Industrial Engineering Manager

Summary of Position

The Industrial Engineering Manager is responsible for the industrialization of all Anderson-engineered product, converting released engineering designs into manufacturing processes that are complete, accurate, cost-effective and repeatable. The role leads the Industrial Engineering team and serves as the primary link between Design Engineering, Operations, Quality and Supply Chain for how Anderson product is built. The manager owns the accuracy and upkeep of every manufacturing routing and standard (operations, work centers, process times, setup times, outside services and raw material definition and cost), leads design-for-manufacturability reviews on new and revised product, directs the disposition of nonconforming product in line with Anderson International processes and standards, and provides industrial engineering support to the continuous improvement, 5S and lean manufacturing efforts led by the Quality & Continuous Improvement department.

Responsibilities

Industrialization & Design for Manufacturability

• Own the industrialization of all Anderson-engineered product (ETO, CTO and MTS), ensuring master routings, raw material definitions and tooling and fixturing requirements are established and maintained.
• Lead formal design-for-manufacturability (DFM) reviews with Design Engineering before drawing release, confirming each part can be machined, welded, fabricated, heat treated, ground and assembled with Anderson’s equipment, capabilities and suppliers.
• Identify and document design changes that reduce cost, operations, setups, unnecessarily tight tolerances and lead time without affecting form, fit or function, and track each recommendation to an approved decision.
• Lead make vs. buy analysis for new and existing parts using capacity, cost and lead-time data, and present recommendations to Operations and Supply Chain.
• Ensure work instructions, fixturing, tooling and inspection requirements are defined for new product, and that first-article results are reviewed and closed out.

Routings, Standards & Costing Accuracy

• Ensure routings are set up and maintained for all manufactured product, including outside services and raw materials, and hold the Industrial Engineering team responsible for keeping them complete and current.
• Own the accuracy of all manufacturing standards in the ERP: operations and sequence, work centers, process (run) times, setup times, outside service operations and bills of material.
• Help process Engineering Change Orders (ECOs), ensuring routings and standards are updated accurately and on time, and that work in process (WIP) affected by the change is updated or receives a final disposition.
• Ensure raw material is correctly defined for every manufactured part (material grade/specification, form, size, cut length and quantity per part) and that raw material cost on the bill of material is current.
• Ensure outside service operations (e.g., heat treat, plating, coating, grinding) are defined in the routing with the correct supplier, specification, lead time and cost, in coordination with Supply Chain.
• Establish and maintain a documented method for setting standards on new work, and a review schedule that compares standard to actual performance, prioritizing high-volume and high-variant parts.
• Partner with Accounting to ensure standards support accurate product costing under Anderson’s costing method; investigate and explain standard-driven cost variances and correct the root cause.
• Provide Sales and Estimating with documented labor, outside service and material estimates for new quotes and engineered orders.

Lot Sizing & Safety Stock

• Establish economic cycle quantities for manufactured parts, balancing setup cost against inventory cost, to ensure accurate costing and profitability.
• Review minimum and maximum lot sizes on a regular basis and adjust them as demand, setup times and costs change.
• Adjust safety stock levels as forecasts are submitted by Sales, in coordination with Supply Chain and Production Planning.

Nonconforming Product

• Lead the engineering disposition of nonconforming product to use as is, rework/repair to manufacture, scrap or return to vendor, while ensuring every deviation is captured, documented and approved in alignment with Anderson International processes and standards.
• Ensure each disposition includes engineering justification, any required rework or repair instructions, and the impact on form, fit, function and customer requirements.
• Ensure repair and rework work orders are created for nonconforming product so rework labor and material are captured.
• Ensure dispositions are completed within the timeframe defined by Anderson’s nonconforming material process so production and shipments are not held up.
• Partner with Quality, Operations and suppliers on root cause and corrective action, and ensure drawings, routings, work instructions and standards are updated so the same nonconformance does not repeat.
• Track and report nonconformance trends by part, process and supplier to drive engineering corrective action.

Supplier Qualification

• Assess and approve manufacturing control plans submitted by suppliers.
• Help perform supplier site audits to qualify suppliers for AIC’s Approved Supplier List (ASL).

Continuous Improvement Support (5S & Lean)

• Support the continuous improvement, 5S and lean manufacturing objectives led by the Quality & Continuous Improvement department with industrial engineering resources, data and analysis.
• Provide industrial engineering input on improvement projects for cycle time, setup reduction, flow, layout, ergonomics, safety and quality, and ensure resulting changes are reflected in routings and standards.
• Provide engineering analysis for capital equipment justification, plant layout changes and new equipment launches, including updating routings and standards when processes move to new equipment.
• Use labor reporting, scrap, variance and throughput data to identify priorities and verify results.

Leadership & Team Management

• Hire, train and develop two Industrial Engineers and hold them responsible for their work; set written priorities, assign ownership by product line or area, and review performance against department KPIs.
• Assign and balance industrial engineering workload across product lines and shifts, including support for 3rd shift.
• Set, track and report department KPIs, such as routing completeness, standards accuracy (standard vs. actual), on-time release to production, nonconformance disposition time and open nonconformance aging.
• Attend the daily Gemba walk and contribute to the immediate priorities of safety, manufacturing and production.
• Represent Industrial Engineering in production, engineering, project and ERP meetings, and elevate risks to schedule, cost or quality early.
• Ensure the Industrial Engineering team supports the Manufacturing Manager, Production Managers and direct labor with technical questions on drawings, work instructions and standard operating procedures for equipment.
• Support the production floor directly, and provide technical support and guidance to the Director of Operations, Manufacturing Manager and CNC programmers.

Preferred Education/Experience/Skills

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial, Manufacturing or Mechanical Engineering, or related field. Equivalent hands-on manufacturing engineering experience will be considered.

Experience

• 8+ years of manufacturing or industrial engineering experience in a metalworking or capital equipment environment, with at least 3 years leading engineers or technical staff.
• Prior knowledge of machining, welding, fabricating, assembly, heat treat and grinding is required.
• Proven experience building and maintaining routings and bills of material, setting labor standards, defining outside services and raw material, and supporting product costing.
• Proven experience leading nonconforming material review and engineering disposition.
• Experience with moderately large, fairly complex production of mechanical capital equipment is required.
• Experience in an ETO / CTO / low-volume, high-mix environment strongly preferred.

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong blueprint reading and GD&T; working knowledge of CAD (SolidWorks or similar) and CNC programming concepts.
• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems, including routing, bill of material and costing functions (Epicor experience a plus).
• Root cause analysis and problem-solving tools; working knowledge of lean manufacturing and 5S.
• Proficient in Excel and data analysis.
• Strong leader and communicator, comfortable on the shop floor and in front of leadership; able to hold people responsible and work across departments.

Personnel Supervised

Direct

Two (2) Industrial Engineers

Indirect

None

Physical Requirements

• Work is split between the office and the manufacturing plant floor, including daily Gemba walks.
• Exposure to noise, moving machinery, metal chips, coolant, welding fumes, heat and other typical manufacturing conditions. Required PPE (safety glasses, hearing protection, safety shoes) must be worn in the plant.
• Must be able to stand and walk for extended periods, climb stairs and ladders, and lift up to 50 lbs.
• Occasional 3rd shift presence and occasional travel to suppliers and customers as needed.

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all the responsibilities, duties, and skills required for the position. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

It is the policy of AIC that no employee or applicant will be discriminated against because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status or disability.