Mike Hess
Chief Operating Officer at LEM Products, Inc.- Claim this Profile
Click to upgrade to our gold package
for the full feature experience.
-
English Native or bilingual proficiency
-
Japanese Elementary proficiency
-
Spanish Elementary proficiency
-
French Elementary proficiency
Topline Score
Bio
Tami Lellouche
I worked with Michael Hess for about 7 years. Mike helped the organization to address major challenges (outsourcing / insourcing / plant closure & expansion / financial goals etc..) and diffused difficult situations. His business acumen, enthusiasm and dedication were critical to the success of our organization goals. As a leader, Mike is empathic and just. He is very hands on and detailed oriented. He demands the most out of his team and provides timely feedbacks on performance. I have learned a lot under his leadership & would definitely recommend Mike for any position.
Luis F. Soler
When Mike was first hired by Checkpoint and I became part of his team, there was the normal uncertainty surrounding an outside hire at a senior level. Mike took the time to learn and understand our business and our culture. I made several trips to our Japan and China facilities with Mike as well as working with him on his numerous visits to our Puerto Rico and Dominican facilities. He quickly established trust and respect with his team by giving that trust and respect to us first. When declining revenues and significant improvements in efficiency and yield created an overcapacity situation, Mike did not hesitate to make the difficult decision to exit Checkpoint’s Caribbean facilities. But he did it with compassion and professionalism. He continued his regular trips to the factories, personally stood by and supported the Local Management Teams when the news were delivered at the facilities and worked tirelessly and successfully with the local HR team to place nearly 100% of the employees in new positions, while maintaining full production and on time delivery right up to the last day. I continued to work with Mike supporting the global manufacturing engineering and product development efforts, as well as the construction of a new factory in China. He was able to drive significant cost reductions by getting the most out of the team and making us all an integral part of the process. Mike has always made us feel like part of a team…not a group of subordinates. He listens, discusses, seeks our input and behaves like a true leader. He is not only a good manager; he is a good person.
Tami Lellouche
I worked with Michael Hess for about 7 years. Mike helped the organization to address major challenges (outsourcing / insourcing / plant closure & expansion / financial goals etc..) and diffused difficult situations. His business acumen, enthusiasm and dedication were critical to the success of our organization goals. As a leader, Mike is empathic and just. He is very hands on and detailed oriented. He demands the most out of his team and provides timely feedbacks on performance. I have learned a lot under his leadership & would definitely recommend Mike for any position.
Luis F. Soler
When Mike was first hired by Checkpoint and I became part of his team, there was the normal uncertainty surrounding an outside hire at a senior level. Mike took the time to learn and understand our business and our culture. I made several trips to our Japan and China facilities with Mike as well as working with him on his numerous visits to our Puerto Rico and Dominican facilities. He quickly established trust and respect with his team by giving that trust and respect to us first. When declining revenues and significant improvements in efficiency and yield created an overcapacity situation, Mike did not hesitate to make the difficult decision to exit Checkpoint’s Caribbean facilities. But he did it with compassion and professionalism. He continued his regular trips to the factories, personally stood by and supported the Local Management Teams when the news were delivered at the facilities and worked tirelessly and successfully with the local HR team to place nearly 100% of the employees in new positions, while maintaining full production and on time delivery right up to the last day. I continued to work with Mike supporting the global manufacturing engineering and product development efforts, as well as the construction of a new factory in China. He was able to drive significant cost reductions by getting the most out of the team and making us all an integral part of the process. Mike has always made us feel like part of a team…not a group of subordinates. He listens, discusses, seeks our input and behaves like a true leader. He is not only a good manager; he is a good person.
Tami Lellouche
I worked with Michael Hess for about 7 years. Mike helped the organization to address major challenges (outsourcing / insourcing / plant closure & expansion / financial goals etc..) and diffused difficult situations. His business acumen, enthusiasm and dedication were critical to the success of our organization goals. As a leader, Mike is empathic and just. He is very hands on and detailed oriented. He demands the most out of his team and provides timely feedbacks on performance. I have learned a lot under his leadership & would definitely recommend Mike for any position.
