Associate Mechanical Engineering Consultant
Ramesh Kalhenahalli
Ramesh Kalhenahalli
Remesh is an Innovative and passionate customer-centric leader with over 25 years of experience in driving growth through enhanced operational processes and strategic business development. He has a proven record of accomplishment in defining and executing marketing and sales strategies that consistently outperform competitors. With collaboration and a cross-functional background in the manufacturing sector and a focus on ancillary products, he brings a comprehensive perspective on developing customer solutions with stacked solutions that fuel top and bottom- line growth. Specializing in plant operations, product engineering, and value management, he excels in managing end-to- end processes with a strategic focus on P&L optimization, driving operational excellence and cost efficiencies.
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SKILLS
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Jan 2023 - Oct 2024
Woodbridge Group
Advanced Chemical & Product Technology - Director Product Management
Troy, MI
Jan 2021 - Jan 2023
Woodbridge Group
Interior parts BU - Director Product Management
Troy, MI
Jan 2018 - Jan 2021
Woodbridge Group
Director Product Engineering & Design - Development & Innovations Group
Troy, MI
Jan 2007 - Jan 2018
Woodbridge Group
Senior Manager Product Engineering & Design - Development & Innovations Group
Troy, MI
2002 - 2007
Mahindar Engineering services
Project Manager – Design projects
Troy, MI
1999 - 2002
Tata Auto Comp Pvt Ltd
Member Engineering, Strategic Business unit
Pune, India
1997 - 1999
Aeronautical Development Agency
Research Fellow, Aerospace Detail Design Group
Bengaluru, India
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Bengaluru (Bangalore) University
SYSTEM EXPERIENCE
TOOLS
LANGUAGES
- New Business Development
- Client Relationship and Account Management
- New Partnerships and Contract Negotiations
- Market & Competitive Analysis
- Product Positioning Strategy
- NPD Stage gate process
- APQP Launch Process
- Change Management
- Operation Management
- Performance Improvement
- Value Management (VAVE)
- Transformation Initiatives
- Continuous improvements
- Lean practices
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Jan 2023 - Oct 2024
Woodbridge Group
Advanced Chemical & Product Technology - Director Product Management
Troy, MI
- Implemented product strategies in the solar industry that generated $8 Mn in annual revenue by leveraging statistical sales data and crafting a strategic marketing plan.
- Executed go-to-market strategies for sustainable technology products in collaboration with Sales and Marketing teams and business unit stakeholders, ensuring successful product launches and strong customer relationships
- Conducted and developed a framework on Voice of the Customer (VOC) activities to validate market understanding and mine unmet customer needs for new products, services, and solutions
Jan 2021 - Jan 2023
Woodbridge Group
Interior parts BU - Director Product Management
Troy, MI
- Led VAVE workshops to generate process improvement and line balancing ideas, overseeing weekly implementation that resulted in $5 Mn in direct labor savings, reduced inventory, and cost of poor quality.
- Mentored Plant Managers across multiple locations within Interior Parts BU generating $250 Mn annually, focusing on facility safety, teammate engagement, profitability, productivity, customer satisfaction, and lean best practices
- Conducted weekly productivity meetings and executed data-driven plans to address issues using Power BI and Pareto analysis, maintaining a 90% overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
- Engineered and optimized cell layouts to maximize workflow efficiency and minimize production bottlenecks, contributing to increased productivity and cost-effectiveness.
- Championed the Employee Kaizen Program, engaging cross-functional team members and achieving $500K in annual savings
Jan 2018 - Jan 2021
Woodbridge Group
Director Product Engineering & Design - Development & Innovations Group
Troy, MI
- Led a global engineering community of 70+ highly technical engineering professionals generating an annual $10 Mn
- revenue in product development and engineering support to OEM’s & Tier-1 customer projects.
- Established and strengthened an offshore global development center and integrated satellite development center,
- achieving a 60% reduction in total design costs, and positioning it as a competitive engineering and design hub
- As a Lean champion, focused on driving standardization, simplification, continuous improvement, and digitization
- across the product development lifecycle, resulting in $4 Mn in annual soft savings for the enterprise.
- Led and mentored a team that successfully published seat ventilation technology and a flip headrest mechanism with
- the World Intellectual Property Organization, achieving a 20% cost reduction compared to existing market
- products.
- Ensured compliance with all regulatory requirements and industry standards during the production process,
- including ISO 9001 and TS 16949 certification.
Jan 2007 - Jan 2018
Woodbridge Group
Senior Manager Product Engineering & Design - Development & Innovations Group
Troy, MI
- Served as the global VAVE lead and launched “Think VAVE” campaign driving changes from idea generation to implementation, acting as a technical coordinator between cross-functional teams and customers, and successfully executing initiatives additional $20 Mn in new sales revenue.
- As a resident engineer at OEM, played a key role in converting new sales leads into awarded revenue of $200 Mn.
- Conducted comprehensive feasibility analyses for new product concepts, evaluating technical, financial, and logistical aspects to determine the viability of proposed designs before initiating production.
- Led successful multiple product launches from conception to market introduction, managing timelines, coordinating cross-functional teams, and ensuring a smooth transition from prototyping to full-scale production.
- Collaborate with suppliers and manufacturers to ensure the availability of high-quality materials for product development at a competitive price.
2002 - 2007
Mahindar Engineering services
Project Manager – Design projects
Troy, MI
- As a Delivery Manager, directed large US auto manufacturers, and its Tier-1 supplier organizations, supervising a team of 25+ with four direct report project managers
1999 - 2002
Tata Auto Comp Pvt Ltd
Member Engineering, Strategic Business unit
Pune, India
- As a part of Engineering group, was engaged in developing strategic engineering alignment for potential JV partnership with large Global Auto component suppliers
1997 - 1999
Aeronautical Development Agency
Research Fellow, Aerospace Detail Design Group
Bengaluru, India
- As a Research Fellow, I was involved in integration of Composite structure technologies in structural components of fighter aircraft.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Bengaluru (Bangalore) University
SYSTEM EXPERIENCE
- Automotive Interior Systems
- Seating System
- Overhead Systems
- NVH & Acoustics
- Light weight Structure
- Composite structures
- Polymer materials
- PU Foam parts
- Injection Molding parts
- Compression Molding parts
- Steam Chest Molding parts
- Checking fixtures
TOOLS
- Microsoft Office products
- Power BI
- TS Certification
- Failure Mode Analysis – Design & Process
- CAD – Catia, NX, AutoCAD, Visview
- CAE – Hypermesh, Abaqus
- GD &T
- 3D Printing
LANGUAGES
- English
- Hindi
- Kannada