Vice President Operations

Vice President of Operations

Taber Extrusions, LLC

About Taber Extrusions:

Since 1973, Taber Extrusions has been a leading manufacturer of aluminum extrusion-based products for OEMs in markets ranging from Military, Department of Defense, Aircraft/Aerospace, Marine/Shipbuilder, Boat Docks, Platforms, Decking, Motor Housing, Electronics, Heat Sinks, Automotive, Rail, and Structural Components. Taber is headquartered in Russellville, Arkansas and operates two manufacturing sites in Russellville and one manufacturing site located in Gulfport, Mississippi. The Company is segmented into five operating units; Extrusion, Cast House, Fabrication, Friction Stir Welding and Micro Extrusion. Taber is committed to growth and recently broke ground in April 2025 to expand their Russellville facility with the addition of a state or the art 10,000 ton, 16” press.

Taber offers a broad set of capabilities including a full range of aluminum alloys (1000, 2000, 5000, 6000 and 7000 series), extrusion sizes from 7” up to 29” in profile width, and value-added services such as high tolerance machining, precision cutting, welding, bending, friction stir welding and customer supply chain solutions. Taber has recently added micro extrusion capabilities to produce precision aluminum components for a broad range of markets.

The company produces its own secondary aluminum billet using a new state of the art cast house located in Gulfport with sizes ranging in diameter from 7”, 9”, 11”, 16”, 20”, and 10x28” slab. The Company also has fabrication and value add operations located in Russellville that are key to providing the unique capabilities demanded in today’s market. Taber has continued to make ongoing investments in their value-added capabilities including a recently added friction stir welder in Russellville. For further information, please see the Company’s website, www.taberextrusions.com.

About National Material L.P.:

Headquartered in Elk Grove Village, IL, National Material L.P. (“NMLP”) and its affiliates have a long history of quality and service dating back to 1964. Since its founding, the company has grown to over twenty business units and is now one of the largest privately held suppliers of metal-related products in North America. NMLP currently consists of the Steel Group, Stainless and Alloys Group, Raw Material Trading Group, Aluminum Group, and Related Metals Operations. For further information, please see the Company’s website, www.nmlp.com.

Position Summary

Reporting to the President, the Vice President, Operations will plan, direct, coordinate, and oversee operations activities for Taber Extrusions, LLC, ensuring development and implementation of efficient operations and cost-effective systems to meet current and future needs of Taber. As a key member of the Taber leadership team, the VP of Operations will work closely with Sales, Finance, Manufacturing, and Human Resources to successfully develop and manage Taber’s quest for industry leadership while exceeding established financial objectives. Key indicators of success will be the effective development of assigned resources and the consistent execution of established objectives. This position is based full-time in Russellville with consistent travel to Gulfport, MS.

The Vice President, Operations will work closely with the President to coordinate all operational activities with sales, supply chain, engineering and product management and will have the Plant Manager – Russellville and Plant Manager - Gulfport directly reporting to them. Overall, the role will be responsible for approximately 185 operations employees between the Russellville (100) and Gulfport (85) locations.

Specific responsibilities include:

- Develop, implement, and communicate the strategic direction for Taber’s manufacturing operations that align directly to the Company’s established objectives.

- Implement operations-related policies, practices, standards, and security measures to ensure effective and consistent support and execution.

- Lead a safety system and culture across all Taber locations that continually reinforces a safety-first mindset.

- Implement LEAN manufacturing methodologies in a consistent manner across the Taber platform.

- Continually improve all operational KPI’s utilizing LEAN methodologies such as Six Sigma, Value Stream Mapping and Kaizen Events.

- Ensure all Company assets are optimized to meet forecasted/targeted sales growth and reduce overall operating costs. Establishes and administers the operations budget for Taber.

- Track and analyze key operational metrics on a daily, weekly, monthly basis; review key metrics with all levels of the Company including the NMLP Executive Team.

- Establish best-in-class manufacturing processes across all functional areas.

- Report on external market factors as they relate to Taber and help develop short and long-term plans as needed.

- Leverage the Company’s ERP and other systems to drive continuous improvements and create efficiencies. Maintain knowledge of emerging technologies and trends in operations management.

- Lead the Operations team in meeting its cost and on time delivery targets. Drive cost savings and efficiencies through continuous improvement projects.

- Enforce all Quality Management Standards (ISO, NADCAP, etc.) processes through routine inspection and audits. Ensure quality management system procedures are implemented and tracked throughout functional groups.

- Accountable for the integration of logistics activities across the Taber platform leading to the increased optimization of freight contracts, cost savings and customer service.

- Leverage total company MRO spend on all materials used in the manufacturing process and in support of plant operations are available and meet the respective quality requirements. Drive cost savings and vendor consolidation where necessary.

- Develop annual capital and maintenance expense budgets for all Taber facilities. Implement a preventative maintenance program across all Taber locations.

- Oversee vendor selection and ensure projects are completed on time and within approved budget.

- Manage the overall talent development for the operations team, acting as a strong coach and mentor to the entire team to enhance career development and retention. Maintain a high-performance culture that rewards accountability and continuous improvement.

- Foster collaboration between Operations, Sales, and Customer Service to meet on-time delivery goals.

- Engage with the Sales and Customer Service teams on a regular basis to ensure consistent and cohesive alignment to meet customer needs.

- Serve as a key member of the President’s leadership team and take an active role in running the business.

Ideal Background

The successful candidate should have a minimum of 15 plus years of progressive operational experience (5+ years in aluminum extrusion) with 10+ years of industrial/operational leadership experience within a multi-plant environment.

- BS or BA degree (Engineering preferred), Master’s degree a plus.

- Experience with aluminum extrusion and value-added capabilities.

- Previous aluminum casting experience a plus.

- Experience implementing LEAN Manufacturing principles.

- Experience implementing quality systems such as ISO and NADCAP

- Six Sigma Certified, Black Belt preferred.

- Strong analytical skills.

In addition, specific skills and experience required are as follows:

- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

- Strong supervisory and leadership skills.

- Thorough application knowledge of lean principles.

- Extensive knowledge of principles, procedures, and best practices in manufacturing.

- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

- Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.

- Strong negotiation skills and executive presence with key accounts and management.

- Strong transformational leadership skills including foresight and urgency with regards to issues negatively impacting the business.

The successful candidate will also possess the following behavioral characteristics:

- An individual of unquestioned integrity, possessing strong interpersonal skills, a sense of urgency and a hands-on approach.

- Strong communications skills and executive presence (Both written and verbal).

- A leadership style characterized by straightforwardness, approachability, team orientation and collaboration.

- A transformative executive who leads by example and motivates individuals, at all levels, to strive for success and excellence and will subjugate his/her ego for the good of the common goal. Willingness to put the time in on the plant floor,

- Confident, open, and willing to confront difficult issues, and challenges others in order to create positive change.

- An individual capable of articulating and selling ideas and concepts in all mediums, with the ability to manage conflicting priorities.

- Strong decision-making and critical thinking skills.

- Metric driven