Plastic Foam Extrusion Specialist
Christopher Domanski
Christopher Domanski
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
• Quality Assurance
• Team Building
• Coaching
• Training
• Management
• Data Analysis
• Cross-Functional Alignment
• New Product Development
• Raw Material Evaluation
• Product Environmental Compliance
• Plastics Manufacturing Processes
• Extrusion of Foam Plastics
• Product Development and Implementation
• Lean Manufacturing and Process Control
• Sustainability
• Testing
• ISO standards
• Compliance
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
3A Composites - Statesville, North Carolina
Oversaw product development, raw material qualification, quality and process specifications, product compliance, and continuous improvement; worked with suppliers and production personnel to improve performance and identify alternatives to chemicals and polymers. Select accomplishments:
Technical Manager
Elmer’s Products - Statesville, North Carolina
Managed the Quality Assurance and Engineering Departments and expanded role with Polystyrene Foamboard Department to include more product development and customer interaction. Select accomplishments:
Senior Process Engineer
Hunt Manufacturing - Statesville, North Carolina
Worked with Purchasing, Maintenance, Extrusion, and Lamination Departments to reduce PS foamboard scrap significantly. Select accomplishments:
Plastics Operations Manager
Rubatex Corp. - Conover, North Carolina
Consolidated and managed plastics foam (polyethylene) operation in North Carolina from closed California plant. Select accomplishments:
AFFILIATIONS
International Association of Plastic Distributors (IAPD) Environmental Committee Member
Knights of Columbus Member, fund-raising lead
Garden Valley Civic Association HOA President
St. Francis of Assisi Church Parish Council and Children’s Teacher
Youth/Adult Coach for Town of Mocksville Recreation Department, YMCA, and Davie Little League
Tanglewood Golf Association member and officer
Town of Mocksville ABC Board Member and Planning Board Member
Crosby School of Quality Management
Samaritan’s Purse Hurricane Relief Volunteer
EDUCATION
Clarkson University
Potsdam, NY
• Quality Assurance
• Team Building
• Coaching
• Training
• Management
• Data Analysis
• Cross-Functional Alignment
• New Product Development
• Raw Material Evaluation
• Product Environmental Compliance
• Plastics Manufacturing Processes
• Extrusion of Foam Plastics
• Product Development and Implementation
• Lean Manufacturing and Process Control
• Sustainability
• Testing
• ISO standards
• Compliance
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
3A Composites - Statesville, North Carolina
Oversaw product development, raw material qualification, quality and process specifications, product compliance, and continuous improvement; worked with suppliers and production personnel to improve performance and identify alternatives to chemicals and polymers. Select accomplishments:
- Re-engineered APEX product and line to meet sales/customer requirements
- Decreased APEX product cost by working with R&D and production teams to identify and test an adhesive and process that achieved the goals without adding significant cost to the line or cost structure and earning strong customer demand since October 2024 launch
- Identified new high tack adhesive and release liner to improve FomeCore SA performance in the field, resulting in a decrease of customer returns from 7% to 2%
- Worked with Kotka, Ahlstrom, and Green Bay Packaging to develop an acceptable product to replace Saturated Kraft Paper when WestRock, their main supplier, closed its mill, avoiding loss of any customer orders
- Qualified lower-cost alternate sources for PVA and SBr polymers
- Provided various documentation to customers, verifying compliance with such regulations as Reach, ROHs, TSCA, and PFAs
- Maintained quality claim percentage at less than 1% for three departments
Technical Manager
Elmer’s Products - Statesville, North Carolina
Managed the Quality Assurance and Engineering Departments and expanded role with Polystyrene Foamboard Department to include more product development and customer interaction. Select accomplishments:
- Initiated multiple programs to automate processes, including:
- Working with a fabricator to build a custom retail line auto cartoner that erected the carton, placed foamboards in the carton, and glued the carton closed, thus reducing two associates per shift
- Implementing robotic palletizer to place various-sized cartons on standardized pallets, reducing two associates per shift and allowing Elmer’s to maintain its 85% share of the retail Foamboard market spare rolls in inventory
- Led the move of the Painters Department from Hunt plant to Elmer’s plant
- Served as sustainability chairman for 13 years, focusing on recycling, achieving 5% annual reduction of process resources (water, gas, and power) and reduction of solid waste for $100K annual savings in landfill costs; and worked with vendors to form more ecologically friendly processes
- Operated Encore booth as part of sales team at trade shows to interact with customers and vendors
Senior Process Engineer
Hunt Manufacturing - Statesville, North Carolina
Worked with Purchasing, Maintenance, Extrusion, and Lamination Departments to reduce PS foamboard scrap significantly. Select accomplishments:
- Set up various SOPs in Extrusion and Lamination Departments, with documents stored in binders to provide easy access for each operator
- Developed paper grade with Westvaco technical team for foamboard, adhering this paper to our extruded foam thermally, allowing us to maintain our market share due to lower cost, process ease, and elimination of the need for glues
Plastics Operations Manager
Rubatex Corp. - Conover, North Carolina
Consolidated and managed plastics foam (polyethylene) operation in North Carolina from closed California plant. Select accomplishments:
- Set up second and third shift operations by hiring supervisors for each shift, each of whom continued to thrive in business whether involved with foam or finance
- Led a department that was used as a prototype for ISO9000 training
- Managed product development, including a synthetic wine cork (Neocork) in collaboration with a team from the California wine industry
- Combined innovative work in developing a military ammunition packaging material with previous innovations involving inert foaming agents for PE foam, achieving annual production of one million corks in two years
AFFILIATIONS
International Association of Plastic Distributors (IAPD) Environmental Committee Member
Knights of Columbus Member, fund-raising lead
Garden Valley Civic Association HOA President
St. Francis of Assisi Church Parish Council and Children’s Teacher
Youth/Adult Coach for Town of Mocksville Recreation Department, YMCA, and Davie Little League
Tanglewood Golf Association member and officer
Town of Mocksville ABC Board Member and Planning Board Member
Crosby School of Quality Management
Samaritan’s Purse Hurricane Relief Volunteer
EDUCATION
Clarkson University
Potsdam, NY