In this presentation Dean Kossila, Sr. Principle Business Solution Architect of Medtronic, and Frank Platt, Senior Director of Solution Management and Manufacturing of SAP, speak about:

  • Managing operations in real-time delivers a strategic advantage
  • Plant to enterprise integration speeds information flow
  • Touchscreen operations replace paper based processes
  • Quality management and guided procedures assure compliant manufacturing
  • Automated data collection minimizes errors
  • The growing importance of traceability

Dean Kossila is a senior principle business solution architect for Medtronic. Dean’s primary responsibility is the strategic direction and blueprint design for supply chain and manufacturing solutions globally for Medtronic. Previously, Dean was Sr. IT manager responsible for the deployment of SAP manufacturing solutions globally. Medtronic has plants in Asia, Europe, North and Central America running SAP Mii and SAP Me with footprint expanding yearly. Dean has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from North Dakota state University, and a master’s degree in software engineering from the University of St. Thomas St. Paul Minnesota. Dean is married with with three children, two grandchildren and is an avid baseball fan having played collegiately at NDSU.

Frank Platt is a Senior Director for SAP in the solutions area: Line of Business – Manufacturing. He joined SAP in 2005 as a part of the acquisition of Lighthammer, where he served as VP Sales and Marketing from its’ inception. Prior to Lighthammer, Frank served in Sales, Marketing and Management roles for a number of leading plant automation solution providers, including ABB, Bailey Controls and Leeds and Northrup. He has deep background in sensors, controls, process automation, and enterprise software. His current activities support the SAP manufacturing strategy across the globe, with a focus on the SAP MII solution.