1. DANIEL W. CHIPS
dwchips@yahoo.com
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/daniel-chips/17/5b0/485
MANAGEMENT PROFILE
Process oriented Director of Engineering / Facility General Manager with a 20 year proven
record of achievements, and experience in engineering, facility and manufacturing management
in an ISO certified environment. Data driven, analytical problem solver, with success in
managing numerous manufacturing turn-arounds and lean implementations, and success in
managing major capital projects, including facility start ups and expansions, machine
integrations and environmental compliance projects.
Core Competencies include:
• Lean Integrations • Strategic Planning • Manufacturing Turn-arounds
• People Development • Project Management • Leadership
• Technology Integrations • Environmental Compliance • Problem Solving
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
SEA RAY BOATS 1997-2010
Director of Engineering, Eight (8) Facilities in Three (3) States, Knoxville Based (2005-2010)
Responsible for providing management, technical leadership, definition, and direction in six (6)
critical areas for eight (8) Sea Ray facilities and other Brunswick facilities: Capital and Asset
Management, Facility Engineering, Machine & Technology Design & Integrations, Process
Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Green Initiatives. Managed a Manufacturing
Technology Center including a 15 member engineering staff, a metal fabrication shop, and a
fiberglass tool building operation.
Key Responsibilities:
• Alignment of business strategy with capital project planning for all facilities. Including the
creation, budgeting and maintenance of a five-year capital plan for facility expansion, facility
and process improvements, and machine integrations. Made recommendations to the CEO
and executive staff.
• Lead manager for all litigation involving contract disputes, environmental regulatory
agencies, and neighboring developers.
• Created and maintained the Technology Center operations budget of $1.3M, and the capital
budget of $8-16M.
• Monitored all projects from conception to fruition and ensured project success, including
project reviews and tracking of spending against project budgets.
• Proposal evaluation, contract negotiations and preparation of appropriation requests.
• Ensured safety and environmental compliance performing project reviews with the Director
of EH&S, and environmental consultants.
• Ensured proper teamwork and interaction with customers, and that customer expectations
were met or exceeded.
Key Accomplishments:
• Championed the development, installation and integration of a $5.2M wood finishing
operation “Project Cypress”; the conversion from laminated cabin interiors to real hardwood
veneers for cruisers above 32’. This included the implementation of a wood processing and
finishing facility from concept to full production. Project had an internal rate of return (IRR)
of 20.3% and a payback period of 6.6 years based on material savings alone. Wood

2. finishes from the operation had surface profile readings of three (3) to ten (10) times better
than the competition’s (depending on the competitor).
DANIEL W. CHIPS PAGE 2
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE (CONT’D)
SEA RAY BOATS (CONT’D)
Director of Engineering, Eight (8) Facilities in Three (3) States, Knoxville Based (2005-2010)
Key Accomplishments:
• Negotiated $4.5M in contributions from the state, county, and neighboring residential
developers and developed an $8M solution for a styrene mitigation and Lamination
reorganization project at a Florida Facility. Project included the development of the
complete solution, and preparing a draft settlement agreement between Sea Ray and
encroaching residential developers. The solution allowed local residents to coexist in
harmony with the manufacturing facility.
• Significantly improved product quality, and removed people from an unhealthy work
environment by developing and integrating robotic fiberglass cut and trim solutions for three
(3) facilities in Tennessee.
• Reduced styrene emissions from a gel coat operation by 85% by leading the purchase,
installation, and integration of the world’s first and only carbon-bio filter used for styrene
mitigation at a boat manufacturing facility.
• Reduced employee exposure to styrene to levels well below state and federal guidelines, a
reduction of up to 82%, and reduced turnover by implementing $3.3M in Air Quality
initiatives at three (3) Tennessee facilities.
o These solutions were developed using computerized fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling.
o All solutions included multi-sensor, PLC controlled heating and cooling.
• Developed solutions for Air Quality issues for three (3) Florida facilities including:
o Eliminated fence line nuisance odors.
o Reduced employee styrene exposure levels by up to 75%.
o Improved styrene capture efficiency and control.
o Reduced emission concentrations by over 70%.
o Sight and sound obstruction and emission dispersion barriers.
• Managed the disposition, distribution, and redeployment of all assets and non-asset
equipment displaced by the closing of two (2) Sea Ray operated facilities, and five (5) US
Marine facilities in seven (7) states reducing capital costs for the remaining production
facilities in the Brunswick Boat Group.
• Eliminated equipment crashes due to human interface errors, and eliminated accidents due
to untrained equipment operators by implementing solutions for Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) program error proofing for all robotic gel coat operations and RFID for
operators of dangerous equipment.
• Improved product quality, and removed people from an unhealthy work environment by
developing robotic gel coat application solutions for two (2) facilities in Tennessee.
• Obtained a $1M Knox County grant to fund VOC bio filtration solutions at facilities in Knox
County.
General Manager, 600 employees (2004-2005)
Responsibilities included managing the facility to achieve organizational and facility goals for
sales projections, gross margin, labor variances, material variances, quality & first time
throughput, warranty as a percent of sales, turnover, safety and environmental compliance.
Lead the expansion and conversion of a facility to a larger and more profitable model mix.
• Executed conversion with a focus on point-of-use material management and manufacturing,
Just In Time (JIT) material handling, single piece flow, and line balancing.

