Fabrication Team Lead - Houston, TX

Fabrication Floor Lead

Crane Structural Fabrication

Location: Houston, Texas
Company: Konecranes

Position Summary

Konecranes is seeking a hands-on Fabrication Team Lead to lead fabrication personnel responsible for the manufacturing of custom-engineered crane structures, including bridge girders, end trucks, trolley frames, platforms, walkways, machinery structures, and other welded assemblies used in overhead and gantry crane systems.

The Fabrication Foreman is responsible for the safe, efficient, and high-quality execution of all fabrication activities, including material preparation, fit-up, welding, dimensional verification, and structural assembly. This position provides direct leadership to fabrication employees and is accountable for safety, productivity, quality, schedule adherence, and workmanship.

Success in this role requires a visible leader who actively engages on the shop floor, promotes accountability, and ensures all fabricated structures meet engineering requirements, dimensional tolerances, and applicable welding standards, including AWS D14.1. The ideal candidate understands that crane manufacturing demands exceptional precision, weld quality, and structural integrity to ensure safe and reliable operation in the field.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and direct welders, fitters, fabricators, and production personnel.
• Establish clear performance expectations and hold employees accountable for safety, quality, productivity, and attendance.
• Promote a culture of craftsmanship, ownership, discipline, and continuous improvement.
• Provide coaching, training, and development opportunities for fabrication employees.
• Support employee development and succession planning within the department.
• Foster teamwork and collaboration between Fabrication, Engineering, Quality, Planning, and Assembly teams.
• Maintain a visible presence on the shop floor and actively support daily operations.

Fabrication Operations

• Oversee fabrication, fit-up, welding, grinding, structural assembly, and material handling activities.
• Coordinate manpower, equipment, and resources to meet production schedules and customer delivery commitments.
• Monitor workflow and remove obstacles impacting productivity and throughput.
• Ensure fabrication processes are executed in accordance with approved drawings, work instructions, and welding procedures.
• Manage daily production priorities and communicate progress, risks, and resource needs to management.
• Drive labor efficiency while maintaining quality and safety expectations.
• Coordinate with engineering and quality personnel to resolve fabrication issues and drawing discrepancies.

Welding Quality & Structural Integrity

• Ensure all welding activities are performed in accordance with approved Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS), quality requirements, and AWS D14.1 standards.
• Verify weld quality through proper fit-up, joint preparation, welding practices, and visual inspection standards.
• Ensure welders maintain required qualifications and certifications.
• Drive first-pass weld quality and minimize weld repairs and rework.
• Review weld defects, nonconformances, and repair activities and implement corrective actions.
• Work closely with Quality personnel to ensure compliance with inspection and testing requirements.
• Promote workmanship standards that result in safe, structurally sound crane components.

• Quality & Dimensional Control

• Ensure fabricated structures meet engineering drawings, specifications, and customer requirements.
• Maintain strict control of dimensional tolerances, structural alignment, and fabrication accuracy.
• Verify girder geometry, wheel alignment, rail alignment, span dimensions, camber requirements, and structural squareness.
• Ensure fabricated components transition to assembly operations without quality-related delays.
• Drive first-time quality and reduce fabrication-related rework.
• Support root-cause analysis and implementation of corrective actions for recurring quality issues.
• Ensure all required inspection documentation and production records are completed accurately.

• Safety Leadership

• Lead and promote a strong safety-first culture throughout fabrication operations.
• Ensure compliance with all Konecranes safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Conduct routine safety observations, audits, and corrective actions.
• Promote safe welding, cutting, rigging, lifting, and material handling practices.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and efficient work environment utilizing 5S principles.
• Actively investigate incidents, near misses, and unsafe conditions and implement corrective measures.

*This position will be located on the factory floor

Qualifications

Desired Qualifications

• Experience leading fabrication, welding, structural steel, heavy equipment, or industrial manufacturing operations.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and develop hourly production personnel.
• Thorough understanding of welding processes, fabrication methods, and structural assembly techniques.
• Working knowledge of AWS D14.1 welding requirements and quality standards.
• Ability to read and interpret fabrication drawings, weld symbols, inspection reports, and engineering documentation.
• Experience with dimensional inspection, alignment verification, and structural tolerance control.
• Strong problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Crane manufacturing, structural steel fabrication, bridge construction, heavy equipment, or similar experience preferred.

What Success Looks Like

• Consistent achievement of fabrication schedules and production targets.
• High first-pass weld acceptance rates.
• Reduced weld repairs, rework, and quality escapes.
• Compliance with AWS D14.1 and Konecranes workmanship standards.
• Improved labor productivity and fabrication efficiency.
• Strong employee accountability, engagement, and development.
• Safe, organized, and disciplined fabrication operations.
• Delivery of structurally sound, dimensionally accurate crane components ready for assembly.

Additional Information

What we offer:

Benefits: Medical Plan, Dental, Vision, 401k plan with a match from day one, identity theft protection, accident insurance, travel insurance and so much more!

Vacation: 2 weeks of vacation per year (pro-rated for the first year depending on start date). 5-12 years of service, 3 weeks. 13+ years of service, 4 weeks.

Sick Leave: 5 days of Sick Leave per year. Pro-rated the first year after 90 days of service

Holidays: 10 paid holidays per year

Konecranes moves what matters . Konecranes is a global leader in material handling solutions, serving a broad range of customers across multiple industries. We consistently set the industry benchmark, from everyday improvements to the breakthroughs at moments that matter most, because we know we can always find a safer, more productive and sustainable way. That's why, with 16 000+ professionals in over 50 countries, we are trusted every day to lift, handle and move what the world needs.