Production Supervisor

Location
Lake Mills,WI

Description

Our client, a leader in fiberglass tooling, fabrication, and manufacturing is seeking a Production Supervisorto add to their growing team. This role supervises a team of 20+ that works normal business hours, Monday through Friday, with supplementary OT hours when high production demands. The company includes a team of 70. The role pays in the $65K - $73K with discretionary bonus and a strong benefit plan. This role works onsite in Lake Mills, WI.

The key to this role is past experience leading daily manufacturing operations, with direct reports, and implanting LEAN/CI into a manufacturing environment. The incumbent will:

• Provide hands-on leadership to production teams, ensuring safe, efficient, and high-quality manufacturing of fiberglass composite components while meeting customer delivery requirements.
• Oversee molding operations, including mold preparation, fiberglass reinforcement placement, resin injection or lamination, curing, demolding, trimming, finishing, and inspection processes.
• Lead and supervise daily production activities to ensure safety, quality, production, and cost targets are achieved.
• Train, coach, mentor and evaluate employees - 20-25 direct reports
• Track daily production performance and ensure execution of planned production schedules.
• Monitor actual production results against established plans, schedules, labor requirements, and capacity targets.
• Identify gaps between planned and actual output and implement corrective actions to recover performance.
• Coordinate manpower, equipment, materials, and workflow to achieve production objectives.
• Assign work priorities and ensure operators follow standardized work instructions.
• Monitor production constraints, escalate issues, and drive timely resolution.
• Support production planning, scheduling, and capacity utilization.
• Provide regular updates to the Plant Manager regarding production performance, issues, staffing, and improvement opportunities.
• Drive accountability for achieving operational goals, quality expectations, and customer delivery requirements.
• Assure success in the 5 following areas:

1. Fiberglass Process Oversight

• Provide floor leadership for fiberglass molding operations, including:
  • Troubleshooting production issues associated with processes and equipment
  • Root cause analysis to identify and implement effective corrective actions
  • Ensure adherence to established process parameters and standard work procedures

1. Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Promote a culture of quality ownership and process discipline.
• Ensure compliance with customer specifications, quality standards, and manufacturing procedures.
• Partner with Quality and Engineering teams to resolve non-conformances and implement corrective actions.
• Lead continuous improvement/lean manufacturing initiatives focused on improving production performance:
  • Scrap reduction
  • Cycle time improvement
  • Labor efficiency
  • First-pass yield improvement
  • Process consistency/standardization

1. Team Development & Supervision

• Directly supervise production operators and manufacturing personnel.
• Train employees in processes, safety requirements, quality expectations, and standard work.
• Provide coaching, feedback, and performance management.
• Foster a culture of teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Support employee development and cross-training initiatives.
• Ensure appropriate staffing levels to meet production requirements.

1. Safety & Compliance

• Maintain a safe working environment through enforcement of company safety policies and procedures.
• Active participation in the identification of safety related concerns and corrective actions to improve overall safety (audits, safety committee, action items)
• Ensure proper handling of fiberglass materials, resins, catalysts, solvents, and related chemicals.
• Promote PPE compliance and safe work practices.
• Participate in safety investigations and corrective action activities.
• Support compliance with OSHA and company safety requirements.

1. Equipment & Maintenance Coordination

• Monitor production equipment performance, including molds/tooling, resin delivery systems, vacuum systems, injection equipment, cure/heating systems
• Coordinate with Maintenance and production teams to address equipment issues and support preventive maintenance activities.
• Identify opportunities to improve equipment reliability and production efficiency.

Qualifications

• 5+ years working/supervising employees in a manufacturing environment.
• 3+ years experience supervising a team of at least 5 employees.
• 3+ years experience working with LEAN manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Associates Degree or higher educational degree
• Demonstrated ability to improve processes, develop teams, track performance, and achieve production goals.
• Ability to learn and support fiberglass processes, materials, equipment, and production standards.
• Familiarity with manufacturing documentation, work instructions, and process controls.
• Ability to interpret basic drawings, specifications, and production requirements.
• Comfortable working hands-on in a manufacturing environment.

Preferred but not Required

• Bachelor's Degree
• Experience in composites, fiberglass manufacturing, molding, vacuum infusion, manufacturing processes, including LRTM or hand layup fiberglass techniques.

• Lean Six Sigma certification or equivalent continuous improvement training.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems and production reporting.
• Familiarity with quality systems and manufacturing documentation requirements.
• Familiarity with OSHA regulations and workplace safety standards

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk throughout a manufacturing environment for extended periods.
• Ability to lift and move materials up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to work around fiberglass materials, resins, and manufacturing equipment.
• Ability to wear required PPE, including respirators when required.