Westhampton, NJ Global manufacturer and distributor of furniture and home furnishing. Automation Manager for North America Responsible for automation site development including design to realization done with Integrator on buildout, commissioning, enhancements and repair /maintenance services IKEA automated warehouse supply chain connecting North America to Europe and Asia. Led management and vendor supply chain on projects between $7M and $120M. Managed automation development lifecycle for 1.3M square foot fully automated distribution center. Designed and executed business acceptance testing to ensure vendors delivered to contractual requirements. Directed implementation strategy for storage, picking, transport and loading utilizing High Bay, Narrow Isle, Shuttle Racking and Deep Lane automation. Obtained throughput of 823 pallets/hour by refining operational processes, integration interface and dashboards. Collected and evaluated repair and maintenance policies, processes and procedures to develop a 27-person maintenance and repair team maintaining 24x7 operation with less than 2 hours of daily system downtime. Partnered with director and VP level integration providers and automation suppliers to create projects focused on cost reduction, reliability and continuous improvement to achieve a 3-year return on capital investment. Implemented cost effective inventory control process to obtain a forecasted 2.5 percent per site budget cap on spares.