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Track record of successful business and engineering management for an innovative technology firm with international vision, providing automation systems and services to semiconductor industry.

Accomplishments:
• Achieved profitability for European and Middle Eastern business unit throughout the 2001/02 downturn via cost reduction and improved efficiency (only profitable business unit).
• Expanded sales and support from central Europe into UK, Ireland, Benelux, and Israel.
• Increased European sales revenue by 90% in fiscal year 2000 and fiscal year 2001, respectively.
• Integrated acquired European firm into US parent, relocated HQ from Switzerland to Germany.
• Established two new engineering groups, including personnel, processes, equipment.
• Three US patents (two granted, one in progress).
• Ten years of hands-on experience in automation and control engineering.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

May ’97 – Present                  PRI Automation/OEM Systems, Mountain View, California

http://www.pria.com. PRI provides integrated factory automation solutions (capital equipment, software, and services) to the semiconductor industry worldwide.  Revenue: $280M (2000). Regional office:  PRI Automation GmbH (Germany); hub for Europe/Middle East region; 15 employees in European/Israel.  I have full P&L responsibility for European and Middle Eastern operations ($24M revenue, $2M budget) and report to the General Manager and the VP Sales & Marketing.

 

Business Unit Director, OEM Operations in Europe/Middle East region (July'01 - present):

Expanded European business model for sales/support into Israel.  Hired local engineering staff.

Increased revenue by 90% in fiscal year 2001 ($24M) via intensive customer relations management and technical support.

Guided sales force at entering integrated metrology market and winning customers for two new product families (integrated front ends, vacuum cluster tools) in Germany and Israel.

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Business Unit Director, European OEM Operations (May'00 - June'01):

Full P&L responsibility for European operations.

Achieved first-time profitability in Europe via cost reduction and improved operations efficiency.

Increased European revenue by 90% via customer relations (account management, local support).

Expanded sales/support presence from central Europe into Holland and UK.

Created and executed business plan for Europe, implemented new strategy and structure.

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Business Unit Manager, PRI Automation Switzerland AG (Oct '99 - April '00):

Responsible for managing the regional OEM sales/support office in Switzerland.

Focused on change management: integrated European distributor firm into OEM parent company.

Structured PRI's business model in Europe, addressed all areas (facilities, legal, personnel).

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Senior Engineering Manager / Systems Engineering Manager (Jul '97 - Sep '99):

Supervised product development for Equipe's latest vacuum robot from concept to prototype.

Managed interdisciplinary team of 6 to 9 engineers and technicians.

Created two engineering groups 'from scratch' (advanced technology, characterization/reliability).

Managed multiple, concurrent engineering projects: supervision, schedule, budget, tracking.

Initiated and developed kinematic and dynamical robot models and automatic tuning methods.

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Staff R&D Engineer (May '97 - Jun '97), Equipe Technologies Inc.:

Invented technical concepts and prototypes for Equipe's next generation robotic products.

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August ’93 – April ’97:        Accurate Automation Corp., Chattanooga, Tennessee
http://www.accurate-automation.com. AAC conducts research in robotics and aerospace, primarily for government agencies (Dept. of Defense, National Science Foundation).  Revenue: $11M (1997).

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Staff R&D Engineer:

Designed, tested, and simulated advanced guidance, control and digital signal processing (DSP) systems for robotics and aerospace applications.  Example: robot joint controller.

Adaptive systems and filter algorithms. Example: improved SATCOM signal-to-noise ratio.

Project lead, National Science Foundation (NSF) contract: system identification for high-performance aircraft.

Principal Investigator, NSF contract: theory, design, and application of adaptive controller.

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May ’89 – June ’91:      ArchiSys GmbH, Munich, Germany
ArchiSys develops software solutions for intregrated and embedded systems (Unix, Windows, C, Pascal).

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Software/Controls Engineer:

Co-developed and implemented software for real-time engine analyzer (Daimler Benz, Stuttgart.

Designed Graphical User Interface for mobile phone configuration software (Mannesmann).

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Portland State University (1991 - 1993):

Electrical Engineering Department, P.O. Box 751, Portland, Oregon 97207; Phone: 503-725-3001.

Research and Teaching Assistant:

Managed research project in fuzzy logic for process control Tektronix); neural network applications for signal processing and pattern recognition; taught undergraduate classes in electronics and supervised lab classes.

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1988 - 1989:      Technical University of Munich, Germany

Electrical Engineering Department, Arcisstrasse 21, D-8000 München 2, Bavaria, Germany.

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Teaching Assistant:

Taught signal processing theory and supervised associated lab classes.

Student Engineer:

Speed control for an electric motor based on a PWM amplifier (Siemens AG, Munich, three months internship).

• Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Portland State University, 1996.  GPA 3.82/4.00.
• Diplom-Ingenieur in Electrical Engineering (similar MS EE). Technical University Munich, 1989.
• Business Management Seminar (KMU), University of Sankt Gallen, Switzerland, 2001/02.
• Business Financials Certificate, PRI Automation Inc., 2001.
• University of California, Berkeley: Business Negotiation (1998), Analog IC Design (1998).

• Customer relations, sales negotiation, continuous improvement programs (CIPs).
• Business financials, monthly reporting (balance sheet, income statement, cash flow).
• Business plans, market data analysis, strategic marketing.
• Office software suites: Microsoft, ACT, Matlab, MathCad, ORCad, C, Pascal, Visual Basic.
• DSP applications:  adaptive filtering, digital control systems, signal analysis, Fourier transform.
• Motion Control: softaware, motion boards, motor technology, direct drive technology, drivers.

• Vice chair, IEEE Control Systems Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter. 'Best Chapter 2000 Award.'
• Reviewer for the IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology.
• Session chair at various engineering/science conferences.
• Member of Eta Kappa Nu, Vice-President PSU Section 1992-93.
• Member of Toastmasters International.

• 'Methods of Utilizing Focused Acoustic Beams for Wafer Detection,' filed in February 2002.
• US-6165268, ‘Wafer Carrier Adapter and Method for Use Thereof,’ granted 2000 to K.Mathia et al.
• US-5850625, ‘Sensor Fusion Apparatus and Method,' granted 1998 to K.Mathia et al.

HONORS AND HOBBIES

• Private Pilot Licence for single engine aircraft, land.
• Classical piano.
• Outstanding Speaker Award: Systemics, Cybernetics, and Informatics ’97 Conference, Venezuela.
• Scholarship from the International Institute for Education (IIE) 1992/93.

Publications:  four (4) journals papers, sixteen (16) conference papers.

Projects: selected, successfully completed projects.

References are available upon request.