Bill Duncan | 2009

Bill Duncan is an experienced and capable Operations executive (John Deere, McDonnell Douglas, Boeing, JDS Uniphase), and a capable management consultant (Ernst & Young, Bearing Point, and Computer Sciences Corporation.) An early implementer of ERP systems, Lean Manufacturing, Total Quality Management tools, and manufacturing information systems such as Manufacturing Execution Systems and Warehouse Management Systems, he has a history of success in a wide range of manufacturing industries.

Bill has an impressive track record of leading substantial turnarounds focused on organizational change, alignment of strategy and operations, reduction of costs and improvement of margins. He has shown that he can position businesses operations strategically for profitable growth. He has been described as a “technology visionary” by the American Management Association, and the former CIO at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems describes him as “one of the best project managers that I have ever worked with“. The Group President for whom he worked at JDS Uniphase said: “Throughout this period you have risen to the challenge, have constantly demonstrated your commitment to the company and provided strong leadership to guide our employees through these turbulent times.”   More recently, CSC’s senior management team had this to say about his work revitalizing the industrial base of Iraq: “Bill Duncan has been a superb representative of CSC, and of America, in a war-torn, God-forsaken part of the world. He befriended military and civilian personnel on every level, won the trust of clients and the respect of his peers, and never shirked responsibility. Bill was personally honored by Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England at the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes for his “selfless sacrifice and service to our nation and the people of Iraq”, and he was awarded the coin of Multinational Forces – Iraq for excellence by Lieutenant General Peter Chiarelli, then Commanding General of Multinational Corps Iraq during his work there. Bill and His team distinguished themselves and distinguished CSC in the eyes of the United States Department of Defense….“.

If you are searching for consulting support from an executive with broad experience in manufacturing operations, including manufacturing information systems, and deep experience in supply chain management, Bill Duncan is a very good fit. If your situation includes especially challenging technologies, or the adoption of leading edge technologies, he is a great fit. If your environment encompasses both of these elements, perhaps with the need to manage multiple sites, or multi-national operations, then he is an outstanding choice. Finally, if your long-term strategy involves mergers or acquisitions (either being acquired or doing acquisitions), you probably won’t find a better fit anywhere.

Quotes from War Front to Store Front: Americans Rebuilding Trust and Hope in Nations Under Fire

By Paul Brinkley, former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense

“To speed up the process, we ended up hiring factory experts as contractors. We assembled an impressive team of highly experienced factory executives and shop floor engineers, all ready and willing to deploy with the troops to areas of violence. It was inspiring to see this group answer the call to serve. To lead them, I reached into my own Rolodex and recruited William Duncan, an executive I had met at JDS Uniphase who ran a $1 billion operation in Ottawa, Canada, and whose experience included stints in factory and supply chain management at McDonnell Douglas and other industrial companies.”

“The team of industrial experts and consultants, led by stellar private-sector executives who had joined the government for reduced pay, including….Bill Duncan worked at great personal risk almost around the clock to find creative ways to generate demand for factories throughout Iraq.”

“By the end of September [2007], we had successfully restored production at sixteen industrial operations throughout Iraq. More than 5,000 employees were back on the job in those operations.”

“Those 5,000 employees were in sustained factory jobs in factories that made goods of value. They were not temporary construction jobs.” “They were real jobs in a real economy. It was a beginning. Still, my industry team, led by Bill Duncan, had literally worked around the clock during August and September to get as many results as it could, and team members were getting tired.”

“Of all of the work we undertook in Afghanistan, none had received greater allocation of resources than our support of the large marine effort in Helmand Province. Bill Duncan, who had successfully led many of our factory revitalization efforts in Iraq back in 2006, rejoined TFBSO in 2010, immediately deploying to the marine base in Helmand. But his efforts were often frustrated. Agriculture development programs were stymied again by recalcitrant USAID regulations against commodity support for globally competitive crops such as cotton and wheat. The local cotton gin had been closed for years because of its ownership by the government of Afghanistan. Duncan worked to reopen the cotton gin in Lashkar Gah and to establish small enterprises focused on produce marketing as well as logistical operations.”

Selected References, Endorsements, and Recommendations:

“I had the pleasure and good fortune to work directly for Bill in Iraq as a member of the DoD’s Task Force for Business and Stability Operations. Bill was the founder and first program manager for the team of Manufacturing Engineers who performed on-site assessments of Iraqi factories damaged by years of UN embargo and war. Bill’s courageous leadership in dangerous combat conditions, and his extensive manufacturing expertise, were responsible for a successful comprehensive assessment of the factories, and a follow-on acquisition program which provided milions of dollars in repair parts and new equipment. Bill’s work improved economic conditions in Iraq, and saved both American and Iraqi lives by providing employment to skilled technicians who otherwise were often paid by insurgents to build road-side bombs. I have stayed in touch with Bill since we worked together in Iraq, and am waiting eagerly for my next opportunity to work with this consummate professional. I highly recommend Bill to any organization looking for an excellent leader with outstanding organizational skills and extensive Manufacturing expertise.”

Steve Finkel, VP Engineering, Maven Technologies

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“I have worked with Bill a few times at CSC and highly recommend getting
him engaged on a consulting basis. His knowledge of supply chain, shared
services, and the end to end processes of manufacturing is exceptional and
clients love him!!!”

Caralyn Brace
Managing Director
CSC
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“Bill is the worlds leading authority on Supply Chain Management. He will
tell you he is not, but do not believe him.”

