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Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
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Hong Kong, China
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Kunming, Yunnan, China
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Naples, Florida, United States
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Consulting
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Manufacturing/Industrial
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Paper
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Paper
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Plastics and Petroleum Products
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Plastics and Petroleum Products
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Sourcing
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Consumer Goods
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Industrial Goods, Machinery or Components
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Building Organizations
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Start-ups and/or Turnarounds
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Mergers and Acquisitions
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Financial/Organizational Restructuring
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Due Diligence or Investigations
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Duke
MBA
1980
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Duke
MS
1980
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McDaniel College
BA
1977
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English: Native
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Mandarin: Intermediate
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French: Intermediate
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Owner
Shenzhen, China & Philadelphia, United States
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Contact me if you have:
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precision tool, mold, die purchase requirements and a need to lower cost
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Contact me if you need:
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precision designed plastic, rubber or metal tooling and part production
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I've had a extremely diverse career, having experienced (1) working from my home as a sole proprietorship, (2) starting my own engineering & program management business which has grown to have ten employees, (3) working for a medium-sized private equity-owned company, and (4) working for a multi-billion dollar public corporation. My experience has centered in three areas: M&A, manufacturing improvement, and doing business in China. Currently, I own a business that sources tool & die and other products in China for customers in North America. We have offices in Shenzhen and Philadelphia. I am based in Shenzhen, and travel to Hong Kong and Kunming frequently, as well.
The Economics of Importing Tools from China
This article was published in the January 2009 online and print editions of Injection Molding Magazine. [By the way, 'tools' are large, valuable tools for making plastic parts, not tools for carpentry.] After going into some detail on tool costing, this article makes the simple but powerful point that the key consideration governing the economics of importation of anything is how many labor hours one can fit into a container!
Dealing with "Trading Companies"
This article was published in the December on-line version of Injection Molding Magazine. I really liked this one because it dealt very openly with an area of China trade that is not well known, and somewhat shady - trading companies that pose as real manufacturers. I think this is worth reading by anyone buying anything in China, not only tool & die buyers. There was a section of this article that discussed how to identify trading companies. I decided to leave that part out of the article IMM published, but if you are interested, please contact me.
Chinese cultural notes
This article is a bit embarrassing because it seems to set me up as some sort of Zhongguo Tong (China expert), and I am not even close to that. Janet Carmosky is a China expert; I am not. But a number of my Chinese colleagues, including my wife, read it and liked it, so we sent it to Plastics News, and they actually published it in January 2009. I'm happy to say that if I had to write it over, I'd change a bunch of stuff; that's good news because it means I'm still learning.
Buying Tools From China
This was the first article I wrote that was published on buying tools in China, in October 2007. It's fairly basic information, but applicable to much more than just tooling.
The Value of having a Presence in Asia
This article was on the general subject of the value of having a presence in Asia, and was published in April 2007 in Moldmaking Technology Magazine. It may seem like a no-brainer that having a presence in Asia is a necessity, but in the North American tool-making industry, sometimes hostile to cooperation with China, it is not. Some North American toolmakers have taken a go-it-alone posture that has led them into bankruptcy. Others have gone to Asia, and still others have found ways to compete successfully on a basis other than price.
The Two Types of Chinese Moldmakers
In November of 2007, I wrote this article for Injection Molding Magazine on the distinction between Chinese companies that build tools for themselves or for domestic Chinese customers, and Chinese companies that build tools for export to the USA, Europe and Japan. The distinction is critically important for tool buyers, and makes a lot of economic sense.
ATS, LLC
February 2006 - Present
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Shenzhen, China & Philadelphia, USA
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Owner
We manage procurement of tool and die components and complete tool builds for our customers in North America. We specialize in tools of greater than average complexity, the type that tool buyers in the USA think '...can't be built in China.' We do this by finding the best possible shops, mainland Chinese owned so low cost, and by improving their capabilities by working closely with them on tool designs.
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Applied Tech Products
July 1998 - January 2006
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Philadelphia, USA
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Group President
While at Applied Tech, I started in Business Development, managing the acquisition of eight companies. We grew to $210 million in sales. I went into operations in 2001, and stayed in line operations until I left the company. Along the way, I became heavily involved in China, sourcing plastic injection tools, sourcing other components, and negotiating two JV agreements.
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Harris Enterprises
January 1996 - July 1998
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Media, PA, USA
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Owner
For about two-and-a-half years, I managed a small common stock equity business from my home, consisting of my investments and funds from a few family members and friends. I did very well, out performing the S&P 500 stock average for three consecutive years.
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Scott Paper / Kimberly-Clark
June 1980 - January 1996
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Philadelphia, USA
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Director of Divestitures
I worked at Scott Paper for over 15 years, leaving after Kimberly-Clark purchased Scott and shut down Scott's HQ. I held seven different positions, with time spent in global mergers & acquisitions, division finance and corporate finance. I tended to get involved in operations-oriented projects, delving into the technology end of things more than most finance-trained people.
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