Résumé
University of Michigan OM
Professor R. Eugene Goodson

HISTORY OF EXPERIENCE

1998-
American Industrial Partners New York, NY
Executive Officer Association Board Member

American Industrial Partners is an equity capital firm investing in manufacturing companies. Its goals are to increase shareholder returns through improved operations and investments in product development and marketing. The Executive Officer Association Board members advise the firm partners and provide expertise as board members or consultants to enhance the portfolio and prospects.

1998-
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI
School of Business Administration
Adjunct Professor in Operations Management

The focus is manufacturing and operations teaching and research. Taught the Tauber Manufacturing Institute Seminar in the fall of 1998. Will teach it again in the fall of 1999. This course introduces MBA candidates with an engineering background and honors engineering students to manufacturing disciplines from both the management and technology perspectives. In the winter & spring terms of 1999, taught an elective course on rapid plant assessment to estimate improvement potential and enterprise value. Research agenda will concentrate on product development and plant operations.

1990-1997
Oshkosh Truck Corporation Oshkosh, WI
Chairman & CEO

Heavy-duty on and off road truck developer and producer with 1997 sales of $700 million in defense, fire, and commercial markets–NASDAQ listed as OTRKB

Primary Achievements

• Diversified the company from a defense contractor to one with two strong and growing commercial businesses along with the original defense business
• Developed a growing and stable defense funding base for the company despite low defense department acquisition priorities for the company’s products
• Developed and implemented major productivity and quality improvements based on teamwork in a UAW work environment with an adversarial history
• Led the company to ISO 9001 certification
• Targeted the premier U.S. fire apparatus manufacturer (Pierce) for purchase and acquired the company in 1996
• Negotiated the primary agreement and purchase terms for the acquisition of McNeilus Manufacturing Corporation, the premier North American firm in ready-mix and refuse equipment
• Delivered 13% average yearly growth in shareholder return in spite of a 50% reduction in the early 90s defense funding. The company stock price over the 15 months since my retirement has jumped an additional 225%.

1993-present Donnelly Corporation Holland, MI
Member of the Board of Directors

Committee Membership–Strategy, Technology, Audit (Chairman)

Donnelly is a leading tier one manufacturer of mirrors and optical products for the automotive and electronics industries and operations in the U.S., Brazil, China, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the U.K. Donnelly is a QS 9001 Certified supplier to the Automotive Industry. It acquired the leading German automotive mirror company in 1995 (Hohe) and had 1997 sales of $700 million. The company is listed on NYSE as DON.

1989-present Knowles Electronics, Inc. Itasca, IL
Member of the Board of Directors
Committee Membership–Compensation, Audit, and
Management Development (Chairman)

Knowles is a leader in hearing aid components, diesel engine controls, and electronic transducers for the electronics and automotive industries with operations in the U.S., Austria, China, Germany, Hungary, Malaysia, Taiwan, and the U.K. It is an ISO 9001 Certified company. Knowles is privately held.

1985-1990 Johnson Controls, Inc. Ann Arbor, MI
Automotive Systems Group Vice President

The Automotive Systems Group supplied seating, interior trim and door systems to the automotive industry worldwide

Primary Achievements

• Led JCI automotive group after it was acquired from Hoover Universal in 1985
• Expanded yearly sales and corresponding profits from $385 million to $1.3 billion
• Won the Saturn seating business in face of fierce Japanese and U.S. competition
• Built over 30 lean plants delivering seats to OEM plants JIT
• Implemented lean manufacturing technology in all operations worldwide
• Developed the leading European seating business for JCI acquiring a major German seating component supplier, forming JVs with a leading French seating component supplier, a Belgium seating company, and a Spanish seating supplier
• Won European seating contracts from Opel, Ford, Renault, VW, Nissan, Toyota, and Mercedes Benz

1981-1985 Hoover Universal Corp Ann Arbor, MI
Vice President and General Manager
Automotive Systems Group encompassed ball bearing and seating divisions

Primary Achievements

• Increased sales and corresponding profits from $150 million in 1981 to $385 million in 1985 by structurally changing the automotive seating supply business to a tier one supplier category
• Won the Nissan and Toyota transplants seating businesses throughout North America including the NUMMI GM/Toyota JV and gained a substantial portion of Honda’s seating business through competitive bidding and JVs with Japanese suppliers
• Successfully integrated Japanese lean manufacturing and JIT technologies into a traditional U.S. automotive manufacturing
• Acquired and integrated a $110 million U.S. hardware supplier in 1985

1980-1989 Member of Policy Board
US–Japan Study on the Future of the Automobile
Led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan

1975-1981 Purdue University West Lafayette, IN
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Director of Interdisciplinary Institute
Associate Dean for Research in Engineering 1979-

1973-1975 U.S. Department of Transportation Washington, DC
Chief Scientist

1963-1973 Purdue University West Lafayette, IN
Professor of Mechanical Engineering (Full professorship from 1970)

Education

1961-1963 Purdue University West Lafayette, IN

• Ph.D. in 1963 thesis on distributed systems
• MSME 1961 majoring in automatic controls

• BSME 1959
• AB in Economics 1957

Honors

• Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Purdue University 1991
• Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Duke University 1984