Chike Nwanze
Cameron Park,NSW
Summary
Results-driven Manufacturing Leader experienced in FMCG, Maintenance and Engineering, Supply Chain, WHS, EMS, and QA. Optimized production processes and enhanced team performance through continuous improvement initiatives. Led projects that increased capacity and efficiency while maintaining safety and quality standards.
Overview
1
1
Certification
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Production Manager
Steggles Food
Beresfield, NSW
10.2023 - Current
- Managed manufacturing operations covering:
- Lead daily production activities to achieve Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery and People objectives.
- Managed production performance against operational targets and KPIs to drive consistency and reliability.
- Supported continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, yield, and minimize waste.
- Partner with maintenance teams to improve equipment reliability and reduce downtime.
- Developed frontline capability through coaching and performance management to strengthen team skills and effectiveness.
- Ensure compliance with food safety, quality and workplace safety requirements.
- Marination and tumbling
- Portioning and mixing
- Forming processes
- Coating operations
- Cooking systems
- Weighing and packaging
- Freezer and dispatch interface
Team Leader / Acting Supervisor
Essence Group
Nowra
06.2023 - 10.2023
- Key Responsibilities
- Supported manufacturing operations through frontline leadership.
- Coordinated production activities to achieve daily output requirements.
- Assisted with workforce allocation and operational improvements to enhance production efficiency.
- Coordinated shift schedules to optimize workforce efficiency.
- Facilitated team meetings to strengthen collaboration and improve communication among team members.
- Acted as a link between operators and management.
- Resolved production issues by analyzing processes and implementing effective solutions to minimize disruptions.
- Enforced operational discipline to ensure adherence to company policies and procedures.
Engineering & Manufacturing Experience
Nestlé
01.2009 - 06.2023
- Industrial Maintenance Engineering Background
- Worked across manufacturing operations supporting engineering improvement, equipment reliability and major capital projects.
- Maggi Culinary Production Line Expansion Project
- Approximately $80 million
- Objective
- Increase production capacity by approximately 22% within the CWAR region.
- Contribution
- Developed and optimized machine layout for enhanced production efficiency.
- Coordinated equipment installation and commissioning activities to meet project timelines.
- Supported integration of manufacturing equipment into production operations.
- Collaborated with engineering, production, and technical teams to achieve project objectives.
- Ensured alignment with food manufacturing standards and compliance requirements.
- Standards Exposure
- Experience working within environments aligned with:
- ISO 22000 Food Safety Management
- HACCP
- ISO 45001 Occupational Health & Safety
- ISO 14001 Environmental Management
- ISO 27001 Information Security
Education
Excel Skills For Business - Excel Skills
Macquarie University
Coursera01-2022
Skills
- Food safety compliance
- Quality assurance
- Adaptability
- Quality management systems
- Lean manufacturing
- Lean manufacturing expertise
- Continuous improvement
- Process optimization
- Process optimization
- Production planning
- Production scheduling
- Manufacturing operations
- Operations management
- Performance metrics
- Operational efficiency
- Value stream mapping
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Data analysis
- Inventory control strategies
- Demand forecasting
- Material requirement planning
- Equipment maintenance
- Reliability
- Workflow standardization
- Safety procedures
- Coaching and mentoring
- Training development
- Team leadership
- Task prioritization
- Team management
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Effective communication
- Interpersonal communication
- Conflict resolution
- Adaptability
- Change management
- Decision-making capacity
- Strategic planning
- Task prioritization
- Resource allocation
- Problem solving
- Metrics analysis
- Conflict resolution
- Interpersonal skills
- Cost reduction
- Demand forecasting
- ISO standards compliance
3. Achievement Bank
- Achievement 1: Waste Reduction & Cost Improvement
- Business Challenge
- Manufacturing operations experienced losses through material waste, process variation and production inefficiencies.
- Approach
- Applied structured problem-solving methodologies:
- DMAIC
- Ishikawa Root Cause Analysis
- Value Stream Mapping
- Standard Work Review
- Process Observation
- Actions
- Analysed process losses across production stages.
