Expert Profile
Robert C. ***** II, CPP/MH is the President of ***** ***** ***** , LLC, (GPO) an international consulting firm specializing in helping clients optimize the organizational structure, processes and performance of Package Development and other related technical and corporate functions, as well as completing package design and development programs for new and existing products. He has led many initiatives to vastly improve organizational performance and assure the best possible ***** has been developed to lead to successful product launches and redesigns to achieve cost and sustainability objectives. His primary technical expertises include all types of plastics, paperboard, flexible material and dispensing system (pumps, sprayers and aerosols) component design, development, implementation and ***** . He also has vast experience in the production of ***** components and the production processes used to package the final product for successful distribution and success in the marketplace.
Prior to forming GPO, his experience spanned seven major corporations, most recently as Associate Director, ***** Package Development for the Grooming franchise of Procter & Gamble - Gillette. Throughout his career, he refined the leadership and collaboration skills required to successfully define and implement organizations that operated seamlessly on a ***** level and delivered significantly increased capacity with flawless performance. He was frequently recognized by his employers with awards for technical and leadership excellence.
He has maintained an active presence in helping to improve the ***** industry throughout his career. He is currently a Professional Member of the Institute of ***** Professionals (IoPP), having earned Lifetime status as a Certified Professional in ***** and Materials Handling (1976), is a member and past chairman of the ***** Management Council Sponsored by PMMI, and is a current board member of the Industry Advisory Board to University of Wisconsin. He is active in publishing articles in ***** trade publications/websites, giving managerial and technical interviews and presenting to US and International technical conferences and panel discussions.
He has also worked closely with UCIMA in Italy in building their presence in supporting Italian ***** machinery manufacturers in the US, held several National positions with IoPP, guest lectured at The University of Wisconsin and Michigan State University on numerous occasions and served as instructor for the preparation class for IoPP Certification in conjunction with Western Michigan University for two years.
His love for the Arts brings a unique blend of technical, artistic, inter-personal and multi-cultural skills to his perspective on developing ***** , having been a custom jeweler, touring musician and recording artist in his lifetime.
President, ***** ***** *****, LLC, Scituate, MA, 6/09 – Present
Established a consultancy to assist consumer product ***** companies improve their package development performance after retiring from the Procter and Gamble Company. This includes support for optimizing organizational and technical performance, as well as providing technical project assistance.
Senior ***** R&D Executive who has demonstrated the strategic and tactical skills to successfully and flawlessly innovate, manage and deliver a ***** portfolio of product launches for multiple Fortune 500 companies, on time and within budget. An articulate team leader who has grown, inspired and sustained organizations with extraordinary technical, business and teamwork skills to optimize department performance, multi-functional interaction and efficiency in delivering ***** solutions to satisfy all internal and external customers, as well as the ultimate consumer. Continuously maintains an intense focus on adding value to an organization through meeting or exceeding growth and profitability objectives.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:
Procter and Gamble Company (Formerly Gillette), Boston, Massachusetts, 1997 – 5/09, Director/Associate Director
Directed strategic planning, innovation/design/development/ implementation of new packages, ***** unification of processes/procedures, cross-functional teambuilding/process *****, and cost/profit ***** as a Senior Package Development ***** leader. Collaborated with multi-functional senior managers to coordinate capital spending in excess of $1B/year to assure the successful launches of all new products. Coordinated all package development improvements as the representative on the P&G ***** Grooming Sustainability Committee. Responsibilities encompassed Grooming, Personal Care, and Oral Care business units.
• Conceptualized and implemented a strategy to reorganize and staff the department to function seamlessly in six countries (US, UK, Poland, Mexico, Brazil & Singapore), delivering all programs to 200+ countries seamlessly, per launch timing and within or under budget.
• Drove innovation within the department to improve ***** in terms of consumer acceptance, lower cost and improved Sustainability.
• Delivered innovative, consumer preferred ***** to achieve year-on-year business unit objective of generating over 50% of revenues from products introduced within the past five years.
• Drove cost ***** to achieve over $60MM in ***** cost savings generated from within the department, and have provided technical support for over $100MM in additional savings.
• Increased productivity of the department 270% by standardizing and optimizing all departmental processes, leveraging personnel assignments/diversity and developing personnel skill levels, while increasing staff by only 18%.
• Reduced artwork development timing *****% by creating an Artwork Planning function to manage the milestones of all artwork programs.
• Eliminated repetitive testing through the implementation of ***** testing methods and re-equipped the International Safe Transit Association certified testing labs in Boston and Mexico City to deliver accurate, uniform and timely data using a ***** testing database.
• Standardized package structural designs *****ly to allow manufacturing of products at multiple locations and minimize structural and artwork development variations.
• Developed metrics for quantitative performance measurement in all areas of department.
