Worldwide Leadership Team

Chad Kymal, Chief Technical Officer & Founder

Chad Kymal is an international trainer and consultant whose broad experience includes TQM, setup reduction, technology assessment and inventory analysis, statistical process control, and quality function deployment. After graduating from the General Motors Institute Chad spent a number of years working at General Motors and KPMG before founding Omnex Inc. in 1986. Over Chad's successful career, he has served on the Malcolm Baldrige Board of Examiners and has received numerous quality achievement awards, including the Quality Professional of the Year award by the American Society of Quality Automotive Division in 2005 . In addition to Chad's Bachelor's degree from GMI, Chad holds both a master's degree in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

In his role as Chief Technology Officer, Chad is instrumental in determining the strategic direction of the consulting and training organizations, as well as the product strategy for the software company - Omnex Systems. Chad personally led the Omnex team that helped Ford Motor Co. rewrite the QOS methodology. He assisted Ford Motor staff write the QS-9000 requirements and he conducted the first worldwide witness audit for the same. Under Chad's direction, Omnex has worked with Lucent Technologies, Philips Semiconductors, Magna, and most of the Fortune 500 companies worldwide. Omnex provides more than 50 training courses in subject areas ranging from APQP to Six Sigma and has 15 offices worldwide.

In addition to founding both Omnex and Omnex Systems, Chad is also the founder of AQSR, one of the top five rated quality system registrars in the United States as rated by Quality Digest. AQSR specializes in providing auditing services in ISO 9001, QS-9000, TE Supplement, ISO/TS 16949, VDA 6*, AS9000, and the ISO 14001 series of international standards.

Dave Watkins

Executive Vice President and Director of International Operations for Omnex, Inc., Dave Watkins has a wide range of experience encompassing full profit and loss responsibility in General Management, as well as manufacturing, production, Human Resources and distribution management in a variety of industries. Dave has had responsibilities at all levels of manufacturing, from production shift supervisor to President, and has led total process re-engineering efforts in several plants, involving a number of different process and product technologies.

Dave's focus is on employing approaches that enhance the client's ability to create value for customers and stockholders; as a result he is particularly adept at the integration of quality and business management systems to enhance overall performance and competitive capability.

He has developed and delivered training and consulting services domestically and in all major international markets, primarily to senior and executive management groups, in the strategic implementation of integrated management systems incorporating QS/ISO 9001:2008, ISO/TS 16949:2009, QOS/BOS, Product Development & Launch (NPD), Supplier Development & Supply Chain Management, and lean enterprise systems in rational, profit oriented solutions.

Having pioneered the application of these approaches in non-manufacturing companies, Dave has authored or co-authored most of Omnex's seminars for service companies, including ISO 9001:2008 for Service, Advance Quality Planning (AQP) for Service, and QOS/BOS for Service. He has worked with clients in industries as diverse as banking; local, regional and global multi-modal transportation; product development & engineering; software development; logistics; contract professional services; construction; and project management.

His extraordinarily broad industry experience ranges from automotive and semiconductor design and manufacturing, to the design, development and bottling of package solutions for the liquor industry, production of aerosol cans, gear sets for oil rigs, magnets for electric motors and printing production processes for standardized testing. He has worked with chemical companies, R&D Groups, seating assembly plants and complex electronic component and assembly companies.

Dave has delivered papers on a variety of topics in the U.S., India, Bahrain, Thailand and China and has published articles in a variety of periodicals.

His education includes a BA from Widener University and numerous professional courses. Dave has served on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, as a Trustee for the IMA's Education Foundation, and as a Trustee for Northeastern Illinois University Foundation.

Gregory F. Gruska

Mr. Gruska, a Fellow of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), is presently the COO of Omnex Systems and a principal consultant in performance excellence and Six Sigma Master Blackbelt for Omnex Engineering and Management, Inc.

Mr. Gruska had been associated with Dr. W. E. Deming and has assisted in the Transformation of Management since 1981. He has personally assisted large and small companies in North America and Europe in this transformation including the development and implementation of strategy, benchmarking, process control planning, and customer satisfaction. Further, he has worked with companies in the preparation of internal or external assessment utilizing criteria such as QS-9000, ISO/TS 16949, Total Quality Excellence, and MBNQA and has helped organizations using Six Sigma performance improvement strategies.

He directed and was the primary resource for the development and initial implementations of Comprehensive Process Control Planning ((CP)2). This approach provides a structure for the logical determination and implementation of process controls within an environment of continuous improvement. Following the precepts taught by Dr W. E. Deming, (CP)2 enables an organization to establish what is needed to control its processes and then integrate these plans within the normal operations. The Ford Motor Company, Transmission and Chassis Division, pioneered its use with the launch of the transaxle used in the Taurus/Sable vehicles. This structure enabled the plant to achieve Best-In-Class status for this transmission within the first year of production and subsequently to continue to improve its quality and productivity.

