David Newill
Aerospace Consultant
Newill Research Group,LLC
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
Military pilot.
General Motors Construction division building new automotive plants.
GM Powerhouse supervisor, production shift supervisor. Had a mentor - tough boss - who knew I needed Detroit time to understand the bigger company.
Detroit - Long Range Planning for production plants - got to be a "bag man" for GM VP - traveled to 22 plants to evaluate them for future use - or sale!
New Mentor said - only stay in Detroit 3 years - then move on. Went to Indianapolis - Allison Gas Turbine - Used What color is my parachute" book technique to get what I wanted.
Worked as many different departments as I could - Manufacturing, Engineering, Production Manager, Program Manager, Future Planning task force, Marketing, Strategy, and Finance.
Tried to learn nearly every program we produced, background, who were the experts, what succeeded and what did not.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Certification/License
Planner
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
Planner
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
Career
Aerospace Consultant
Evaluate companies for their manufacturing capability, advise on changes in processes, market forecasting, & marketing.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Engineering
Teaching / Mentoring
Day to Day
Was an Aerospace Executive with Rolls-Royce, Allison, General Motors before that. Now, focused on what I find most interesting for the future, provide experience to Aerospace companies that are Tier III suppliers to larger firms. Write editorials and papers for my clients and industry. Travel to companies, walk their shop floors, ask a set of standard questions, assess their position - look for best practices and weak spots - document same with recommendations for their future.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Really understand your target company. How do they make money? It is not always what you think. Read "What Color is your Parachute!"
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
"Never any real discouragement - but some really tough bosses at times. "
