Immediately after graduating, I began working for Holding CAIC, a fully integrated company specializing in agriculture and food processing. Within a few months, I was promoted to oversee a comprehensive turnaround and re-engineering of a previously unprofitable division. I focused on addressing operational issues that had adversely impacted production, profitability, and employee morale. My efforts led to exponential growth for the company.

Over four years, we acquired 48 farms, established three new food processing plants, and created hundreds of job opportunities.

In 1999, I was hired to build the Seminal Agroprod Farm Company from the ground up, which involved identifying partners, negotiating terms, initiating the start-up, and developing the business’s strategic and marketing plan. Concurrently, due to my passion for managing multiple projects, I began working as a Business Consultant for JOE/Nestlé Romania.

In this role, I led projects aimed at enhancing operations, managing organizational changes, improving processes, and devising performance and team solutions.

In 2003, I took a significant leap in both my personal and professional life by relocating to Canada. This marked a major shift in my career as I transitioned from a background in food processing and farming to a role in machinery and mechanical services. Over the next eight years, I was responsible for screening, hiring, and training shop personnel, as well as assigning work tasks.

During this period, I successfully expanded our customer base exponentially, tripled our sales, and increased wrench time by 80%.

As the Maintenance Manager for a prominent recycling company, I spearheaded the development, implementation, and management of the plant maintenance program following industry best practices. Over a span of four years, I introduced an extensive maintenance and safety program, setting both short-term and long-term safety objectives, which significantly reduced downtime.

Driven by my passion for cookies, I transitioned back into the food industry, where I had the opportunity to employ world-class maintenance techniques, including vibration analysis, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Breakdown Analysis (BDA), Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), and Lean Six Sigma. Additionally, I implemented a robust maintenance and safety program, setting both short- and long-term safety objectives.

I was responsible for designing and conducting employee performance reviews, as well as assessing skills matrices. Among my notable achievements were the enhancement of key maintenance performance indicators, such as increasing Preventive Maintenance Compliance (PMC) from 6% to 84%, and reducing downtime to 1.13%.

Back to my roots, in the food industry. At Maple Leaf Foods I was in charge of the plant maintenance program where I implemented world-class maintenance tools such as breakdown analysis, root cause analysis, TPM, and strong planning-scheduling process. Moreover, I coordinated activities with Plant Operations Departments, participated in objective setting, and planned development and performance reviews of plant performance.

Here I slashed downtime from 27% to 4.6%, reduced contractors’ cost by 65%, increased planned maintenance from 36% to 68% and wrench time by 20%.

At Tiffany Gate, I led the maintenance department across three different sites, managing over 300 employees and supervising various engineering projects. I successfully implemented the Manager Plus and CMMC programs, optimizing maintenance, inventory control, and preventive maintenance systems, which resulted in a 20% reduction in procurement and parts costs.

Additionally, I spearheaded and supported the company’s innovation initiatives.

In this role, I assumed responsibility for a critical task: maintaining seamless operations amidst the bustling machinery and constant activity. Overseeing inventory and equipment, I crafted a narrative of efficiency and dependability. Leading the Maintenance team, we tackled obstacles, reducing interruptions and managing expenses.

Collectively, we fuelled the plant’s aspirations, showcasing dedication amidst the relentless pace of the industry.

At the core of our operations, I spearheaded a shift towards predictive maintenance. Embracing technology via the CMMC Program with a forward-thinking strategy, we transitioned from paper to digital processes, enhancing efficiency. Equipped with tailored PM Programs, I empowered technicians, reducing downtime by 20%.

Simultaneously, I evaluated assets and oversaw budgets, driving our quest for operational excellence.

In this role I was responsible for leading and overseeing the maintenance and facilities teams to ensure the safe, efficient, and effective upkeep, repair, and replacement of plant equipment, utilities, and systems. This role was pivotal in maintaining optimum production efficiency and quality. I collaborated closely with the production team to meet schedules and maximize machine uptime, ensuring that production started and completed on time.

I also supported key projects that enhanced profitability and aligned with the organization’s strategic goals. Compliance with organizational, regulatory, and legislative standards was a critical aspect of this role.

Here, I oversee maintenance operations to ensure equipment reliability and efficiency, while leading a team to manage preventive and corrective maintenance, enhance process improvements, and reduce downtime. I ensure strict adherence to health, safety, and environmental regulations, and manage maintenance budgets to control costs.

For further insights into my journey, feel free to explore my past experiences.