Hi, I’m James Knudsen.

It’s a fast paced world out there and everyone needs a little help periodically. Let me be that person for you.

Over the course of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with people from all walks of life. What I’ve learned is this: regardless of whether you’re a welding technician, software engineer, or c-suite executive, odds are you’re just trying to do the best you can with what you’ve got. When good enough is not quite good enough or when your business needs to make a dynamic change…

Thats where I come in.

If ‘Continuous Improvement’ is the name game, you can rest assured that I have a few tricks up my sleeve to help. From Aerospace to Manufacturing, E-Commerce to Warehousing, I have a proven track record of solving the needs of the business by exploiting hidden inefficiencies, and making lives better along the way. We can often find low-cost solutions that pay for themselves over a matter of months.

Learn more about how I take a human-centered approach to industrial engineering by scheduling a free consultation using the button below.

Examples of Past Professional Work

  • Deployment of ‘Requirements Planning’ systems and interfaces for tracking material use, waste streams, and cost centers. When coupled with lean work-cells, these projects allow businesses to gain end-to-end control.

  • Development of robust internal tooling for tracking outbound logistics and last-mile delivery procedures. Work in this domain requires the fulfilment of stakeholder needs across Operations, Marketing, and Customer Care teams.

  • Construction management and on-site deployment of mobile interfaces for picking and asset tracking operations. Expansions allowed for 5x rapid scaling while maintaining or improving volumetric throughput of goods at cost.

  • Lean methodologies formed the basis for development of a suite of operator-level optimization tooling for value stream management. Examples have ranged from guided product assortment mapping to flexible labor leveling optimization. Engineered processes yield considerable savings typically within weeks or months.

“Working with James is always a pleasure, he is extremely effective at planning and communication between technical and non-technical audiences. He shows a strong passion for digging deep to the source and making sure to solve the right problems”

- Adam Lawler, Engineering Supervisor

"I have had the privilege of working closely with James for the last seven years, and I must say that his dedication to continuous improvement and providing solutions to systematic problems is truly remarkable. Throughout these years, James has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to excellence and a genuine passion for refining processes. His professionalism and attention to detail have been invaluable to my team, resulting in enhanced efficiency, quality in our work, and large financial savings. James's ability to identify areas for improvement, coach, train, and implement effective solutions is a testament to his passion and commitment to "always" put the customer first. His out-the-box thinking and solutions based on adapting the processes to people have delivered exponential improvements to my team, and my company. It has been a pleasure collaborating  and working with someone of his caliber, and I look forward to the continued use of his expertise for many more years"

- Marco Yepez, Vice-President of Operations Excellence

The NExt Ascent MEthod: A Mountaineering Approach

My techniques for problem solving are derived from mountaineering disciplines and combines them with professional frameworks from product and project management. In short:

  1. Establish Goals Early and Map the Route

  2. Safety Check to Confirm Integrity of Failure Points

  3. Iterate and Course-Correct Gracefully when Facing New Obstacles Along the Way

  4. Look Both Towards the Horizon, and How Far You’ve Come

  5. Clear Communication - Always

A Healthy Fear of Heights

Having a healthy fear of heights can instill a heightened sense of caution and awareness, ensuring safer navigation in high places. When we confront and manage this fear, we develop resilience and a deeper appreciation for challenges that push boundaries.

Putting Trust In your Team

We climb higher as a team than alone, but no successful mission was ever completed without trust. Our mutual reliance forms the foundation for navigating the unpredictable challenges that arise and to achieve shared goals. Without trust, we artificially limit our collective strengths