Hardware Operations Leader · End-to-End Supply Chain
Over the past decade, I've led end-to-end supply chain and operations at Tonal, Aescape, and Fi. I work across every link in the chain: planning, sourcing, manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and fulfillment. My job is to get products built, moved, and delivered to customers, and to do it while optimizing for cost, speed, and quality.
I work across every link in the chain. From facility design to fulfillment, from should-cost models to S&OP, the focus is always getting products manufactured, shipped, distributed, and delivered with maximum efficiency.
I build the planning infrastructure and digital backbone that turns reactive operations into a predictable, data-driven machine, tying execution to strategy and protecting both revenue and working capital.
Inventory health and E&O: predictive modeling across raws, WIP, and FG to minimize Excess and Obsolescence and release trapped working capital.
I build the sourcing programs that get hardware companies the parts they need at the cost and quality they require. From raw materials to finished goods, across global supplier networks.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): true landed cost across materials, labor, overhead, logistics, duties, and risk. Not just unit price.
I scale manufacturing operations from prototype through mass production. CM and ODM partner selection, quality systems, and factory floor discipline that hold up at volume.
99%+ rolling throughput yield at Aescape · 75%+ OEE post-relocation at Tonal
I optimize the global logistics network: warehousing, 3PL partnerships, carrier strategy, and trade compliance. So products reach customers fast and capital stays efficient.
Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC): shortening the gap between cash out for materials and cash in from sales through network design, payment terms, and logistics compression.
My career spans both ends of the operational spectrum: managing large-scale inventory portfolios across 10+ global manufacturing facilities, and building and redesigning hardware operations organizations at high-growth startups like Tonal, Aescape, and Fi.
That duality is my edge. I bring the S&OP discipline, supplier relationships, quality systems, and board-level reporting of Fortune 500 enterprise, combined with the speed, scrappiness, and builder mentality that startups need to scale hardware without breaking.
The hardware journey from EVT/DVT/PVT to Mass Production is a minefield. Component shortages, complex BOMs, aggressive launch timelines vs. factory reality, managing CMs across multiple time zones. I've navigated all of it. That operational scar tissue shapes how I approach every problem.
The companies I've worked at have ranged from early-stage startups racing to launch their first product to established businesses managing global manufacturing footprints. In every case, the work has been about the same thing: building operations that match the stage of the company and the reality on the factory floor.
I don't hand teams a playbook and walk away. I embed, build the systems, negotiate the contracts, stand up the warehouses, and stay until the results are locked in. Every situation is different, and the work has to meet the company where it actually is - not where a framework says it should be.
The problem is rarely where the symptom is. I trace operational pain back to the system that produced it - sourcing, planning, manufacturing, or fulfillment - before recommending a fix.
Every operational decision is also a financial one. I align manufacturing, inventory, and logistics with the company's cash position, runway, and growth targets - not just unit economics.
The win isn't the deliverable - it's the team and the systems still running six months later. I document, train, and hand off, so the operation doesn't depend on me to keep working.
🤖 Modern operations are accelerated with AI: demand forecasting, inventory optimization, should-cost modeling, supply chain dashboards, process automation. I treat AI as a tool, not a service - and use it to get sharper answers, faster.
Highlights from a decade of hardware operations across robotics, connected fitness, and consumer goods.
Scaled production dramatically across multiple countries while maintaining premium quality. Led board-level S&OP reviews driving significant OCOGS reduction and cash conversion improvement. Executed a full nearshoring transition: relocating a Tier 1 manufacturer and standing up a new 3PL with WMS & TMS, achieving near-perfect first pass yield. Built and managed a cross-functional ops organization from the ground up.
Built the global supply chain from NPI through mass production with near-perfect on-time delivery and high OEE. Implemented NetSuite, deployed MES & QMS, and drove double-digit BOM cost reductions through a new strategic sourcing matrix. Led a complex cross-continental manufacturing relocation that significantly reduced landed cost and lead times. Optimized cash-to-cash cycle, freeing millions in working capital.
Directed production planning for Fenty Beauty across manufacturing facilities in the USA, Italy, and UK, balancing $50M+ in inventory investment with service levels across multiple distribution centers. Built an S&OP framework that improved forecast accuracy 10% and reduced obsolescence risk for high-frequency limited-edition launches through demand governance and cross-functional planning.
Ran supply chain operations for premium home goods categories, maintaining 95%+ on-time delivery. Negotiated international supplier contracts delivering $3.5M in annual material cost savings (10% reduction) while consolidating the vendor base by 20% to reduce complexity and risk. Built the sourcing and logistics foundation for a complex global supply network.
Across robotics, connected fitness, and consumer technology, I've owned the operations behind some of the most ambitious hardware launches of the last decade.
A fully automated, AI-driven robotic massage system. Two precision robotic arms, 1.2M+ 3D body data points, deployed across spas, hotels, and recovery clinics.
View product →The world's first digital weight strength training system. Wall-mounted form factor with precision electromagnetic resistance, sold through DTC and retail channels.
View product →Rihanna's inclusive beauty brand redefining color range and formulation standards across the industry. Manufactured across the USA, Italy, and UK with high-frequency limited-edition launches and global distribution.
View product →From raw materials to finished goods, I've built and managed the sourcing programs that get hardware companies the parts they need, working with tier-1 manufacturers and global suppliers at the cost and quality they require.
Metals, plastics, semiconductors, electronic substrates, premium-grade textiles. Tier-1 and Tier-2 supplier development, multi-source qualification, and commodity strategy.
Sensors, actuators, motors, PCBAs, batteries, displays. Allocation management, lifecycle planning, and direct supplier relationships across Asia, North America, and Europe.
Robotic arm modules, electromechanical assemblies, frames and housings. Coordinated procurement across multi-tier networks with consigned and turnkey arrangements.
CM and ODM partnerships for full-product manufacturing. Pricing negotiation, NRE recovery, capacity reservation, and quality acceptance across multiple geographies.
The people I've worked alongside are the clearest signal of how I operate.
Paul is the kind of operator you hand a complex manufacturing challenge and trust to solve it. He built our end-to-end robot manufacturing operation from the ground up, implementing a structure that scaled our production and logistics without sacrificing speed. I never had to check his work, and he ensured the entire engine delivered. When the supply chain got volatile, he stayed calm.
Paul is one of the most resourceful supply chain leaders I've worked with, and he's exceptional at the planning side. He led a full supply chain transformation for us, relocating manufacturing from Taiwan to Mexico while keeping the line running — the kind of cross-continental move most people don't pull off cleanly. He doesn't just execute; he thinks three steps ahead and anticipates bottlenecks before they hit the line. He's the guy you want in the room when the global picture gets complicated.
Paul has a strong combination of analytical sharpness and relationship skills that is vital for strategic sourcing. He managed a massive global vendor portfolio, always knowing exactly where the leverage was to optimize our cost structure. Suppliers respected him because he was fair, and our team trusted the numbers he brought. He doesn't just manage vendors; he builds a resilient supply base that fuels the entire business.
