Problem Solver
Kenneth Savin
My name is Kenneth Savin and I received my Ph.D. training at the University of Utah in 1996 and after a postdoctoral fellowship at Sloan Kettering Cancer Research Center as an Organic Chemist I moved on into industry. I have worked on a variety of projects solving complex issues related to chemistry and the biological effects of compounds. I was trained as part of a Lean Six Sigma program to be a Six Sigma Black Belt and have gone on to run more than 10 projects on various types of problems in industry and for non-profit organizations. I moved into Operations and ran internal and external operations for my division and then moved to run groups of biologists and chemists in various screening and discovery efforts. I am an adjunct professor at a local University where I have taught a course on advanced Synthetic Organic Chemistry for the last 9 years and continue to develop and deliver courses on various topics to individuals in industrial settings. I am active in sustainability efforts in my community and teach people how to decrease their impact on the environment at work and at home.
I have proven track record of innovative and significant scientific contributions of the highest order and well established scientific leadership experience at the individual, team and organization levels. I have directed teams to successful/logical conclusions and have a skill for contributing to and leading innovation efforts.
I have proven track record of innovative and significant scientific contributions of the highest order and well established scientific leadership experience at the individual, team and organization levels. I have directed teams to successful/logical conclusions and have a skill for contributing to and leading innovation efforts.
Areas Kenneth Savin is Knowledgeable in:
Lean management techniques
Outsourcing, multi-sourcing, in-sourcing
Flow and the application to portfolio (of products or work) problems
Systems Thinking and Group interactions
Innovative Solution Identification and Application
Chemistry
I cannot work on problems related to healthcare, medicinal chemistry or the pharmaceutical industry.
Outsourcing, multi-sourcing, in-sourcing
Flow and the application to portfolio (of products or work) problems
Systems Thinking and Group interactions
Innovative Solution Identification and Application
Chemistry
I cannot work on problems related to healthcare, medicinal chemistry or the pharmaceutical industry.
Techniques Kenneth Savin Uses:
TRIZ, The application of biology systems as alternative solutions, borrowing from other solved problems/Re-use techniques, Brainstorming, analytical decision making, design of experiments (conjoint analysis), problem definition techniques, SPC analysis (Control Charts), FMEA, TOC and work control systems, Basic Queuing Theory, Process balancing, 5-S techniques, Mistake Proofing, QFD (House of Quality and Design techniques), control and reaction planning, solution piloting and implementation, work breakdown techniques, process mapping, Pareto analysis, Value add analysis, Functional/scenario analysis and common sense.
Kenneth Savin's Problem Solving Skills:
- Have worked as a Chemist in an industrial setting
- PhD Synthetic Organic Chemist with postdoctoral experience
- I have experience leading groups, research teams
- I have been head of operations for a division in a large corporation
- Trained as a Lean-Six Sigma Black Belt
- Trained in Systems Thinking
- Have been trained in the application of TRIZ methodologies and other innovation techniques
- I am a certified Green Professional (NAHB)
- I have studied and teach concepts in process flow
- I have experience running an innovation working group for a major corporation
- I am asked to solve complex problems in and outside of my field on various topics and have good success.
Kenneth Savin's Problem Solving Experience:
- I was asked to help a local museum with a problem they were having around planning for events. There were cultural issues associated with the way they ran meetings and the way their organization learns from experience.
Together we changed the format of their meetings and build in a program of after action reviews. This has led to a program of the recording and application of learning from event to event and from group to group within the organization. - I led a team of industrial engineers to solve a problem with the way designs are verified and translated into a scaleable product. The issues boiled down to two main problems. The first was around the identification and understanding of quantitative parameters (is it 5 or six microns across) and qualitative (is it the right shade of blue? We broke out the different types of metrics and came up with consistent methods of measure for both quantitative and qualitative measures. The second issue was related to how teams of individuals work together to check the parameters in question or how different teams work together to resolve issues. This “systems” effort led us to a new type of visual check sheet that allowed the teams to track changes and stay aligned on the goals for each critical parameter for the product.
- I was asked to lead a team to solve an issue with a robotic bottle sorter. After full analysis of the situation, the real problem was identified as an issue with how the operators and customers used the system and not a failure of the robot or the people who ran it. The solution led to improvements in throughput and cycle time and a change in the way projects are run leading to an overall improvement in the overarching process that uses the robot. The manager of the process said that we did more in the 5-day project than he had been able to do in the previous five months.
- The method used for initiating new projects aimed at developing new products from my company was inconsistent and costly. I led a team of individuals to work through the process and understand the reasons for failure in the Discovery program. We developed a new streamlined method that kept innovation in the process but facilitated it by separating out and improving the procedure for the more routine aspects of the effort. I was asked to lead and implement the new process and ultimately this new system was adopted by the company and more than 85% of all internal programs are initiated by the small streamlined team and the process we designed.
- The way large pharmaceutical companies track and notify physicians of adverse events in clinical trials has for the most part been by notifications through the US postal system. This process is expensive and prone to failure. I led a team that came up with a solution based upon “Junk e-mail”. Although the notifications could not be sent by e-mail for patient confidentiality and security reasons, we were able to set up a system where an alert was sent via e-mail and the recipient would then have to log into a web site to access the information. This not only allowed us to track the process and make sure physicians were getting the message, it cut out a lot of paper, postage and people time saving the company in excess of $1 mil a year. The FDA has recently proposed that this new paradigm be implemented industry wide over the next couple of years.