Indiana Consulting and Trade

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About ICT

Engineering and manufacturing, on your side of the table

ICT engineering and manufacturing – our team has the expertise and connections needed to navigate complex international sourcing challenges.

Experience & Proccesses

Today’s index value, growth year-to-date, and change vs Jan 1 one and five years back, pulled live from FRED (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index series). Each label links to the full FRED chart.

65+

Years combined exec. experience

6

Core manufacturing processes

4+

Sourcing regions

32

Countries

6

Industries served

Executive Track Record

Overseas Issues, Feet on the Ground is Needed

Chief Executive Officer

Indiana Trade & Consulting — After successfully launching STRATIC and staying on board for close to five years breaking even in just 1.5, Michael decided to branch out on his own, founding Indiana Trade & Consulting as an executive procurement consulting, global sourcing, and contract manufacturing advisory firm with full P&L responsibility.

Executive Vice President

STRATIC Global Sourcing (An Oscar Winski Company) — Michael was given the opportunity to help lead a turnaround at Oscar Winski’s Lafayette Steel and Aluminum company, leading engineering, purchasing, and scheduling and playing an influential role in the company’s AX 365 reimplementation. After that work, the owners gave him the opportunity to build a private company, STRATIC Global Sourcing and Consulting, where he went on to build a global procurement consulting business, direct a business unit to the company’s highest portfolio gross margin (29% vs. an industry average of 15–22%), and establish 30 exclusive vendors within 24 months serving Fortune 500 clients across the EU and USA.

Vice President

Oerlikon / Fairfield Manufacturing – Led global supply chain operations across 24 plants and 200+ suppliers, delivering $10M in savings through 500+ efficiency changes.


Douglas Autotech Corporation (now JTEKT) – Led engineering, purchasing, sales, IT, and program management through a turnaround and rapid sales expansion, culminating in the company’s sale to Toyota.

  • Risk Evaluation

ICT engineering and manufacturing – our team has the expertise and connections needed to navigate complex international sourcing challenges. Reach out and we’ll route you to the right person on the team.

  • Built into every program
  • Supplier financial & capacity vetting
  • Dual-source qualification for critical parts
  • Defined escalation path for quality escapes

Senior Director

Finish Line – Managed a $425M spend across 10,000+ SKUs, achieving $8M+ in first-year savings and directing negotiations for $110M in annual IT contracts.

Director

POLYWOOD LLC – Directs current procurement transformation, AI integration, and commodity structure as Director of Purchasing.


Zimmer Biomet – Overhauled global procurement systems managing $250M in spend across 5,000 SKUs, achieving a 13% cost reduction and founding an Asian sourcing office.

TPM & Black Belt Expertise

Michael’s Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Toyota Production System / Total Productive Maintenance certifications underpin how ICT approaches every engagement. That TPM and Black Belt foundation has carried across automotive, medical device, industrial, retail, and consumer goods work giving him the range to move fluidly between procurement, engineering, operations, IT, and program management, and to stand up the same disciplined, data-driven process improvements no matter the industry or department.

Industries We Serve

We’re confident that with a holistic network of solutions and extensive experience in manufacturing, engineering, consulting, recruiting, logistics, and turnkey services, we are the manufacturing team you need.

Our executive staff has over 65 years of combined experience across these industries, built at some of the most recognized names in global manufacturing.

Our executive team includes Michael Musleh, with 25 years of global purchasing experience spanning Fortune 500 companies down to privately, family-owned corporations. Our India staff is highly degreed, with backgrounds in metallurgy, mechanical engineering, and quality engineering.

01

Automotive

02

On/Off-Highway Truck

03

Industrial

04

Medical

05

Chemical

06

CPG Retail

07

Agricultural

08

Firearms

We’re confident that with a holistic network of solutions and extensive experience in manufacturing, engineering, consulting, recruiting, logistics, and turnkey services, we are the manufacturing team you need.

Our executive staff has over 65 years of combined experience across these industries, built at some of the most recognized names in global manufacturing.

Our executive team includes Michael Musleh, with 25 years of global purchasing experience spanning Fortune 500 companies down to privately, family-owned corporations. Our India staff is highly degreed, with backgrounds in metallurgy, mechanical engineering, and quality engineering.

Executive Experience By Industry

Automotive

  • ITT Industries
  • Jtekt
  • Husco

On/Off-Hwy Truck

  • Douglas Autotech
  • Jtekt
  • ZF
  • Husco
  • Hendrickson

Industrial

  • Fairfield
  • Graziano
  • Oerlikon
  • Dana
  • Hyva

Medical

  • Zimmer

Chemical

  • Ecolab

CPG Retail

  • Finish Line

Why ICT

What Makes ICT Different From Other Sourcing Consultants

Most contract manufacturing intermediaries broker transactions. ICT manages programs owning quality, logistics, trade risk, and supplier performance from RFQ through production. Here is what that difference looks like in practice.

Toyota Production System Built In

ICT’s CEO holds Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Toyota Production System / TPM certifications. These aren’t credentials on a wall, they define how every supplier is audited, how every program is structured, and how cost reduction targets are set and tracked.

