Dane Watkins

Background

About Dane Watkins

I am an engineering / technical program and project manager with a passion for making new things and solving problems through innovation and collaboration. I have diverse technical experience: value engineering, applied R&D, and product development receiving 4 patents for products that earned of revenue. With strong customer focus and communication skills, I have a knack for building rapport and inspiring others. These technical and interpersonal skills combined with agility and persistence led to expanding roles and responsibilities. Now I lead global cross-functional teams on strategic product/customer initiatives and process improvement. Highlights include growing the Weber QVE group from $1.7 to $10 million in savings and winning a $15 million FedEx contract with Zebra Technologies. My passions are: innovation, collaboration, great design, building rapport, active communication and listening, deep understanding of the customer (internal & external), exceeding expectations, and making things that change the world for the better. My hope is when people get to know me, they see someone with integrity. Some project highlights: • Delivered ahead of schedule strategic Pyrex Year of Color program with sales of $9.4 million/yr. • Co-led Quality Value Engineering (QVE) team from inception, generating $1.7 million in savings in FY22 and growing to $10 million in FY23. • Co-created breakthrough data analysis process called Quantitative Print Analysis (QPA), which delivers unprecedented insight into products. Improved printer performance using QPA, passed a customer’s rigorous specification, and won a $15 million contract. • Created Value Peel (see video below), the first 100% mechanical design to peel labels: no motors or electronics. It is Zebra's best peel design and received a patent. I was nicknamed “Bulldog” by Zebra founder, Gary Cless, for my persistence in finishing this technically challenging design. I wrote a white paper to describe the operation and an interaction found from a design of experiments (DOE). On creative problem solving:(see in Featured section below) As a 5 yr-old, I bet my mom I could hang on a nail in our basement for 30 min.