- Engaged operators and technical teams to identify improvement opportunities.
- Investigated causes of yield loss, downtime and process variation.
- Supported implementation of corrective actions.
- Business Impact
- Improved understanding and control of operational losses while supporting productivity improvement and cost reduction initiatives.
- Achievement 2: Continuous Improvement Leadership
- Improvement Methods Used
- DMAIC Green Belt methodology
- TPM principles
- SMED improvement concepts
- Root Cause Analysis
- Kaizen activities
- Leadership Approach
- Engage frontline employees.
- Use data before making decisions.
- Focus on sustainable solutions.
- Build ownership within teams.
- Achievement 3: Production Performance Improvement
- Focus Areas
- Production output
- Labour utilisation
- Equipment availability
- Waste reduction
- Quality compliance
- Safety performance
- Review daily performance indicators.
- Identify constraints and bottlenecks.
- Work with cross-functional teams.
- Drive corrective actions.
4. Manufacturing Systems Knowledge
- Production Processes
- Experience across:
- Raw material receiving
- Processing
- Mixing
- Forming
- Coating
- Cooking
- Packaging
- Freezing
- Dispatch operations
- Equipment Exposure
- Industrial processing equipment
- Mixers
- Formers
- Coating systems
- Fryers
- Ovens
- Spiral systems
- Packaging equipment
- Conveyors
- Automated handling systems
5. Leadership Capability
- People Leadership
- Experienced in:
- Leading frontline manufacturing teams
- Coaching operators
- Building accountability
- Improving communication
- Supporting team development
- Managing operational challenges
- Leadership Philosophy
- “I believe sustainable operational improvement comes from combining strong systems, capable people and a culture where employees are empowered to solve problems.”
6. Professional Strengths
- Manufacturing Excellence
- Production management
- FMCG operations
- Lean manufacturing
- Continuous improvement
- Waste elimination
- KPI management
- Process optimisation
- Technical Capability
- Engineering foundation
- Equipment reliability
- Project implementation
- Maintenance improvements
- Manufacturing systems
- Leadership
- Team development
- Problem solving
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Change management
- Safety leadership
7. Interview Achievement Stories (STAR Framework)
- Story 1 – Improving Efficiency
- Situation: Production performance was affected by inefficiencies.
- Task: Identify improvement opportunities and increase operational effectiveness.
- Action: Used Lean tools and team involvement to identify root causes and implement improvements.
- Result: Improved process understanding, reduced losses and supported stronger production performance.
- Story 2 – Leading Under Pressure
- Situation: Production environments required fast decisions while maintaining safety and quality.
- Task: Maintain output while managing operational challenges.
- Action: Prioritised safety, communicated clearly with teams and coordinated resources.
- Result: Maintained operational continuity while supporting team confidence and performance.
8. Career Value Proposition
- I bring a unique combination of:
- Engineering foundation
- FMCG manufacturing experience
- Production leadership capability
- Lean improvement knowledge
- Strong safety and quality focus
- Practical frontline leadership experience
- My goal is to help organisations achieve sustainable improvements in safety, productivity, cost and people capability.
Certification
- BSI certified HACCP Requirements including HACCP Principles
- HLTAID009 Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- BSBWHS411 - Implement and Monitor WHS policies, procedures and programs
- Ammonia Safety Management Training
- First Attack Fire Fighting and Procedures
- Emergency Warden and Evacuation Procedures
- HLTAID009 Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation
HLTAID010 Provide basic emergency life support
HLTAID011 Provide First Aid - DMAIC - Green Belt
- DMAIC - White and Yellow Belt
- Excel Skills for Business - University of Macquarie, Sydney ( Coursera )
- IVVQ Electrical and Electronic Engineering - City and Guilds of London
Timeline
Production Manager
Steggles Food
10.2023 - Current
Team Leader / Acting Supervisor
Essence Group
06.2023 - 10.2023
Engineering & Manufacturing Experience
Nestlé
01.2009 - 06.2023
Excel Skills For Business - Excel Skills
Macquarie University