Jay Widuch is a seasoned operations executive with nearly five decades of experience driving manufacturing excellence through strategic resource management, cost control, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Jay graduated from Western Illinois University in Macomb and immediately began his career at Harper Wyman, where he primarily focused on factory planning and expediting. During his early years there, he played an instrumental role in implementing the company’s first computer-integrated MRP system, which led to several leadership advancements.
He later joined Inner Lake Material Handling Division as Materials Manager. During his tenure, he oversaw all raw material purchases and production planning for a half-million square-foot factory, managing a monthly shipping budget of $3 million. His expertise in resource allocation and inventory optimization significantly improved operational efficiency.
Jay also spent time working at Chattanooga State College under contract to IBM Consulting Services, focusing on MAPIS software. In this role, he conducted customer troubleshooting, installation, and training. He also authored several manuals that were adopted throughout the organization, demonstrating his commitment to standardizing best practices.
He was later recruited back to Harper Wyman to support both the Princeton facility and the Juarez, Mexico plant. His demonstrated leadership and operational expertise led to several more promotions including, Vice President of Operations. In this executive role, Jay oversaw ~1,200 employees and managed an operational budget of roughly $8 million per month.
Throughout his career, Jay has distinguished himself through his unwavering commitment to lean manufacturing principles, continuous improvement methodologies, and data-driven decision making. These disciplines have transferred, in whole or part, to each deal that R-Squared has participated in over last 20 years.
His leadership style emphasizes people development alongside operational excellence, creating sustainable manufacturing environments that balance efficiency with quality. His strong analytical approach to cost control and resource management has consistently delivered exceptional results across multiple organizations and manufacturing environments.
