HARMEET S.

SANDHU

Kennett Square, PA 19348

(508) 667-3260 hsandhusr@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/hsandhusr

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Results-Oriented Executive with proven experience and an extensive knowledgebase in Food Manufacturing best-practices.
Production Planning
Materials Management
Resource Allocation
Logistics
Financial Management
Quality Control
Customer Relations
Lean Six Sigma Green
Belt

Analyzes critical business requirements, identifies potential opportunities, develops innovative and cost-effective
solutions to enhance competitiveness and operational efficiencies, increase revenues and improve customer service.
Multi-disciplinary knowledge across business departments with experience in plant design, manufacturing, financials,
supply chain and operations and customer relations.
Senior leadership experience in startups and Fortune 500 companies focused on building coalitions to achieve goals.
Proficient in application of lean principles, quality assurance and safety.
Knowledgeable in line layouts, process flow and unique requirements of manufacturing units.
Engineering knowledge and business skill in conceptualizing, sourcing, negotiating and implementing plant capital
acquisitions and infrastructure. Implemented numerous capital expenditure projects with high return on investment.
Cost conscious leader and change agent with proficiency in streamlining operations and strengthening competitive
advantage across multiple plants.
Expert in sourcing ingredients and packaging and negotiations with vendors and partners.
In-depth knowledge of USDA, FDA, GFCO, Organic, OSHA regulations, HACCP principles, GMPs and SSOPs.
Exhibited success in setting goals and mentoring associates to accomplish plant KPIs.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
RAJBHOG FOODS (PA), INC. VICE PRESIDENT (OPERATIONS), RAJBHOG FOODS (PA), INC.

2015

Natural Ethnic Foods Company

Successfully transitioned production of frozen and shelf stable jar products to new management.
Trained new employees on all processes along with associated GMPs, HACCP, Safety, SSOPs and QA.
Monitored day-to-day operations and coordinated all inter department activities within the company. This included
production planning and execution to ensure timely order fulfillment.

AUGUST FOODS, INC. FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT

2006 2015

Contract manufacturer of all natural, organic and gluten free food products.

Designed, engineered and built a 30,000 sq. ft. frozen food USDA facility including a hot fill jar line in a timely and cost
effective manner.
Services offered included, product development, ingredient sourcing, nutritional analyses, label approvals pilot runs
and commercial launch.
Launched a number of brands (approximately 40 SKUs) as a co-manufacturer of 12 startups.
Achieved sales totaling $15 million thru FY2015.
Led a team of 65 employees across Operations, Research & Development, Manufacturing and Quality Assurance.
Developed systems, processes and policies for procurement, finance, quality assurance, regulatory affairs, research and
development, warehousing, logistics & human resources.
Developed and maintained department budgets. Tracked performance vs. plan using Key Performance Indicator Metrics.
Implemented Lean Manufacturing practices resulting in increased throughput and shorter cycle time.
Established daily, weekly or monthly work assignment schedules, deadlines, priorities, methods and policies.
Zero OSHA recordable instances over 10 years by maintaining a strong safety culture and training.

THE HAIN CELESTIAL GROUP DIRECTOR MANUFACTURING & OPERATIONS

2004 2007

Leading Natural and Organic Food and Personal Care Products Company

Change agent for transitioning from Ethnic Gourmet Foods, an HJ Heinz company, to Hain Celestial.
Oversaw all aspects of production, order fulfillment and logistics related to manufacturing activities with a business
unit sales volume of 60 million dollars and 300 employees.
Contracted co-packers and managed inventories in multiple distribution centers across the US.
Sourced, negotiated and installed $6 million fully automated entre line rated for production speeds of 110 trays /minute.
Transitioned manufacture of multiple SKU product lines from Framingham MA plant to West Chester PA within budget
and in a timely manner.

Kennett Square, PA 19348

(508) 667-3260 hsandhusr@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/hsandhusr

HARMEET S. SANDHU

Greatly improved safety awareness and drove safety as a value that decreased recordable and lost time incidents from
5 and 2 respectively to zero.

HJ HEINZ COMPANY GENERAL MANAGER (MANUFACTURING & OPERATIONS)

2001 2004

Global U.S.-based food companies providing nutritious and convenient foods for families in 200 countries.

Managed a plant with over 100 employees across numerous departments.

Transitioned and integrated all systems from a small privately held company to a multi-national corporation.
Developed standard costing and managed plant budgets. Tracked variances and implemented corrective measures to
ensure annual objectives are met.
Liaised closely with the corporate office on all operational matters including monthly financial reporting.
Coordinated and optimized production of SKUs on high speed lines between multiple Heinz plants.
Set goals, established KPIs and achieved manufacturing benchmarks in cost efficiencies, fulfillment and timely
deliveries.
Sourced, negotiated and managed multiple co-manufacturers.
Responsible for the daily management of the operation, as well as for strategic planning, budgeting and identifying and
executing capital projects.
Reduced finished goods inventory from 8 weeks on hand to 5 weeks on hand thus improving cash flow.

ETHNIC GOURMET FOODS, INC. VICE PRESIDENT (OPERATIONS)

1995 2001

Natural and organic ethnic foods company.

Planned, developed and successfully oversaw the construction of a USDA plant for a new ethnic foods company.
Participated in the growth of the company highlighted by sales growth from $2 to $23 million in six years.
Implemented numerous capital projects in keeping with the growth of the company.
Initiated, developed and set up the operational structure of the company including, Manufacturing, Maintenance, Food
Safety, Logistics and HR.
Spearheaded the successful sale of the company to HJ Heinz. Involved in all facets of due diligence, valuation, contract
negotiation, and business integration with HJ Heinz.
Monitored day-to-day operations and coordinated all inter department activities within the company.
Transformed quality & food safety by drastically changing daily expectations with implementing non-conformance
reporting, leadership reviews, sanitation program, visual metrics, HACCP, and revamping quality panel. This resulted in
a 75% reduction in USDA issued non-compliance reports in one year.
Streamlined operations to optimize utilization of manpower and materials. Increased production efficiency by over 23%
resulting in a saving of 33% in the cost of production.

EDUCATION
Delhi University, India
Master of Science in Physics
Bachelor of Science Physics, Chemistry, and
Mathematics

Computer Skills:
Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook
QuickBooks
Genesis

Rutgers University, NJ
Lean and Six Sigma Green Belt training in partnership with Lockheed Martin