Luis F. Soler
When Mike was first hired by Checkpoint and I became part of his team, there was the normal uncertainty surrounding an outside hire at a senior level. Mike took the time to learn and understand our business and our culture. I made several trips to our Japan and China facilities with Mike as well as working with him on his numerous visits to our Puerto Rico and Dominican facilities. He quickly established trust and respect with his team by giving that trust and respect to us first. When declining revenues and significant improvements in efficiency and yield created an overcapacity situation, Mike did not hesitate to make the difficult decision to exit Checkpoint’s Caribbean facilities. But he did it with compassion and professionalism. He continued his regular trips to the factories, personally stood by and supported the Local Management Teams when the news were delivered at the facilities and worked tirelessly and successfully with the local HR team to place nearly 100% of the employees in new positions, while maintaining full production and on time delivery right up to the last day. I continued to work with Mike supporting the global manufacturing engineering and product development efforts, as well as the construction of a new factory in China. He was able to drive significant cost reductions by getting the most out of the team and making us all an integral part of the process. Mike has always made us feel like part of a team…not a group of subordinates. He listens, discusses, seeks our input and behaves like a true leader. He is not only a good manager; he is a good person.
Tami Lellouche
I worked with Michael Hess for about 7 years. Mike helped the organization to address major challenges (outsourcing / insourcing / plant closure & expansion / financial goals etc..) and diffused difficult situations. His business acumen, enthusiasm and dedication were critical to the success of our organization goals. As a leader, Mike is empathic and just. He is very hands on and detailed oriented. He demands the most out of his team and provides timely feedbacks on performance. I have learned a lot under his leadership & would definitely recommend Mike for any position.
Luis F. Soler
When Mike was first hired by Checkpoint and I became part of his team, there was the normal uncertainty surrounding an outside hire at a senior level. Mike took the time to learn and understand our business and our culture. I made several trips to our Japan and China facilities with Mike as well as working with him on his numerous visits to our Puerto Rico and Dominican facilities. He quickly established trust and respect with his team by giving that trust and respect to us first. When declining revenues and significant improvements in efficiency and yield created an overcapacity situation, Mike did not hesitate to make the difficult decision to exit Checkpoint’s Caribbean facilities. But he did it with compassion and professionalism. He continued his regular trips to the factories, personally stood by and supported the Local Management Teams when the news were delivered at the facilities and worked tirelessly and successfully with the local HR team to place nearly 100% of the employees in new positions, while maintaining full production and on time delivery right up to the last day. I continued to work with Mike supporting the global manufacturing engineering and product development efforts, as well as the construction of a new factory in China. He was able to drive significant cost reductions by getting the most out of the team and making us all an integral part of the process. Mike has always made us feel like part of a team…not a group of subordinates. He listens, discusses, seeks our input and behaves like a true leader. He is not only a good manager; he is a good person.
Experience
-
LEM Products, Inc.