Glenn D. Robinson
Business Development Team Lead
Foreign Affairs
CSC
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“I first hired Bill in 1988, and worked with him as we consulted with very
large manufacturing companies.  In over thirty years of consulting, Bill is
the best manufacturing consultant I have ever seen.  His first (of four)
books, “Just-In-Time in American Manufacturing”  had just been published
prior to our work at Boeing (the former McDonnell Douglas).   His approach
was proven as more than a billion dollars worth of parts were taken out of
work in process.  This book was in print for ten years, and was the
reference book recommended by both the Society of Manufacturing Engineers,
and the American Production and Inventory Control Society for members
seeking certification.  Bill had a tremendous positive influence on the
improvements made by American manufacturing companies to improve their
worldwide competitiveness in the nineties.  Unfortunately for many of us
who work with Bill, he is the right person to help reopen manufacturing
plants in Iraq to get people back to work and help stabilize the country.”

Alex Martignago
Senior Partner & Vice President, West Region
CSC Consulting
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“As I said in our previous conversation, as a colleague and team member,
I’d rather you were safe and sound in St. Louis, but as an employee of CSC
and a citizen of the greatest country the world has ever known, I am proud
of your willingness to make a difference in a very troubled part of the
world.  It takes not only commitment but courage to take on an assignment
like this and the rest of us who are safe and sound in our homes, owe you a
debt of gratitude.”

Pat McCaffrey
(Formerly) Senior Partner & Vice President, West Region
CSC Consulting
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“Bill is a strategic thinker that understands the big picture, is able to
break the big picture into appropriately sized pieces for the organization
and then is able to execute to achieve results.”

John Peterson
(Formerly) Director of Global IT Applications, JDS Uniphase
Currently Operations Manager, Nortel
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“Bill Duncan has been a superb representative of CSC, and of America, in a
war-torn, God-forsaken part of the world.  He befriended military and
civilian personnel on every level, won the trust of clients and the respect
of his peers, and never shirked responsibility.  Bill was personally
honored by Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England at the Pentagon’s
Hall of Heroes for his “selfless sacrifice and service to our nation and
the people of Iraq”, and he was awarded the coin of Multinational Forces –
Iraq for excellence by Lieutenant General Peter Chiarelli, then Commanding
General of Multinational Corps Iraq during his work there.  Bill and his
team distinguished themselves and distinguished CSC in the eyes of the
United States Department of Defense throughout the course of that
engagement.”

Annual Performance Appraisal
Vice President,
CSC Federal Consulting Practice
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“Bill is one of the best project managers that I have ever worked with. He
thrives on managing large complex projects and demonstrates leadership
skills to develop the people around him at the same time. He consistently
meets performance goals that he has defined, being a strong advocate of
what gets measured gets done. Bill has a broad background in Operations
and understands the financial aspects of organizations as well, a rare and
beneficial combination.”
Don Imholz

Senior VP and CIO, CENTENE Corporation
(Formerly) VP and CIO
Boeing Integrated Defense Systems

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“Bill could be a big help to a lot of companies.”

Jerry Daniels
(Formerly) President, McDonnell Douglas Aircraft
(Formerly) CEO, Engineered Support Systems, Incorporated

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“When it comes to lean manufacturing, Bill Duncan is the real thing.”

Dean Borgman
(Formerly) President, McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company
(Formerly) President, Sikorsky Helicopter Company
(Formerly) Chairman, Sikorsky Helicopter Company

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 Except from Linked-In:

January 31, 2013

Hi Bill,

Thanks for accepting my Linked In invitation! Wow…it’s been sometime since we last spoke….probably sometime in roughly 2000. I often think about you and have talked about you with various people throughout my career since leaving Boeing in 2000.

Bill…don’t know if you are aware of this but you are the single most important mentor/role model that I have ever met in my business career!!  Words can’t express the gratitude that I have toward you in that you actually took the time to take an interest in me. I echo the principals and managerial concepts that you brought to IMACS every day. Some things that are so simple and basic that bring people of diverse talents together in synergy to accomplish a common goal …while seeming so basic to you and I, other major companies still don’t have any grasp of their importance.

I have yet to find a company during my Project Management adventures over the last 13 years since leaving Boeing that understands the importance of mapping ” As-Is” and “To-Be” Business process flows. You are so right; Most if not all big corporations (like BOSE, NASA Johnson Space Systems, Lockheed Martin Aerospace, Britax, Nestle Purina Pet Care), and many other smaller companies that I have been engaged with for ERP or Document Management system implementations recognize the importance of understanding how they do business and identifying and valuing PIO’s. Executives at these large corporations they all say the same thing…”We need to get the new software implemented first, and then we will go back and look at process improvement opportunities”. Most companies have a plug-and-play philosophy and then it takes them double or triple the time to implement and massive change control to get fixes and enhancements implemented. As to your rule of: We must strive to implement with less than 10% change to the Out-of-the-Box software…strive to remain “Vanilla” for ease of software upgrades, etc……I have yet to come across any other company that has set and held the team to such aggressive goals which are necessary to achieve the savings numbers you pulled off. They simply DONT GET IT and it has resulted in double and triple the time to implement, and much higher than estimated enhancement costs.  They simply don’t understand that they are modifying the software to implement outdated and inefficient business practices, not to mention countless rework hours when their old processes don’t work in the new system.

Sorry to carry on ….it’s difficult to come from the school of Bill Duncan and be able to tell folks that you have been on a winning team, and can actually claim success in having implemented a successful ERP system, while the rest of the industry in most cases continues to drudge along without really having the “balls” to attack the root problems.

I hope this letter finds you in good health. Recently, one of your books surfaced in the library at NPPC and I used it in one of my Toast Master speeches.   I used you as an exemplary role model/mentor and how one person can make such a difference in someone’s career. Your management philosophy and styles are still true some 13 years later and likely will be for decades to come.

Continued good luck to you Bill, in your endeavors, and should you ever come to St. Louis please look me up as I would love to see you again to catch up!

God Bless.

Steve Hoechstenbach