Operator Brief

Abi Menon

M&A Integration | Operations Turnarounds | Lean Execution

I step into unstable post-close environments, identify the real operating constraints, and stabilize the business before scaling improvement. The work usually starts where systems are weak, supply chains are fragile, and the operation is relying on workarounds.

Operator Snapshot

  • 15+ years experience
  • Lean 6 Sigma Black Belt (In Progress)
  • Purdue Engineer
  • Rotman MBA
2x $25M P&L Ownership/Transformation
150 Headcount Led (max)
10 Post-Acquisition Turnarounds
2x EBITDA expansion within 1 year
15+ Global Markets

Practical Automation

Used automation to reduce manual review burden and improve control discipline in a high-volume invoice environment. This was built to solve an operating problem, not to showcase tooling.

Problem

Manual review bottleneck

$2M in vendor fraud exposure and thousands of invoices requiring manual review created a control gap and slowed the team down.

Build

n8n workflow

Built an n8n workflow to extract PDF data, categorize vendor risk, fast-track standard vendors, and route anomalies for review.

Impact

Operational control

Reduced manual workload, improved early compliance screening, and created a more repeatable decision path for invoice handling.

Swap-in block

Video: Coming Soon

Selected Cases

Three examples of stepping into unstable conditions, focusing on the real constraint, and restoring operating control.

Distressed Plant Turnaround | Minnesota

$25M manufacturing site | Interim GM assignment

Context

Distressed manufacturing plant with legacy equipment, labor attrition, and paper-based scheduling.

Action

Relocated as Interim GM. Moved onto the shop floor. Applied Lean fundamentals, rebuilt training, and transitioned planning into ERP/MRP.

Outcome

Training time reduced from 18 to 8 weeks. Inventory turns improved from 5.8x to 8.8x. Stabilized site to roughly $100K/month profit run-rate.

Saving the Integration | ArcOne

$8M assembly acquisition | ERP cutover and supply continuity

Context

Founder exited on Day 1. Thousands of SKUs had no BOM data. Corporate pushed a 500-item checklist that was disconnected from the actual risk.

Action

Dropped the checklist. Focused on ERP cutover, supply continuity, and talent retention. Led manual rebuild of product structures to protect the transition.

Outcome

Protected the ERP cutover, avoided shipping disruption, and hit integration targets three months early.

Regulatory Discipline | NIOSH Helmet

COVID demand spike | Life-safety certification risk

Context

Demand surged for an acquired welding helmet, but the product lacked required NIOSH life-safety certification and the supply chain was fragile.

Action

Stopped the commercial launch despite pressure to ship. Stabilized the certification path and supply chain before resuming.

Outcome

Avoided major liability and recall exposure, protected the brand, and enabled compliant market re-entry.

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