Prior to joining OMNEX, Mr. Gruska managed the Quality Engineering Activity at Chevrolet. This group provided benchmarking, quality engineering and statistical support to all divisional and corporate activities and their suppliers. Besides the application of statistics within the design, manufacturing, and support environments, this group was active in the development of new technologies and training in these areas. Mr. Gruska additional served as a Divisional and Corporate consultant in Statistical Engineering and Management. He has traveled extensively in assisting engineering, financial, and support staffs and manufacturing plants in the investigation and solution of problems affecting quality and customer satisfaction.

Mr. Gruska has been involved in the development of theory and software and authored many papers in the areas of non-normal and multivariate sampling and data analysis, quality management, measurement systems analysis, inspector effectiveness and statistical process control. He is the author of Theory D which discusses the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming and is the editor and principal author of Comprehensive Process Control Planning -(CP)2. He is also the co-author of The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award: The Yardstick for Quality Growth, available through Addison-Wesley. Mr. Gruska is also an active/writing member of the QS-MSA and QS-SPC Manual subcommittees of the American Automotive industry's Supplier Quality Requirements Task Force which is part of the international task force governing TS-16949.

Mr. Gruska is an adjunct professor at Madonna University. He has advanced degrees in mathematics and engineering from the University of Detroit, Michigan State University and Wayne State University. He was the Deming Memorial Lecturer at the Sheffield Hallam University for the year 2000.

Mr. Gruska is a charter member of the Greater Detroit Deming Study Group and the W. E. Deming Institute. He is a ASQ certified Quality Engineer, a licensed Professional Engineer (CA - Quality) and a member of the Board of Examiners of and Judge for the Michigan Quality Leadership Award (1994-2005).

Helge Bolbrinker (Omnex Germany)

Helge is a Senior Consultant in area of production and manufacturing with core skills in metal working, machining and semiconductor / electronics. Industry expertise is in Plastic processing, Metal production and processing, Construction, Electronics and Semiconductor, Vehicle assembly and supplying chain, Trade, Vehicle garages, and Research. Helge regularly works with ISO/TS 16949:2009, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, VDA and integrated management systems. He has 3 years of experience in R&D/Design and 10 years of work experience managing quality assurance within the automotive supply chain. For training he can rely on his practical experience in the application of quality tools like SPC, FMEA, MSA, DOE, PPAP, 6M, FTA, BPR, QFD, and 8D. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

He holds third party auditor certifications for ISO/TS 16949:2009 (from IATF), ISO 9001:2008 (from IRCA) and ISO 14001:2004 (from RABQSA). He is an engineering graduate in the study of metallurgy, with specialties in metal physics, a combination of theoretical physics, material development and metal work technology. He speaks German, English and Russian.

Dave Barber (Omnex Canada)

Mr. Barber is the General Manager and Senior Quality Consultant / Trainer for Omnex Canada Inc. He has been a full time consultant since 1998, and estimates a total of 4,500 hours of in-class instructional training and 2,500 hours of client consultation since that time.

Mr. Barber has over 18 years experience in the Quality profession with the majority of this time being spent in Quality Director / Manager and Quality Engineering roles. He has a diverse background with experience in the automotive, medical devices, consumer electronic, telecommunications, plastics, machining, and stamping industries. Mr. Barber has assisted companies in the development and implementation of cohesive quality systems that have resulted in the achievement of ISO 9001:1994, QS-9000, TS 16949:1999, ISO 9001:2008, TS 16949:2002, TL 9000, ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and Six Sigma projects.

Mr. Barber is a ten-year member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and is a Certified Quality Engineer. He received his Quality Assurance Certificate (accredited by the ASQ) from Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology, has a diploma in Electronics from Radio College of Canada.

Areas of knowledge and training include:

• Quality Systems Implementation & Development
• Quality, Safety & Environmental Systems Auditing
• Process Mapping and Lean Principles
• Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP)
• Failure Modes and Effects Analysis
  (Business, Environmental, Safety, Systems, Design and Process)
• Statistical Process Control (SPC)
• Design of Experiments (DOE)
• Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA)
• Production Part Approval Process (PPAP)
• Team Building & Problem Solving (8D)
• Project Management
• Ford Methods
• Six Sigma

Arun Kumar (Omnex India, VP of Omnex Asia)

Vice President of Omnex' Asia Operations, Mr. Kumar has been with Omnex in various management positions for over 8 years. He has immense experience in business consulting and quality systems implementation/training for the automotive and related industries. He was primarily responsible for starting up Omnex' operations in India and other parts of Asia.

His career objective is to assist companies in achieving significant improvements in their competitive positions, both operational as well as technology oriented through the introduction of professionally managed quality/business systems, Integrated Six Sigma deployment and TQM philosophies. A certified Lead Auditor, he manages and leads a dedicated team of more than 60 professionals who take care of the needs of the India, UAE and the S. E. Asia market. His education includes a degree in Computer Science Engineering and other professional courses.

