Chris Russell

Chris Russell has over 20 years of work experience in various operational and managerial roles within the automotive industry. Chris is currently the Vice President of Operations at Knapheide since 2020. Prior to that, from 2015 to 2020, they held the same role at Thomas Built Buses, overseeing bus manufacturing operations and leading the team through a recovery from a SAP implementation.

From 2006 to 2015, Chris worked at Detroit Diesel, where they served as the Order Center & Production Planning Manager, responsible for managing order management, assembly scheduling, logistics planning, and shipping. Chris also held the position of Operations Manager - Engine Assembly and Test, leading a functional group involved in diesel engine assembly and continuously improving production operations. Additionally, they served as the Internal Logistics and Material Manager, achieving significant cost savings, reducing downtime, and successfully planning and achieving quarterly forecasts and yearly budgets for all internal material departments.

Prior to Detroit Diesel, Chris worked at General Motors in various material management roles at the Ypsilanti Transmission, Romulus Transmission, and Janesville Assembly plants. Chris held the position of Material Manager at Ypsilanti and Romulus Transmission, and served as an Industrial Engineer and Material Supervisor at Janesville Assembly.

Overall, Chris Russell has a strong background in operations management, logistics planning, and team leadership, with an extensive track record of driving efficiency and achieving results.

Chris Russell completed their Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology from 1995 to 2000.