Hilco Performance Solutions (HPS), a management advisory firm that consists of operational and financial experts in the areas of Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Sales & Customer Experience, Organizational Design, and M&A has named Associate Director Susan Stanley to the new position of Continuous Improvement and Lean Manufacturing Practice Leader. An operating company of Hilco Global, HPS helps clients simplify and streamline business processes and improve operational efficiencies.

With nearly 30 years in Operational Excellence, Plant Management, Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement, Corporate Finance and Project Management, Ms. Stanley is highly analytical and skilled at developing and leading cross-functional teams to execute programs that drive business success. Ms. Stanley began her career at Chrysler Corporation in the International Operations group, later moving to Chrysler Mexico and the Mopar Parts group. After leaving Mopar, she spent 10 years in Plant Management roles focusing on the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) approach to Lean Manufacturing.

Highlights from her experience include:

• Led Die Build operations at the largest Automotive Tooling Provider in North America as Assistant Plant Manager. Tasked with all Continuous Improvement activities to increase revenue, operational efficiency, customer satisfaction and employee retention. Established and trained teams and created data collection methods, KPIs and SOPs by functional area.

• As Operational Excellence Manager was responsible for the Corporate-Wide dissemination of an employee-centric Pillar-based Lean Manufacturing Culture across multiple countries at three Tier 1 Automotive suppliers. Established a methodology to identify and prioritize plant losses, trained employees in problem solving and root cause analysis and developed model areas for rolling out key improvements plant-wide. Achieved cost reductions of up to 130% of target.

• Managed the Sales, Marketing and Product Development of a $350 million Global parts portfolio at Chrysler-Mopar. Led the Low-Cost Country Sourcing Program, sourcing over 60 product types and reducing material costs by an average of 20% across all products.

• Responsible for $60 million in revenue as Controller/Treasurer of DaimlerChrysler Services in Mexico, managing debt with banking institutions and administering Dealer credit lines. Implemented the Mexico Post-Merger Implementation Plan, coordinating the harmonization of processes, systems, and personnel during the merger of Chrysler Financial and Mercedes-Benz Leasing.

In announcing Ms. Stanley’s appointment, Steven Tanzi, President of HPS said, “We are very excited to have Susan assume the leadership of our Continuous Improvement and Lean Manufacturing Practice. An ideal combination of an industry practitioner and advisor who is a highly effective hands-on client partner, she will be able to work across all HPS manufacturing clients. A well-rounded business leader with extensive experience in the manufacturing sector, Susan -- together with the growing HPS team -- will provide problem-solving and process improvement to help our clients execute more quickly, develop new skills in their organizations, and improve financial results.”

Ms. Stanley holds an MBA in International Finance from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Phoenix, Arizona, an MBA in International Marketing from ESADE Business School, Barcelona, Spain, and a BA with honors in Spanish Literature and Philology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is certified as an IATF 16949 Internal Auditor and a VDA 6.3 Process Auditor.