Ray Harkins is a senior manufacturing leader, educator, and founder of The Manufacturing Academy, with more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing engineering, quality engineering and management, and operations leadership. He currently serves as a General Manager in manufacturing, overseeing operations, quality, engineering, and continuous improvement while remaining actively engaged in solving the day-to-day challenges faced by manufacturers.

After beginning his career in manufacturing engineering, Ray expanded into quality and operations leadership, working alongside leading industry professionals throughout North America and Japan and touring hundreds of manufacturing facilities. These experiences shaped his belief that manufacturing professionals deserve practical training that they can immediately apply to improve quality, productivity, and their careers.

That philosophy has guided the development of more than 60 online courses covering Lean Six Sigma, Statistical Process Control, Supply Chain Analytics, Manufacturing Leadership, Reliability Engineering, and Operations Management. His courses are used by individual professionals and corporate training departments worldwide and have helped more than 140,000 students build practical skills and advance their careers.

Ray's goal is simple: to make complex engineering and management concepts accessible, practical, and immediately useful. Every course is designed with the realities of the manufacturing floor in mind, emphasizing clear explanations, real-world examples, and practical application rather than theory alone.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Technology from the University of Akron, a Master of Science in Manufacturing Leadership and Project Management from Rochester Institute of Technology, and a Master of Business Administration from Youngstown State University. He also earned four certifications from the American Society for Quality (ASQ): Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Quality Auditor (CQA), Certified Quality Technician (CQT), and Certified Calibration Technician (CCT).

In addition to teaching, Ray has written extensively on quality engineering, manufacturing, and career development for national trade publications and industry organizations. Many of his courses are also available through Udemy Business for organizations seeking scalable, high-quality training solutions.