M.S. Mechanical Engineering ▪ B.S.E. Mechanical Engineering ▪ Functional Test & Development Experience ▪ JMP Software/DOE ▪ Kaizen/Six Sigma Green Belt Experience
Statistical Data Analysis ▪ Patent Awards ▪ Team Leadership ▪Skilled Communicator
Consumer Electronics Development, Test, & Manufacturing Experience
Summary of Skills and Experience
• 14 years of engineering experience that includes roles in both functional test and development for companies in the consumer electronics industry.
• Consistent career progression upwards receiving increased responsibilities and greater accountability each year of employment.
• As a functional test engineer, possess knowledge/experience in the full product development lifecycle from design and testing to manufacturing.
• Completed Masters in Mechanical Engineering with a B.S.E in Mechanical Engineering.
• Worked closely in a matrix team environment with a variety of internal clients/departments including product development engineers, manufacturing, R&D, lab technicians, and testing professionals.
• Lead the efforts of internal testing team to ensure quality, reliability, serviceability, and manufacturability of materials and components including monochromatic and color toner.
• Maximized the usefulness of data through the effective use of JMP statistical analysis software.
• Stepped up responsibilities and increased performance by training production technicians in underutilized off-site locations.
• Wrote Standard Operating Procedures for reliability/print quality and toner fuse grade testing.
• Domestic and International work experience with field problems at external customer sites in USA and Europe.
• Domestic and International work experience with R&D and manufacturing facilities in USA and Juarez, Mexico.
• Led multiple Kaizen events demonstrating knowledge in Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma.
• Project Management skills include effectively communicating, managing, and documenting test priorities, goals, and procedures to ensure date integrity, coordinate schedules, manage priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Led the company in arranging and managing JMP statistical software with SAS Institute Inc.
Professional Career Experience
Lexmark International, Inc. │ Longmont, Colorado December 2004 – October 2012
Lexmark International, Inc. is a developer and manufacturer of a broad range of printing and imaging products serving the high volume printing needs of consumers and mid to large businesses and corporations throughout the world. The Longmont, Colorado facility is an R&D and manufacturing site for two of the key components of Lexmark laser printers (toner and photoconductor drums).
Functional Test Engineer - Color Toner Programs (May 2009 – October 2012)
Promoted to this role to drive improved commonality between remote lab resources, R&D, and manufacturing facilities for 2 strategic color toner test areas – reliability/print quality and fuse grade.
Robert J. Firmature, Page Two
• Led the testing team in creating functional tests and analyses for color toners across multiple different programs, ensuring the continuity of color toner quality, performance, and reliability in the printer.
• Worked collaboratively with color toner development and led the functional testing team to ensure the best final product.
• Identified potential problems in development and scale up.
• Developed meaningful test measurements and procedures, isolated product failures, and evaluated improved designs.
• Worked closely with local and remote facilities in Boulder, Lexington, KY and Juarez Mexico.
• Gathered, analyzed, and summarized volumes of complex data for internal development customers.
Key Accomplishments:
• Took the initiative to collaborate with colleagues and customers at different sites to define a standard test protocol that was used for multiple product sets.
• Promoted to Mechanical Engineer – Level 4 (out of 5 levels) and was one of only a few promotions in 2010 following a very challenging year for the company.
• In January 2011, established new process norms for conducting commonality validation testing dramatically enhancing efficiencies in this department.
• Recognized by management for eliminating duplication of testing and evaluation efforts between internal groups while also developing a process to sustain these improvements long-term.
• Took the initiative to train and guide production engineers and technicians in underutilized facilities, better utilizing Juarez Mexico testing laboratory.
Functional Test Engineer – Monochromatic Toner Technology (December 2004 – May 2009)
• Provided high quality reliability/print quality functional test support for new monochromatic toner technology for internal development customers.
• Dramatically improved test effectiveness by leveraging the power of JMP statistical analysis software.
• Designed, ran, analyzed, and documented many printer-specific custom Design of Experiments (DOE) tests.
• Earned Lexmark First-File Patent Award for collaborative work with colleagues related to a new toner additive to control toner mass flow in the toner cartridge.
Key Accomplishments
• Led the effort to bring SAS Institute Inc. to Lexmark for companywide JMP software licensing including on-site consulting, training, and education to facilitate daily application and use of JMP software.
• Initiated Six Sigma Green Belt Certification by taking classes and completing a project related to reducing the variability of a monochrome toner fuser grade measurement system.
IBM Printing Systems Division │ Boulder, Colorado August 1998 – December 2004
IBM Printing Solutions, now part of Ricoh, leads the industry in developing and marketing high production print management solutions for businesses, commercial printers, and industrial markets. This division employed a shared development model with multiple OEM printer vendors across multiple segments of the printing market.
Product Engineer - Workgroup Printer Products (June 2003 – December 2004)
Ÿ Provided engineering-level support for over 20 released products with a worldwide install base of more than 200,000 units.
Ÿ Used service data to manage product quality and service expense on all released products.
Development Engineer - Industrial Printer Products (October 2001 – June 2003)
Ÿ Redefined and managed the engineering change process for an industrial printer.
Ÿ Worked with the print engine vendors, Service, Product Safety, and Manufacturing to release approved changes.
Robert J. Firmature, Page Three
• Served as the single interface for the delivery of all line matrix and thermal printer maintenance packages.
Ÿ Provided engineering-level support to Service for difficult customer p...
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