-
United States
-
Printing Services
-
1 - 100 Employee
-
Chief Operating Officer
-
Oct 2016 - Present
LEM Products Inc. specializes in custom imaging and converting of plastic, metal, vinyl and reflective materials to make industrial identification tags, labels, signs, asset marking and brand identification. Our custom products, made to customer supplied engineering specifications, can be custom kitted for application at the assembly line or for inspections in the field. We also manufacture private brand electrical identification for wholesale. LEM's customize labels, tags and signs are utilized in proprietary industrial industrial settings to convey job-specific information, instructional information and identify potential hazards. Specialties: design and manufacturing of outdoor durable, weather & chemical resistant identification products including plastic tags, cable markers, pipe markers, labels and signs. LEM Products Inc. is a contract manufacturer for electrical and industrial identification. LEAN / Kaizen / Continuous Improvement culture. 100% Made in America. WBENC / CPU / Dept. Gen. Services certifications
-
-
-
Checkpoint Systems
-
United States
-
Retail
-
700 & Above Employee
-
Senior Vice President Global Operations, Merchandise AvailabilitySolutions
-
Aug 2008 - 2016
Manage global strategic sourcing, manufacturing and supply chain operations. HIGHLIGHTED ACHIEVEMENTS: • Saved $130 million cumulative Cost of Goods Sold • Consolidated manufacturing operations from the Caribbean and Europe into Asian facilities, including the divestiture of plant facilities in a difficult market • Standardized manufacturing, technology and quality procedures globally as result of Continuous Improvement and Lean Manufacturing principles within facilities acquired through our M&A efforts • Developed automated assembly equipment reducing direct labor by 90%on hard tag production lines to offset double digit annual labor increases in China • Standardized manufacturing, technology and quality procedures globally as result of Continuous Improvement within facilities acquired through M&A efforts •Reduced overall Operating Expense by a cumulative $25 million • Integrated an unaligned set of independent manufacturing, supply chain and strategic sourcing teams reporting to 4 different Vice Presidents into a cohesive, streamlined, high performing operations team • Reduced European warehouse and distribution expense by $1 million annually through warehouse relocation and consolidation, simultaneously collaborating with tax department to utilize over $20 million in tax credits • Consolidated warehouse footprint in Japan, Hong Kong and Shanghai resulting in improved efficiency and cost reductions in excess of $500 thousand • Orchestrated a 15% reduction in global inventory as well as a 65% reduction in air freight expense and improved On Time Delivery • Improved forecast accuracy by 15 %contributing to inventory reduction and SKU rationalization through active engagement of S&OP • Negotiated global contracts with suppliers in China, Japan, France, Germany and the Netherlands leading to a 40% reduction in tier 1 suppliers, reduced lead times and inventory requirements, and ongoing cost reductions in excess of 5% per year
-
-
-
WS Packaging Group
-
United States
-
Printing Services
-
300 - 400 Employee
-
VP Western Region Operations
-
Sep 2005 - Sep 2008
A $400 million label and flexible packaging company with 21 locations across the United States and Mexico. Responsible for the full P&L for 5 manufacturing plants in the western US with 7 direct and 3 indirect reports. HIGHLIGHTED ACHIEVEMENTS: • Successfully turned around underperforming wine label manufacturing plant increasing EBITDA from 1.1% to 21.2% within 15 months, resulting in promotion from General Manager of one facility to Vice President of Western Operations responsible for5 plants • Consolidated 2 manufacturing operations that were added through acquisition in a difficult California business and labor market achieving 5% production increase with a 10% reduction in staff and 25% reduction in equipment on line • Implemented new ERP converting several legacy systems into a single enterprise solution, without impacting customer delivery times • Appointed to the Executive Advisory Council to the Board of Directors for manufacturing and operations strategy development across the entire corporation
-
-
-
-
Co-CEO
-
2002 - 2005
A $10 million manufacturer and importer of athletic apparel and varsity award jackets. Responsible for the full P&L with five direct reports and dual responsibility as head of sales and marketing. HIGHLIGHTED ACHIEVEMENTS: • Grew domestic manufacturing sales by 20% through personal sales efforts in the nostalgia sports market • Increased domestic sales of imports by 15% through expansion of embroidery and silk screen printing services • Negotiated price reductions in excess of 25% by developing direct sourcing relationships with Asian suppliers • Added significant European distribution and sales channels working collaboratively with the US Chamber of Commerce
-
-
-
Monarch Plastics Incorporated
-
United States
-
Accounting
-
1 - 100 Employee
-
President
-
1995 - 2002
A $10 million printer and fabricator of custom premium and promotional products for the pharmaceutical and other industries • Sourced and negotiated the purchase of this distressed plastic printer and converter from asset based lender • Awarded a 10 year contract to produce the “State Quarter” coin holder program by successfully negotiating a product development contract with the US Mint • Improved Quality Assurance and manufacturing processes resulting in recognition twice as “Supplier of the Year” for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals PRIOR EXPERIENCE: : GLOBE TICKET AND LABEL COMPANY: Vice President Sales and Marketing, Vice President M&A, Executive Vice President and General Manager UARCO, INC: Sales Representative, District Sales Manager
-
-
Education
-
New York University - Leonard N. Stern School of Business
MBA -
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
BS, Management Engineering
Community