Ravikumar - General Manager (Omnex Middle East)

Ravikumar is the General Manager & Principal Consultant / Trainer for Omnex - Middle East. Ravikumar has 14 years of rich experience encompassing Manufacturing and Services in a variety of industries & organizations such as precision engineering, automotive, oil & gas, banking, investment services, transportation, project management & IT-enabled services such as BPO & E-commerce.

Ravikumar is a Metallurgist and Quality Management professional who has rich experience in different aspects of Quality Management (coaching, training, consulting and mentoring). He has assisted organizations in the development and implementation of management systems such as ISO 9001:2008, ISO/ TS 16949:2009, ISO 14001:2004, OHSAS 18001:2007, Lean/ Six-Sigma, etc., as a single system or integrated with other management systems.

An Expert in QMS Implementations and practices, he has also proved his expertise in fields like world-class work environment through 5S, QFD , Kaizen etc., which makes him an integral part of OMNEX's Lean consulting team in Asia. He has a rare distinction of having implemented EMS and Safety practices for oil mining companies both on-shore and off-shore.

He is helped more than 25 companies in achieving excellent environmental management systems based on ISO 14001 and TS 16949:2009. His expertise and command over organizational health and safety management has been appreciated by companies over a wide spectrum. His career objective is to consistently meet the client's requirements and nurture Omnex's ambitions of Building Business Excellence worldwide.

Praveen Patiyasevi (Pat) (Omnex Thailand)

Praveen Patiyasevi (Pat) is currently the Country Manager of Omnex Co., Ltd. Thailand. He has more than 18 years of experience in supplier quality and development. He specializes in ISO 9001:2008, ISO/TS 16949:2009, QS-9000, APQP, FMEA, Control Plans, MSA, and Lean Manufacturing.

He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alabama and a Masters Degree in Business Administration (Major in Finance) from Jacksonville State University.

Before joining Omnex, he served as Senior Purchasing Manager-World Wide Purchasing/Supplier Quality-Supplier Development (WWP) for Delphi Automotive Systems (Thailand) Ltd. Additionally, he served as General Manager and Project Manager for Royal Industries (Thailand) and Engineering Instructor at Gadsden State Community College.

He has worked hand-in-hand with suppliers in the development of Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001, QS-9000, ISO/TS 16949 and its supplemental courses.) He had worked in at all levels in Manufacturing Plants Project, Production, Purchasing, Supplier Development / Supplier Quality. He has also worked/taught with several large numbers of companies in various industries (Automotive and Semiconductor) in many countries including: India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and the United States.

He is actively involved in delivering/training for Top Management, QMR and Team Leaders with TQM, TPM, Understanding & Implementing 5S, ISO 9001:2008, ISO/TS 16949:2009, ISO 14001:2004, OHSAS 18001:2007, and Lean/Six Sigma methodologies to various industries. He has successfully completed various improvement projects with savings of over Baht 250 Million. He has also implemented and taught seminars in ISO/IEC 17025:1999 for automotive part suppliers.

Michael Xu (Omnex China)

Michael Xu has been working in high volume, automotive component, and equipment manufacturing for a decade. He has deep practical working experience on quality system and operation management in automotive and electronic manufacturing industry in both North America and China. Michael had been working in quality and engineering management in automotive industry in Canada and USA, including quality system implementations of ISO/TS 16949 and ISO 14001, APQP management, Six Sigma Implementation, team building and customer communication with GM, DCX and Ford. Mr. Xu has a wealth of international working experience in management in North America, Europe and Asia. Prior to his work in automotive industry, he was employed as Engineering Manager and Senior Engineer in international companies such as ABB and Schneider Electric. He has hands-on experience with Quality System Implementation, Supply Chain Management, Souring Strategy Development, Engineering and Project Management and Six Sigma project management. His practical knowledge and quality experience with ISO/TS 16949:2009, ISO 4001, and ISO 9001:2008 is backed up with the proud quality records and performance acknowledgement from customers, such as GM, Ford and DCX.

Michael XU has a sound knowledge of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, DOE, SPC, Control Plan, Process Flow, GD&T, 8D, Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Error & Mistake Proofing, Layered Auditing, QSB, GQTS, IMDS, and engineering management. He is very familiar with supplier assessment and development.

Michael XU has a wealth of practical experience of Six Sigma planning and establishment and implementation. As a certified Senior Consultant of Six Sigma of Omnex, Mr. Xu has been in charge of multiple Six Sigma Black Belt projects in both North America and China. He is familiar with Six Sigma project implementation and management through DMAIC process, including project defining, project planning, benefit and risk analysis, current status assessment, base line establishment, key input factors locating, solution optimization and control, standardization and project transfer, benefit holding and sustaining. The customer base is ranging from automotive, electronics, semiconductor and aerospace.

