The past three years have been a wild ride for NH manufacturers, from continuing operations through a pandemic and dealing with supply chain issues and a labor shortage. Tony Fernandez, who has spent more than 45 years in the manufacturing sector in a variety of industries, says he is ready to bring his experience and the resources of the NH Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NH MEP) to bear to help manufacturers grow and face whatever challenges may be coming their way.
The NH MEP is part of a national network dedicated to helping advance the manufacturing sector by providing training and technical assistance with lean manufacturing, plant layout, cybersecurity and technology, marketing, workforce development and attaining quality certifications. Fernandez took the reins of NH MEP in June after the retirement of long-time director Zenagui Brahim.
Fernandez’s foray into manufacturing was originally through accounting. Having earned a dual degree in accounting and economics, his first job was working for a pharmaceutical device manufacturer, and he says to truly understand the company he needed to visit the manufacturing floor and see how the product was assembled. He quickly tired of accounting and gained a passion for manufacturing instead.
“It’s building processes, and every day is different. It was never boring,” Fernandez says, adding in manufacturing there are always unexpected challenges to solve. “In manufacturing, you are competing against something every day.”
For 25 years he led a variety of manufacturing companies in Wisconsin, Florida and Massachusetts as general manager, president and CEO. Fernandez says over the years he has worked with small manufacturers and multi-million-dollar corporations. “I understand how to navigate in order to succeed,” he says.
In Wisconsin, he took one company from a $300 million operation to $500 million in two years, Fernandez says, and in Massachusetts, he was able to grow a company through a strategic acquisition that gave the manufacturer a foothold in the Boston market. He credits part of that success to being a client of the MEPs in those states, benefiting from their training and experience with ISO certification, lean manufacturing and Six Sigma certification.
As a result, Fernandez is a Certified Six Sigma Green Belt, a Certified Business Mentor, Excel Certified and has successfully completed three ISO implementations.
“The process allowed us to grow our company,” he says. “It works.”
Before taking over the NH MEP, Fernandez was the owner of Northside Consulting Group, and continues to teach master’s level courses in Business Management at American International College and served as the Western Mass Chapter Chair of SCORE/SBA.
He is bringing that experience to help NH manufacturers to grow. “We [NH MEP] have federal funding to provide information, education and a conduit to grow,” Fernandez says. He has spent the past few months meeting with partner agencies to strengthen those bonds as well as meeting with manufacturers throughout the state to educate them about the services NH MEP can provide. “We’re trying to develop an ecosystem that allows the [easy] transfer of knowledge and services,” Fernandez says.
Current Issue - May 2024