Eric P. Rose is a product innovation and management consultant with deep manufacturing experience. Mr. Rose has more than 35 years’ experience in manufacturing, product innovation, product development, commercialization, and project management. He has worked in the consumer, medical, and industrial product industries with manufacturers ranging from $30M in annual sales through Fortune 500 companies.
Mr. Rose’s areas of expertise include business growth through new product innovation, new product strategy, project management, and manufacturing process improvements. Mr. Rose evaluates existing corporate new product development (NPD) and manufacturing processes, identifies areas of opportunity for improvement, and supports the implementation of those improvements to drive corporate profit growth. He experience includes:
- As Director of Research and Development for Moldex-Metric, his key successes included the simultaneous development and launch of the 7000 half mask respirator and the 9000 full face respirator. This launch was the most significant NPD and launch in the company’s 30 year history. These projects required the coordination of multiple company manufacturing facilities in the US as well as manufacturing contractors in China and Taiwan. Numerous visits to domestic and Asian manufacturing facilities occurred to oversee tooling builds, creation of manufacturing and QC instructions, production line design, and production startup. Oversaw and performed numerous internal audits of the company’s manufacturing and QA departments in support of ISO 9001 certification. Audited numerous Asian factories in support of the manufacture of a line of injection molded hearing protection products.
- As Executive Director of Product Development, Devices for Discus Dental, he led the company’s new dental device development efforts. Key NPD successes included Zoom Advanced Power whitening lamp, Zen Cordless Prophy, and EndoVac irrigation system. Work included the management of tooling builds in the US as well as the transfer of some manufacturing to a contract supplier in Malaysia. Traveled to Malaysia to perform initial factory audit and also initial production startup. Created the company’s first Design Control Procedure.
- As Business Development Director for Interlink Electronics, he identified new business, technology, and innovation opportunities. Key successes included the NPD and launch of GoSpeak! Portable PA system and an innovative interactive TV gaming solution which used the company’s touchpad based remote control. Created and led training courses for technical and non-technical staff to teach NPD and Project Management fundamentals.
- As Product Engineering Manager, Intel/Mattel Smart Toy Lab at Mattel, he managed development expense and capital tooling budget in excess of $1.0M. New products developed aimed at PC enhanced toy market. Intel Play QX3 Digital Video Microscope was best-selling technology toy of Christmas 1999. Audited numerous Asian factories in support of identifying new suppliers to manufacturer a line of high tech “smart toys.”
- As a Product Development Manager at Mattel, he was a key member of core team launching new Mattel Puzzles and Games business in 1996. He provided planning, supplier sourcing, supplier audits, and technical guidance in support of sales growth to $100M business accomplished within 2 1/2 years post start-up. Audited US manufacturing facilities involved in the fabrication of puzzles and game boards. He was responsible for domestic product development and project management for Infant Preschool toys. Recruited, hired, managed staff including, administration, CAD designers, and project engineers. Contracted and managed outside engineering firms and traveled to Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Mexico in support of new product production startup.
- As Engineering Program Manager for Guardian Sunrise Medical he was responsible for the design, development, production startup, program and technical staff management for durable medical equipment. Key successes included the NPD and launch of the company’s first ever rolling walker and the NPD and launch of a line of all injection molded bathroom safety products offering customers the highest quality and lowest cost products in the industry. Tool build managed was in excess of $750K.
- Raised as a machinist in Cleveland, Ohio, graduating in the top quarter of his high school class as a machinist having operated lathes, mills, and Electro-Discharge Machines (EDM).
- Received formal training in Boothroyd DewhurstDesign for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) methodology while at Mattel Toys.
- Provided training to technical and manufacturing staff in DFMAtechniques in the Dental and Industrial Safety products.
- Manufacturing work flow / work instructions creation for new products in the Dental, Durable Medical Equipment (DME), and Industrial Safety products industries.
- New Tooling design and build management in support of new and improved products in the Disposable Medical, Durable Medical Equipment, Furniture, Dental, Toy, and Industrial Safety products categories.
- Experience with manufacturing and technology including:
- Plastics including injection molded, gas assist injection molding, structural foam molding, injection blow and extrusion blow molded, rotationally molded, vacuum formed, profile extrusion, solvent and adhesive bonding, ultrasonic welding, staking, swaging, andovermolding.
- Metals working including the use of lathes, mills, sinker and wire EDMs, surface grinding, punching, stamping, spinning, progressive die stamping/forming, tube bending, wire forming, powdered metals, welding, brazing, die and sand casting, aluminum extrusion.
- Technologies including Infrared and Radio Frequency wireless, Force Sensing Resistors, CMOS Digital Imaging, Capacitive and Optical Fingerprint Sensors, Carbon Filtration of Hazardous Gases, Thermal Energy Storage and Release via Phase Change Materials.
In addition, he held various design and engineering positions including Design Development Engineer for Brown Jordan, Staff Engineer for world’s largest wheelchair manufacturer, Everest and Jennings, and Engineering Designer for American Hospital Supply (now Baxter) disposables division.
Mr. Rose received an MBA from Pepperdine University and a BS in Engineering and Applied Sciences from Arizona State University, Industrial Design and Technology curriculum. He is an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management and also in the Entrepreneurship program at Loyola Marymount University, where he develops and teaches courses on New Product Innovation and Management. He has been a Guest Lecturer at the USC Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and a featured speaker at numerous business events and trade groups including the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).
Mr. Rose is a named inventor on over 80 patents issued or pending worldwide in the consumer, healthcare, and industrial product industries. He has been a certified New Product Development Professional (NPDP) through Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) since 2008. He is a co-founder and President Emeritus of the Los Angeles Chapter of PDMA and received the PDMA-LA Distinguished Innovator award for a lifetime of product innovation and building the Los Angeles product development community in 2011. He is a former Co-Chair of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), San Fernando Valley Branch, and has served as a member of the Board of Directors for Tempo Plastics Company, Inc. since 1986. Mr. Rose is also a member of ProVisors, a community of trusted advisor professionals who serve their clients as subject matter experts in their respective fields.