Shawn Korns

Background

About Shawn Korns

As a kid, I always loved GM cars and I dreamed of working for the company. My uncle was a mechanic at a Chevrolet dealership, and at the time, I thought he had a great job. Finally, while I was in college studying industrial technology, I actually got to work for GM, and several years later, I moved into a full-time position as a project engineer in their Conveyor Controls, Robotics, and Welding Group. I have held 4 positions with GM, retained through the 2009 upheaval of layoffs and bankruptcy, and moving up to a senior systems and controls engineer role. Since then, I moved to Fiat Chrysler Automative (FCA USA LLC), where I was originally hired as a network specialist, and was promoted to my current position as the supervisor of network specialists. Throughout my career, my main focus has been to align our network capabilities with the automation and equipment on the plant floor to optimize processes, reduce errors, and increase efficiency. I’ve managed this across 12 FCA plants repeatedly. When new product lines are developed, plants are retrofitted to accommodate the different production needs, so I’m on site once again to establish and launch the new systems. As you can imagine, if an error is missed as a vehicle is being built and that car or truck goes off to a dealer, that error turns into a huge expense. That’s why I’m constantly analyzing processes and implementing improvements that increase our first-time quality throughput metrics while also reaching jobs-per-hour goals. While it sounds stressful, my favorite part of my work is that I have different challenges every day, working in this fast-paced industry. Outside of work, I don’t leave the tech and automation behind. In fact, I enjoy exploring and trying out new home automation systems for our house. Core Competencies: Network Design & Implementation – Network Security – Network Controls – Project Management – Automation – Integration Management – Manufacturing Facilities – Network Testing & Monitoring – System Launches – Throughput & Workflow – Troubleshooting – Cross-Functional Collaboration