On-the-Ground in 4 Sourcing Regions

ICT has regional offices in Indiana, Pune (India), Malaysia, Singapore, and China. Supplier audits, production oversight, and quality escalations are handled in-country not remotely from the US. That is the difference between managing a supplier and visiting one.

APQP / PPAP Managed by ICT, Not the Supplier

ICT manages the complete APQP and PPAP submission workflow dimensional reports, material certs, Cpk studies, control plans, DFMEAs to OEM documentation standards. Offshore suppliers do not submit their own PPAP to your team; ICT delivers it.

Executive-Level Spend Under Management

ICT’s team has managed $1.5B+ in sourcing spend across 10,000+ SKUs at companies including Zimmer Biomet, Finish Line, Oerlikon, JTEKT, and POLYWOOD. That depth means ICT recognizes program risk early before it becomes a schedule or cost problem.

Trade Risk Managed as Part of the Program

HTS classification, country-of-origin strategy, tariff exposure monitoring, and FX risk tracking are built into every import program not offered as an add-on. ICT tracks live FRED material cost indexes so landed-cost changes are anticipated, not discovered at invoice.

Dual-Source Qualification on Critical Parts

Every program that qualifies as critical receives dual-source qualification, a second vetted supplier capable of stepping into production without a quality or schedule gap. This is built into ICT’s standard program structure, not triggered only after a supply disruption.

Methodology

How ICT Manages a Global Sourcing or Contract Manufacturing Engagement New

Every ICT engagement follows a structured workflow derived from Toyota Production System principles and automotive APQP methodology. Here is the process from first contact through production delivery.

01

Program Scoping & Country Strategy

Review part prints, volume, quality standard, and target cost. ICT selects the sourcing region based on part family, process fit, lead-time requirement, and current tariff exposure not a default country preference.

02

Supplier Identification & On-Site Audit

ICT’s regional office teams conduct on-site supplier audits covering process capability, QMS documentation, production capacity, financial stability, and sub-tier supply chain. Suppliers are selected from a vetted network, not cold-sourced from directories.

03

DFM Review Before Tooling Commitment

Before tooling is placed, ICT reviews part prints for tolerance stack-up, material compatibility, process fit, and bend/geometry issues that would create rework or schedule problems. DFM findings are documented and carried into work instructions.

04

APQP / PPAP & First-Article Inspection

ICT manages the full APQP cycle and PPAP submission to OEM documentation standards including CMM dimensional reports, material certs, Cpk studies, control plans, and DFMEAs. First-article inspection is coordinated at the supplier, at a third-party house, or domestically.

05

Logistics, Customs & Trade Compliance

Freight routing, incoterms selection, HTS classification, and customs clearance are coordinated end-to-end. FX exposure and material cost indexes are tracked continuously against the program’s landed-cost model.

06

Production Monitoring & Continuous Improvement

Active programs are tracked via supplier scorecards on-time delivery, PPM defect rate, responsiveness. Corrective action requests are issued, tracked, and closed. Kaizen cycles are initiated to reduce cost and improve quality throughout the program life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions About Indiana Consulting & Trade New

What is Indiana Consulting and Trade, and what does ICT do?

Indiana Consulting and Trade (ICT) is a white-glove contract manufacturing and global sourcing consultancy based in Auburn, Indiana. ICT manages end-to-end manufacturing programs supplier identification, APQP/PPAP quality planning, logistics, trade risk mitigation, and continuous improvement across 32 countries for OEM manufacturers and Tier 1/2 automotive and industrial suppliers. The team brings 65+ years of combined executive experience and Toyota Production System methodology to every engagement.

ICT’s CEO Michael Musleh holds a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification and Toyota Production System / Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) credentials. These certifications are applied directly to supplier qualification frameworks, cost reduction methodologies, and program management structures across automotive, medical device, industrial, and retail programs not used as marketing credentials only.

ICT’s executive team has managed $1.5B+ in sourcing spend over their combined careers. Documented results include managing a $425M spend program at Finish Line with $8M+ in first-year savings, overhauling $250M in procurement at Zimmer Biomet with a 13% cost reduction, and delivering $10M in savings across 24 plants and 200+ suppliers at Oerlikon/Fairfield Manufacturing.

ICT’s headquarters is in Auburn, Indiana, with regional offices in Pune, India; Malaysia; Singapore; and China. These on-the-ground offices allow ICT to conduct in-country supplier audits, manage production oversight directly, and respond to quality escalations without relying on remote management from the United States.

ICT’s executives have verifiable experience at ITT Industries, Zimmer Biomet (medical), Oerlikon and Fairfield Manufacturing (industrial), Douglas Autotech / JTEKT (automotive/truck), Finish Line (CPG retail), POLYWOOD (consumer goods), Ecolab (chemical), and STRATIC Global Sourcing spanning automotive OEM, on/off-highway truck, industrial, medical, chemical, CPG retail, agricultural, and firearms sectors.

Work With ICT

Give Us Your Biggest Problems

Reach out and we’ll route you to the right person on the team or submit an RFQ with your program specs and we’ll respond within one business day.

Submit an RFQ
Contact Us