3. • The facility conversion netted a 11 point efficiency gain, and seven point gain in GP
($11.34M) and included:

4. DANIEL W. CHIPS PAGE 3
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE (CONT’D)
SEA RAY BOATS (CONT’D)
General Manager, 600 employees (2004-2005)
o A first for any Sea Ray facility; the integration of five (5) new incremental models in a
nine (9) month period, converting the facility from small runabouts to more profitable
large runabouts and small cruisers.
o The reorganization of lamination for single piece flow.
o A $1.2M building expansion to complete the single piece flow process from
Lamination to Assembly.
o The reorganization of the Fabrication area to better serve Assembly through point-of-
use material handling and fabrication. Fabrication was also converted from batch
building, to single piece flow cells.
o The integration of JIT material deliveries to all manufacturing areas
• Rectified the facility’s long standing 6.7% material variance.
o Implemented stringent material handling processes; conducted material studies for
all product models.
o Optimized the processing and accounting of raw materials including wood,
fiberglass, and resin.
Production Manager (Assistant to the Plant Manager Role), 500 employees (2002-2004)
Responsibilities included managing manufacturing to achieve organizational and facility goals
for sales projections, gross margin, labor variances, material variances, quality & first time
throughput, warranty as a percent of sales, turnover, safety and environmental compliance.
• Increased overall facility efficiencies from 84% to 98% through lean implementations,
enhanced interdepartmental communication, issue resolution, and material handling and
control initiatives.
• Drove material savings of over $340K in the first year, and over $700K in the second year
by integrating a point-of-use resin and fiberglass monitoring and tracking system in
Lamination.
• Increased efficiencies by 20 points in Fabrication by integrating single piece flow
manufacturing cells.
• Selected as special guest key note speaker for the International Robotics Convention in
Orlando. Presented the industry’s first hull and deck robotic fiberglass trim and cut cell
including its development, installation and integration. Developed and managed this project
from concept to full integration during facility senior staff rotations, including several industry
firsts in the world of robotics.
• Featured guest in the TV show Ship Shape TV. Showcased many parts of the
manufacturing process that make Sea Ray a world-class boat manufacturer.
• Facilitated a dealer sales seminar for the sales staff of all Sea Ray dealers.
Rotation of facility senior staff level positions required for advancement to Production
Manager and General Manager (1997-2002)
Production and Product Engineering, Quality Control, Customer Service, ISO, and Information
Systems Manager, Operations Manager, Assembly Manager, Lamination Manager, and
Fabrication Manager. Set performance records in all areas.
Previous experience as Vice President of Manufacturing at Mako Marine International and
Production Manager at Wellcraft Marine.
EDUCATION

5. Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management, Tusculum College, Greeneville, TN
Electrical & Mechanical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV