Manufacturing Engineer

Description

Industrial Engineer

Reports To: Operations / Manufacturing Leadership

Position Summary

Featherlite is seeking an experienced Manufacturing Engineer to support and improve the manufacturing processes used to produce custom-engineered trailers and related assemblies.

This position will serve as a key link between Design Engineering and Manufacturing Operations, helping translate engineering designs, specifications, and bills of materials into practical, efficient, and well-documented manufacturing processes.

The Manufacturing Engineer will work directly with production personnel, engineering teams, and operational leadership to develop and improve manufacturing methods, establish consistent production documentation, resolve manufacturing challenges, and implement continuous improvement initiatives.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on, solutions-oriented engineer who understands the challenges of low-volume, high-variation manufacturing environments and can balance engineering requirements with the practical realities of the production floor.

This position will also play an important supporting role in the organization's continued development and implementation of manufacturing systems, including ERP, shop-floor data collection, and digital manufacturing documentation.

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Process Development

• Develop, document, and improve manufacturing processes for custom trailers, components, and subassemblies.
• Establish and maintain manufacturing routings, operation sequences, and work instructions in coordination with Engineering and Operations.
• Develop standardized Methods of Manufacturing (MoMs) for repeatable manufacturing activities while accommodating custom product requirements.
• Determine appropriate manufacturing methods, process sequences, tooling requirements, and equipment utilization.
• Evaluate manufacturability of engineering designs and recommend improvements that simplify production, reduce waste, and improve quality.
• Support the establishment of practical manufacturing standards, including process times, labor requirements, and production methods.
• Identify opportunities to standardize common manufacturing processes and assemblies across different trailer configurations.

Engineering-to-Manufacturing Coordination

• Serve as a technical liaison between Design Engineering and the manufacturing teams.
• Review engineering drawings, bills of materials, and product specifications for manufacturing readiness.
• Identify incomplete, conflicting, or impractical manufacturing information and coordinate resolution with the appropriate departments.
• Provide manufacturing feedback during design reviews and product development.
• Work with production personnel to identify and document field modifications, manufacturing deviations, and process improvements.
• Coordinate with Design Engineering to ensure approved changes are incorporated into the appropriate manufacturing documentation.
• Participate in pre-production reviews, production readiness meetings, and post-build evaluations.

Manufacturing Documentation and Work Instructions

• Develop and maintain clear, practical manufacturing work instructions and standard operating procedures.
• Define the manufacturing information required at each operation, including drawings, specifications, tools, materials, and quality checkpoints.
• Work with Engineering and document-control personnel to ensure production teams can access current, approved manufacturing documentation.
• Develop standardized templates and documentation practices that support consistent production execution.
• Support the transition from paper-based manufacturing documentation to controlled digital work instructions where appropriate.
• Help ensure manufacturing documentation accurately reflects approved production methods and actual shop-floor processes.

Production Support and Continuous Improvement

• Provide technical support to production personnel in resolving manufacturing process challenges.
• Investigate recurring production problems, rework, material waste, and process inefficiencies.
• Work collaboratively with supervisors and production teams to develop practical corrective actions and improvements.
• Evaluate manufacturing workflows, material handling, workstation layouts, and production sequences to identify improvement opportunities.
• Support improvements to tooling, fixtures, jigs, and manufacturing equipment.
• Assist with process validation and implementation of approved manufacturing changes.
• Establish appropriate process performance measures and support ongoing improvement efforts.

ERP and Manufacturing Systems Support

• Work with the ERP and implementation teams to establish and improve manufacturing-related data, including routings, operations, resource requirements, and labor standards.
• Support the development and maintenance of accurate manufacturing process information within Epicor Kinetic.
• Assist with the implementation and refinement of shop-floor data collection, digital work instructions, and Manufacturing Execution System (MES) workflows.
• Collaborate with Materials, Planning, and Operations to improve the relationship between manufacturing routings, material requirements, and production execution.
• Participate in pilot implementations, process testing, user feedback, and continuous improvement of manufacturing systems.
• Help develop practical, consistent standards for manufacturing data and process documentation.

The Manufacturing Engineer will serve as the subject-matter expert for manufacturing process requirements, while ERP system administration, software configuration, integrations, and technical support remain with designated IT/ERP personnel.

Quality and Process Consistency

• Collaborate with Quality and Engineering to identify manufacturing process controls and appropriate in-process inspection points.
• Support root-cause investigations and corrective actions involving manufacturing processes.
• Develop manufacturing processes and documentation that support consistent workmanship, traceability, and quality management requirements.
• Assist with manufacturing-related process standardization and continuous improvement activities supporting the organization's quality management objectives.
• Participate in applicable process audits and improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Technology, or a closely related field; equivalent relevant manufacturing experience will be considered.
• Approximately 5 or more years of experience in manufacturing engineering, manufacturing process development, or a related technical manufacturing role.
• Practical experience working in a production environment involving fabricated, assembled, or custom-engineered products.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, technical specifications, and bills of materials.
• Demonstrated experience developing or improving manufacturing processes, routings, work instructions, or production documentation.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing methods, tooling, fabrication, and assembly processes.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving abilities.
• Effective communication skills and ability to work collaboratively with engineers, production personnel, supervisors, and leadership.
• Ability and willingness to spend significant time on the manufacturing floor.

Preferred

• Experience in custom, engineer-to-order, make-to-order, or low-volume/high-mix manufacturing environments.
• Experience with trailer, vehicle, equipment, metal fabrication, or similar discrete manufacturing.
• Familiarity with Epicor Kinetic or another manufacturing ERP system.
• Experience establishing manufacturing routings, Methods of Manufacturing, labor standards, or resource requirements within an ERP.
• Familiarity with manufacturing execution systems, shop-floor data collection, or digital work instructions.
• Experience with Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Vault, or similar CAD/PDM systems.
• Experience with lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, root-cause analysis, and process improvement methodologies.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001 or structured quality management practices.
• Experience supporting new process or manufacturing technology implementation.

Skills and Attributes

The successful candidate will be:

• Hands-on and practical: Comfortable working directly with manufacturing personnel and understanding how products are actually built.
• Process-oriented: Able to turn informal practices and tribal knowledge into practical, repeatable processes.
• Collaborative: Effective at coordinating with employees across multiple departments without necessarily having direct supervisory authority.
• Detail-oriented: Capable of developing accurate production information while maintaining an understanding of the overall manufacturing process.
• Adaptable: Comfortable working in an environment where products and manufacturing requirements vary between projects.
• Improvement-focused: Able to identify meaningful improvements and implement solutions that provide measurable operational benefits.
• Technically capable: Comfortable working with engineering documentation, manufacturing systems, and production-related data.

Measures of Success

Performance will be evaluated through a combination of process improvements, operational outcomes, and successful collaboration, including:

• Improved accuracy and completeness of manufacturing routings and work instructions.
• Reduction in recurring manufacturing problems and preventable production rework.
• Improved communication and handoffs between Engineering and Operations.
• Increased availability of current, approved production documentation.
• Successful implementation of standardized manufacturing processes.
• Improved manufacturing process data supporting ERP and MES functionality.
• Measurable improvements in manufacturing efficiency, consistency, and production readiness.

Position Scope

This position is focused on manufacturing process engineering and improvement. It is not intended to replace the responsibilities of Design Engineering, Production Supervision, Quality Management, Materials Management, ERP Administration, or IT.

The Manufacturing Engineer will collaborate closely with these groups to improve manufacturing execution while supporting clearly defined departmental responsibilities.