Mr. Xu is Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) of ASQ, Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) of ASQ, Certified TS16949 Lead Auditor and Certified ISO14001 Lead Auditor. He speaks English, French and Chinese Mandarin. Michael Xu has a Masters in Mechanical Engineering and Advanced Quality Certificate from Centennial College of Canada.

Rajasekharan Pillai (Omnex Singapore)

Rajasekharan Pillai is the Managing Director and CEO of Omnex' Singapore operations. He has immense experience of around 20+ years of which the last 6 years has been in operations consulting with McKinsey and Company. Apart from being the Expert Associate Principal and Leader of the Asia Operations Practice based at the Singapore office, he was also a leader of the Mckinsey Global Energy and Materials (GEM) Practice and Reliability Practitioners' network.

His McKinsey experience includes:

Operations transformation leadership

• Ports and shipping network of one of the National Oil and Gas Company in South East Asia- (Lean operations reducing turnaround time, improving vessel performance and port performance and maintenance)
• Refinery in South Asia to lift performance close to world class- on reliability improvement, procurement improvement, contractor management, operations of processing complexes
• Leading global Oil and Gas Corporation in their upstream exploration assets in Asia Pacific to deliver top quartile performance of the assets. (improve shutdown maintenance and equipment reliability)
• World-class cement plant in South East Asia lifting performance from Good to Great- (maintenance, contractor management, reliability system improvement, spare parts procurement)
• National Post and logistics company in South East Asia - Improved performance of logistics, mail and delivery operations. Currently working on developing growth strategy to "Go international"
• Heavy electrical equipment manufacturing company in Taiwan - Lean operations improvement and capability building- improved capacity, productivity, reduced manufacturing lead time and inventory
• Various, short operations improvement studies in South African coal mines

Overall company transformation

• Led Growth Strategy and operations transformation program for the national postal and logistic company in South East Asia to double the revenues, develop a balance portfolio of businesses and necessary capabilities to implement the same.
• 20 month long program with a Belgian-Sri Lanka JV manufacturing specialty transportation systems - in manufacturing, purchasing, supply chain, Design-to-cost and organizational redesign (establishing new vision, mission, values and capabilities through leadership workshops and capability academy)

Knowledge development

• Maintenance and Reliability improvement in manufacturing and process industry (including refinery ports, refinery operation, Oil Exploration, Cement mfg)
• Quick diagnostic tool kit (Manufacturing Excellence Diagnostic - MED) and applied in Asia and South Africa. Developed project manager guide for MED application Mining industry.
• Architected the Singapore Manufacturing Excellence Award - its framework and execution. Still guiding EDB (Economic Development Board) on this project
• Developed several transformation case studies and documents.
• Fire walk - to break limiting thoughts of people to increase belief in delivering peak performance

Prior to McKinsey, Raja has around 14 years experience in Manufacturing, Procurement, Production control/ logistics and Engineering functions across Asia Pacific region. He worked with Delphi and Delphi suppliers across India, Malaysia, and Singapore as Senior Manager and Director. He has a great passion for Lean transformation of business units and functions. He was a member of the Asia Pacific Leadership team of the company as "Lean Change Champion". As the Component business manager for Asia pacific he developed strategies for supply and manufacturing of components in Asia. He developed plants in Singapore and China. Increased regional component supply base from 20% to 65% in less than 3 years.

Raja holds a Bachelor Degree in Industrial Engineering from the Kerala University (College of Engineering Trivandrum), India, and Masters in Business Administration from the California State University, Hayward, USA.

Edward H Tao (Omnex China)

Edward joined Omnex as a senior consultant in 2006. He has been an active quality consultant since January 2003. His main focus has been in helping Asian automotive suppliers enhance Quality Systems, reduce poor Cost of Quality, improve Problem Solving capabilities, and conduct hands-on, prevention-based Six Sigma workshops to achieve world-class quality. He has worked closely with client companies, large OEM suppliers and other consulting firms.

Prior to his work as a quality consultant, Edward was employed by several large OEM Tier One suppliers as Director of Quality (ArvinMeritor, Dana), Supplier Quality Manager (Tenneco Automotive), Quality Systems Manager, Manufacturing / Quality Manager, Senior Industrial Engineer and Manufacturing Engineer.

Areas of expertise include Value Stream Mapping, Six Sigma Quality Improvement, Supplier Chain Management, Quality Systems Development / Enhancement (QS-9000/ISO 9000, TS-16949, Baldrige, etc.), Effective Problem Solving, Advanced Quality Planning and Deployment, and many others.

Edward has a Masters degree in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University, an MBA from the University of Toledo, and a BSIE from Tunghai University (Taichung, Taiwan).