Tool Crib Manager

POSITION OVERVIEW The Tool Crib Manager creates and then operates Coastal's tooling control function. Coastal does not currently have a tool crib — perishable tooling, tool assemblies, and workholding components are managed informally at the point of use. This role exists to establish centralized control over that inventory: what is stocked, what it costs, where it is, and which job consumed it. The role also assumes execution of in-house gage calibration and calibration recall administration currently performed by the Quality Planner, returning that capacity to in-depth quality planning.
This is a control and ownership function, not a stockroom support role. The crib is built as a system rather than a room: the crib established at this site is the model a second Coastal site will stand up against, and it is documented to that standard. Two boundaries are deliberate and are stated explicitly in the responsibilities below. Calibration is performed under procedures owned by Quality, and out-of-tolerance disposition remains a Quality determination. Workholding is physically controlled and issued against a standard owned by Manufacturing Engineering. In both cases this role owns execution and physical control while system ownership and disposition authority remain with the owning function.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Tool Crib Build-Out & Standard

• Establishes the tool crib from initial state — physical layout, secured access, storage and identification conventions, and stocking scope.
• Builds the crib as a replicable model. Layout logic, ProShop configuration, identification and numbering conventions, and min/max methodology are documented so a second Coastal site can stand up against the standard rather than reinventing it.
• Defines and documents crib operating procedures: coverage hours, issue and return process, staging against upcoming jobs, and escalation when tooling is unavailable.
• Treats crib responsiveness as a design requirement — the controlled path must be faster for a machinist than working around it.
• Executes the build against an agreed phased sequence and reports progress against it.

Tooling Transaction Control

• Owns job-level issue and return of perishable tooling, transacted in ProShop so that tooling consumption is attributable to the job that consumed it.
• Maintains the integrity of the tooling transaction data relied on by Estimating and Finance for tool cost per job; identifies and corrects reconciliation variances.
• Performs periodic physical inventory reconciliation and reports variance with root cause, not count alone.
• Trains the floor on the process and the reason for it, and drives adoption rather than announcing policy.
• Escalates sustained non-compliance with the transaction process to the Director of Manufacturing rather than absorbing it.

Tooling Inventory & Procurement Support

• Establishes and maintains min/max levels and reorder triggers by tool class, adjusted to actual consumption rather than initial assumption.
• Coordinates with Purchasing on replenishment, lead time, expediting, and vendor stocking or consignment programs where they reduce cost or downtime.
• Identifies obsolete, duplicate, and slow-moving inventory and proposes rationalization.
• Supports tooling standardization with Manufacturing Engineering and Programming to reduce the number of distinct items the shop must carry.
• Provides tooling cost and availability input to Estimating on request.

Tool Assembly & Presetting

• Builds tool assemblies to documented specification — holder, insert, orientation, torque, and assembly length — using approved measurement methods.
• Establishes and maintains the assembly library and the documented specifications assemblies are built to, in coordination with Programming and Manufacturing Engineering.
• Delivers assemblies staged against upcoming jobs to support off-line setup preparation and setup-time reduction.
• Future phase: defines operational requirements and acceptance criteria for a tool presetter and owns presetting operations once the capability is established. Technical specification and vendor evaluation for capital equipment remain with Manufacturing Engineering; the purchase decision remains with the CEO.

Gage Control & Calibration Execution

• Performs in-house calibration of inspection and measuring equipment by executing Quality-approved procedures against traceable standards. Does not author or modify calibration procedures.
• Administers the calibration recall system in ProShop — due-date tracking, removal of equipment from service when due, quarantine of overdue or suspect equipment, and record maintenance.
• Coordinates outside accredited calibration services, including shipment, tracking, and receipt and review of certificates for completeness.
• Controls gage issue and return and maintains custody records.
• Immediately quarantines and reports out-of-tolerance or suspect equipment to the Director of Quality. Out-of-tolerance disposition and product-impact determination are Quality accountabilities and are not made in this role.
• Honors and enforces Quality's stop/hold authority on calibration status. Equipment that is overdue or out-of-tolerance remains out of service regardless of production pressure.
• Supports the Quality Planner's periodic verification of calibration records.

Workholding & Fixture Control

• Maintains physical control, storage, identification, and issue of fixtures and workholding components.
• Issues workholding against the workholding standard owned by Manufacturing Engineering; does not set that standard.
• Tracks fixture condition, reports damage and wear, and coordinates repair or replacement.
• Maintains records of fixture location and job association.

Scope Exclusion
General hand tools, shop supplies, and non-tooling consumables are not within the scope of the tool crib. [ Confirm the owning function — see Open Items. ]

TOOLS & SYSTEMS

• ProShop ERP / QMS — tooling inventory, tooling transactions, gage records, and calibration recall
• Tool and gage identification and labeling systems
• Precision measuring equipment — micrometers, calipers, height gages, indicators, and gage blocks
• Coastal calibration procedures (Quality-owned)
• Current AS9100 revision requirements applicable to control of monitoring and measuring equipment
• Tool presetting equipment (future phase)
• Vendor catalogs and procurement portals; Microsoft Office

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Screen-out criteria only.

• Machining background sufficient to identify cutting tools, holders, and workholding by type and application, and to build tool assemblies correctly without supervision.
• Demonstrated inventory control experience in a manufacturing environment, including min/max and reorder practice.
• Working proficiency with an ERP system for inventory transactions.
• Precision measurement competency — correct use of micrometers, calipers, indicators, and gage blocks at appropriate resolution.
• Documented-process discipline — able to execute a written procedure exactly as written and maintain accurate, auditable records.
• U.S. Person status

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior tool crib or tooling management ownership, particularly a crib stood up from initial state
• Tool presetting experience (Zoller, Speroni, Elbo Controlli, or similar)
• Experience performing in-house calibration under a documented quality system
• AS9100 or ISO 9001 manufacturing environment experience
• Direct ProShop experience
• Familiarity with tooling for 5-axis milling and large-envelope turning
• Experience with vendor-managed inventory or consignment programs
• Job kitting experience

BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS

• Holds a process against pressure — does not release uncontrolled tooling or overdue gages because a job is hot.
• Builds credibility on the floor by being useful and fast, not by citing policy.
• Remains accurate under interruption; the crib is a high-traffic seat with competing demands.
• Drives adoption of a new process among experienced machinists who have not previously been required to comply.
• Escalates rather than absorbs — surfaces non-compliance and stockouts instead of quietly working around them.
• Sets the standard of order in the crib without being asked to.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs [ confirm ] ; heavier fixtures handled with assistance or lifting equipment.
• Extended standing and walking; frequent bending, reaching, and climbing to access storage.
• Shop floor environment — machine noise, coolant mist, metal chips, and variable temperature.
• Hearing protection, eye protection, and safety footwear required on the floor.
• Repetitive handling of small components and precision instruments.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

The Tool Crib Manager is successful when tooling stops being a source of unplanned downtime and starts being a source of data. At six months the crib is stood up and operating: tooling is stocked to levels that reflect actual consumption, machinists get what they need faster through the crib than around it, and the share of tooling consumption captured against a job is high enough that Estimating can rely on tool cost per job. Physical inventory reconciles within a stated tolerance, and variances have explained causes rather than assumed ones. Calibration has transferred cleanly — recall is current, no equipment is in service overdue, records withstand audit, and the Quality Planner's time has genuinely returned to quality planning. Tool assemblies are built to specification and staged ahead of setups rather than assembled at the machine. And the crib is documented well enough that a second site could be stood up against it by someone other than the person who built it.