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Sundar Lal, Manufacturing Manager – Strategic Operations & Manufacturing Improvement

Sundar Lal

Manufacturing Manager – Strategic Operations & Manufacturing Improvement·Mataura Valley Milk (Open Country Dairy, previously a2 Milk Group)

New Zealand

Higher diploma, Viticulture

Work experience

Total years of experience: 16 years, 3 months

Manufacturing Manager – Strategic Operations & Manufacturing Improvement

August 2022 - February 2026

Mataura Valley Milk (Open Country Dairy, previously a2 Milk Group)

Gore, New Zealand

August 2022 - February 2026

Senior operational leader responsible for a $200M+ specialised dairy manufacturing business unit producing up to 160 MT/day of high-value milk powder products, with accountability for operational delivery, financial performance, asset strategy, team capability, and strategic business improvement.

• Contributed to a significant reduction in EBITDA losses, delivering $8M+ business improvement (FY23-FY25).
• Delivered $2M performance improvement initiatives, including cost-of-quality, composition, and operational loss reduction.
• Established proactive Asset Care Strategy, improving reliability and long-term operational performance.
• Led organisational redesign and change programme delivering $500K savings while improving workforce capability and engagement.
• Improved employee engagement by 20%, achieving a strong FY25 engagement score of 75.
• Site leadership role in New Zealand’s first high-pressure electrode boiler milk processing project, reducing emissions by 22, 000 tonnes CO₂e annually.

Company industry:
Dairy Production
Job role:
Manufacturing

Process Manager

July 2018 - June 2022

Fonterra Edendale

Gore, New Zealand

July 2018 - June 2022

Led large-scale dairy manufacturing operations within a $1B business unit producing up to 1, 000 MT/day across nutritional, protein, and commodity powder streams, with accountability for operational excellence, people leadership, safety, quality, and financial performance.

• Delivered $4M annual cost-of-quality improvement through manufacturing optimisation and improved process capability.
• Improved plant uptime to 96% and extended CIP operating cycles from 10 days to 21+ days.
• Led operational reliability improvements resolving long-standing production constraints and plant losses.
• Strengthened customer complaint investigation systems and stakeholder responsiveness.
• Contributed nationally through workforce planning and operational best-practice communities.

Company industry:
Dairy Production
Job role:
Manufacturing

Environmental Manager

December 2014 - June 2018

Fonterra Edendale

Gore, New Zealand

December 2014 - June 2018

Senior environmental and stakeholder leader responsible for strategic sustainability, compliance, regional engagement, and operational environmental performance across one of New Zealand’s largest dairy processing sites.

• Leadership role in the $157M InteGreat wastewater and irrigation capital programme.
• Achieved the site’s first ISO 14001 accreditation.
• Led regional environmental improvement initiatives across water, waste, chemical, and energy reduction.
• Successfully achieved irrigation re-consenting and implemented Whole Farm Management Plans.
• Led strategic relationships with iwi, councils, neighbours, businesses, and community groups.

Company industry:
Dairy Production
Job role:
Farming and Agriculture

Commissioning Shift Manager – Greenfield Start-up & Manufacturing Readiness

November 2009 - July 2015

Fonterra

Christchurch, New Zealand

November 2009 - July 2015

Production readiness and commissioning leader for major greenfield dairy manufacturing assets, including team build, systems implementation, operational readiness, and rapid scale-up to full production capability.

• Key leader in commissioning Darfield Drier 1 & 2 from greenfield to full operational readiness.
• Recruited and developed the manufacturing team, established systems and training, and achieved full capacity within eight weeks.
• Supported commissioning of Edendale Dryer 4 and ongoing operational optimisation.
• Contributed to first-site FSSC 22000 accreditation.

Company industry:
Dairy Production
Job role:
Manufacturing

Education

Lincoln University

December 1996

December 1996

Higher diploma, Viticulture

New Zealand

University of Otago

December 1995

December 1995

Bachelor's degree, Consumer & Applied Science (Food Science)

New Zealand

Skills

COMMISSIONING
Intermediate
COMMISSIONING
Intermediate
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
Intermediate
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
Intermediate
CONCEPTUALIZATION
Intermediate
CONCEPTUALIZATION
Intermediate
EQUIPMENT SELECTION
Intermediate
EQUIPMENT SELECTION
Intermediate
MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS
Intermediate
MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS
Intermediate
OPERATIONS
Intermediate
OPERATIONS
Intermediate
OVERALL EQUIPMENT EFFECTIVENESS
Intermediate
OVERALL EQUIPMENT EFFECTIVENESS
Intermediate
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Intermediate
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Intermediate
SUPPLIER MANAGEMENT
Intermediate
SUPPLIER MANAGEMENT
Intermediate
SUPPLY CHAIN
Intermediate
SUPPLY CHAIN
Intermediate

Languages

English
Native Speaker