This is a message for all Interface people in Asia Pacific. Will local managers please arrange for translation and posting on notice boards, as appropriate.
Announcement: Asia Pacific Operations
With the re-establishment of the Australian factory, Asia Pacific is back to full supply chain strength. We now need to ensure that our facilities in Taicang, Chonburi and Minto are operating to optimum safety, maximum efficiency and minimum environmental footprint. Our three facilities need to be in alignment from a product, process and measurement perspective and increasingly we are seeing opportunities to support our business through cross supply around the region - viewing the three manufacturing units as part of one supply model.
To support these trends and to further develop supply excellence around Asia Pacific, I am pleased to announce the creation of a new role and the promotion of Michael Gabadou, Vice President Operations, Australia, to the position of Vice President, Operations, Asia Pacific, reporting to me. Michael will join the Asia Pacific management team and assume responsibility for Operations across all three facilities with a focus on:
- safety
- standardization and continuous improvement of process and measurement;
- the promotion of best practice sharing within APAC and with other regions;
- improved allocation of capital spending;
- increasing inventory turns;
- load balancing and overhead recovery across the three units;
- reducing product cost;
-developing operations excellence with great people;
- driving hard to Mission Zero
Michael will work closely with the Asia Pacific Product function and with the global Manufacturing Circle of Excellence group on behalf of Asia Pacific.
Michael brings a high level of focus on the customer, on safety, on quality and experience to this role and has held Asia Pacific Operations responsibilities with previous employers including Thorn Lighting. Sonny Auloong in Thailand and Alex Cao in Taicang will now report to Michael. However, both will retain a strong 'dotted line' reporting line to their regional general manager, Patrick Riley in China and myself for the rest of Asia, to ensure that the local facility is supporting the local business and they will retain their positions on the Rest of Asia and China management teams. Michael will continue to be a member of the Australian management team with dotted line reporting to Clinton Squires but will adjust some reporting lines at Minto to allow him to expand his role.
In Sonny, Alex and Michael we enjoy a high level of Operations management excellence and I am confident that this new structure will build on that. Please join me in congratulating Michael in his new role.