• Won the Gillette STAR award for Business Acumen
Dial Corporation, Scottsdale, Arizona, *****, Director
Directed Package Development strategic planning, innovation, design, development and implementation for the Personal Care, Fabric Care, Air Care, Food, Commercial Market and International business units. Introduced and implemented all the technical and process advancements learned previously in career.
• Reduced development times approximately 50% by combining all business units into common, efficient processes which increased corporate value and market share.
• Delivered all objectives on time and within budget through further developing excellent teamwork skills among staff and all cross-functional teams.
The Drackett Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, *****, Section Manager
Led all innovation, technical development and process improvement initiatives for Air Care and Aerosol Package Development, Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) and the New ***** Technology Group.
• Reduced development times by 40% through the implementation of CAE and SPC strategies.
• Won the Drackett President’s Award and four Achievement awards for technical and process innovation.
• Chairman of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Corporate ***** Committee, 1988–91.
Amway Corporation, Ada, Michigan, *****, Group Leader
Managed and executed package design, development, and implementation for Home Care Products. Responsibilities also included all technical and resin development activities in the blow-molding department, developing specifications for all printed literature items and specifying ***** for the items ordered through the company catalog.
Baxter-Travenol Laboratories, Round Lake, Illinois, *****
Senior ***** Engineer
Developed ***** and qualified ***** lines for all hospital procedural trays and blood donor collection bags, innovating and developing a syringe dispenser not considered feasible at the time.
***** Corporation of America, Grandville, Michigan, *****
Senior Designer
Executed innovation and design solutions to allow distribution and retailing of many categories of products.
University of Wisconsin – Stout, Menomonie, Wisconsin
BS Industrial Technology, Concentration *****, 1971
Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI
MBA Coursework, *****
Certified Professional in ***** & Materials Handling, Institute of ***** Professionals, 1976 – Lifetime
• IoPP Professional Member, 1976 - Present
• Medical Device Group, Boston, 2010 - Present
• PMMI ***** Management Council, 2002 – Present (Chairman 2003 – 2006)
• ***** Industry Advisory Board, University of Wisconsin – Stout, 1997 – Present
• Society of Plastics Engineers, Professional Member, *****
• Institute of ***** Professionals (IoPP), Professional Member, 1976 – Present
• IoPP National Recertification Chairman (‘*****)
• IoPP National Board of Directors (‘*****)
• Judge, National Design Competition, (‘77, 78, 80)
I have worked with start-up, mid-size and major corporations in resolving both organanizational and technical problems. All of these initiatives were completed, adding value to their organizations, resolving the issues and delivering more than expected.
Additional Career Information:
PATENTS:
- US Patent D 401,506, Combined Bottle and Cap,” R. C. ***** II, D. E. Ostrowski, C. J. Wolpert, issued November 24, 1998
- US Patent D 274,130, “Jug - 2½ Gallon Bottle,” R. C. ***** II, issued June 5, 1984
PUBLISHED ARTICLES / INTERVIEWS:
- “10 Keys to Package Development Success,” ***** World Magazine, R. C. ***** II, July 2009
- “Optimizing Package Development Performance,*****, R. C. ***** II, July 2009
- “Security ***** that Embraces the Environment,” PMT Magazine, R.C. ***** II, Interview, November/December 2007
- “Shaving Speed to Market,” PMT Magazine, R. C. ***** II, Interview, July/August, 2007
- “***** Machinery OEM’s and Buyers of ***** Machinery Talk Turkey at IPACK-IMA,*****, R. C. ***** II, Panelist Comments, February 2006
MAJOR PRESENTATIONS:
- “Optimizing Distribution ***** – Methodologies for Success,” Keynote Speaker, R. C. ***** II, ISTA European Symposium, Valencia, Spain, October, 2009
- “Optimizing Package Development Performance,” R. C. ***** II, 2009 Pack Expo, Las Vegas, NV, October, 2009
- “Standardizing ***** across Countries to Remain True to your Brand,” R. C. ***** II, International Senior Executive Forum, Amsterdam, Netherlands, October 2008
- “UCIMA & ICE ***** ***** Manager’s & Equipment Supplier’s Forum,” R. C. ***** II, Guest Panelist, IPACK-IMA ***** Exhibition, Milan, Italy, February, 2006
- “***** Design and Innovation Conference sponsored by PIRA International,” R. C. ***** II, Moderator and Panel Discussion Leader Conference, Boston, MA, September, 2005
- “UCIMA & ICE ***** ***** Managers Forum,” R. C. ***** II, Guest Panelist, IPACK-IMA ***** Exhibition, Milan, Italy, February, 2003
- “PMMI Annual Meeting Customer Panel Forum,” R. C. ***** II, Guest Panelist, PMMI Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, September, 2002
- “Principle of *****, IoPP Certification Preparation Course,” R. C. ***** II, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 1984 & 1985
- Numerous technical lectures at University of Wisconsin – Stout and Michigan State University, 1979 - Present