James Pitak

Interim & Fractional COO / VP Operations

Operations • Manufacturing • Supply Chain


James Pitak is GIEM’s manufacturing, operations & supply chain executive for public, private, and PE-backed companies.


Sectors: Automotive • Aerospace/Defense • Medical Device • Electronics



Dedicated to helping companies and private equity firms achieve exceptional shareholder value through the development and execution of critical operational initiatives. James brings current innovation together with 20+ years of experience in engineering, operations, manufacturing, supply chain, and general management. James started his career at Fortune 50 companies, including Ford and TRW, then leveraging his product design engineering and program management experience, with passion and drive, to ever-increasing responsibilities both in Asia and the US. James has served in the roles of CEO (Managing Director), COO, General Manager, and Director of Engineering & Program Management, for OEM, ODM and contract (EMS) manufacturers. James recently concluded a contract COO position for a $100M Capital Equipment Manufacturer.

In addition, James completed a three (3) year contract with a US$1.7 billion Tier one automotive component manufacturer as EVP Operations East Asia based in Shanghai, China, managing six (6) manufacturing facilities (JV & WOFE), six (6) offices, and 1,900 employees with a P&L of US$600M. Highlights - FY 2016-17 resulted in a 15% growth in sales revenue, cost improvements of 52.6%, record double-digit EBIT in 3 plants (11% – 15%).


James works with manufacturers in automotive, aerospace/defense, capital equipment, consumer/EMS electronics, industrial, medical device - electronics, metals, and plastics.


Engagement Highlights

Supply Chain:

  • Reduced supply chain cost by 7% via low cost sourcing strategy
  • Automated field service material order process saving $250K/ year
  • Cut supply chain cost by 7% via supplier and logistics negotiations

Manufacturing:

  • Corrected 42 facility and manufacturing safety concerns in 3 months
  • Increased manufacturing capacity by 300% using underutilized space
  • Re-organized manufacturing – netting record monthly output for site (2.2M units; $10.8M revenue) with a record $50M quarter
  • Lean initiative reduces change over time by 86%

Operations:

  • Results: 20% increase in revenue and 45% increase in EBITDA
  • Results: 15% growth in revenue, cost improvements of 52.6%, record double-digit EBIT in 3 plants (11% – 15%).

Expertise

  • P&L management up to US$600M
  • Operations Management – multi-site
  • Manufacturing Management
  • Supply Chain Management – Asia
  • Technical/Engineering Leadership
  • NPI / Product Transfer
  • Lean Six Sigma

Parachute James into any situation and he will be up to speed, identify risks and opportunities, implement actions/fixes, and get things done quickly regardless of the culture. James has ‘on the ground’ experience having lived and run operations in 7 different countries and establishing customer relationships in 22 countries. Based out of Southern California, James received both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. James completed extensive PMP training and received his Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification from the University of California, Irvine and Riverside respectively.


CEO Comments:


"I hired James to manage all operations… He managed multiple issues effectively including: people and leadership, service, cost and quality… quiet, assertive, data based style serves him very well in complicated situations. His ability to be flexible and do whatever is needed is perfect for a challenging assignment. I consider James to be world class operations and manufacturing guy that I would use again."

Arthur Salyer, President and CEO at Palladium Energy


"James is a difference maker and a great leader of people… quickly implemented significant cost savings as well as operational and safety improvements… inspired his team to challenge the status quo and seize opportunities for change. I would welcome a chance to work with James again and highly recommend him to any CEO looking for a solid team player that can make an immediate contribution to the bottom-line"

Steven L’Heureux, CEO President & Board Director at Ryko Solutions, Inc

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