomplished on the G
alvanize Line, rather than being sent to another department, this eliminated 20-
30% of extra work.
6 Successfully negotiated with the Union on the outsourcing of Janitorial servic
es.

EDUCATION
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO, Buffalo, New York
BA - Liberal Arts

TRAINING/DEVELOPMENT
Visteon Ergonomics Training and Awareness Basic
Metallurgy
Green Belt Six Sigma Certification
Ford Asbestos Training
Ford Motor Company Virtual Factory Program Coil Qual
ity Team
Hazardous Material Handling Training Seminar Joint Sa
fety Awareness Committee
Stationary Engineer Certificate 1st Class License (City of Buffalo)