Mechanical Engineer

Mechanical Engineer – Product Design, Manufacturing & Automation

Company: Thompson Fabricating

Position Summary

Thompson Fabricating is seeking a hands-on Mechanical Engineer to improve the design, quality, manufacturability, and performance of our roll-off containers, front-load containers, compactors, and specialty waste equipment.

This role combines product engineering, CAD and drawing management, manufacturing process improvement, and automation. The successful candidate will work closely with production employees, purchasing, sales, equipment suppliers, and company leadership to build better products, increase capacity, and deliver measurable improvements in productivity and cost.

Key ResponsibilitiesProduct Design and Engineering

• Improve existing designs for durability, performance, manufacturability, material utilization, and cost while maintaining Thompson's quality standards.
• Develop new container, compactor, and specialty equipment designs based on customer requirements and market opportunities.
• Engineer structural components, weldments, hinges, doors, latches, lifting points, and other critical features.
• Standardize products and components to reduce unnecessary variation and support efficient, repeatable manufacturing.
• Develop prototypes, coordinate testing, and incorporate production feedback and field-performance findings into design improvements.
• Investigate product-quality issues, identify root causes, and implement corrective actions.
• Ensure designs meet applicable industry, customer, safety, and transportation requirements.

CAD and Engineering Documentation

• Create and maintain accurate 3D CAD models, 2D drawings, product specifications, and bills of materials.
• Establish and manage drawing controls, revision histories, and engineering change procedures.
• Ensure production teams have current, approved drawings and clear manufacturing instructions.
• Convert legacy drawings and undocumented shop knowledge into standardized engineering documentation.
• Develop configurable or parametric designs for recurring product variations.
• Coordinate engineering changes with production, purchasing, sales, and quality, including updates to ERP records.

Manufacturing Process Improvement

• Evaluate fabrication, welding, assembly, material handling, and finishing processes to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Improve plant layout, workflow, tooling, fixtures, and production methods to increase throughput and reduce bottlenecks.
• Design jigs, fixtures, and error-proofing solutions that improve consistency and reduce production time.
• Apply lean manufacturing and structured problem-solving methods to reduce scrap, rework, and process variability.
• Establish measurable standards for cycle time, labor hours, quality, and production capacity.
• Work directly on the shop floor to develop, implement, and sustain practical improvements with production teams.

Manufacturing Automation

• Identify and prioritize automation opportunities based on operational readiness and measurable return on investment.
• Develop equipment specifications and business cases for robotic welding, material handling, cutting, forming, and other automated processes.
• Support vendor selection, system design, integration, installation, and commissioning.
• Ensure automation is supported by standardized designs, appropriate fixtures, and repeatable manufacturing processes.
• Coordinate with equipment manufacturers, automation integrators, and production personnel.
• Support employee training, troubleshooting, and equipment documentation.
• Monitor reliability, utilization, quality, and output to verify results and guide further improvements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• At least three years of experience in mechanical design, manufacturing engineering, or industrial equipment production.
• Strong proficiency in 3D CAD modeling and 2D engineering drawings; SolidWorks experience preferred.
• Experience designing fabricated steel products, weldments, industrial equipment, or heavy-duty structures.
• Practical knowledge of welding, forming, cutting, assembly, tolerances, material selection, and design for manufacturability.
• Experience managing drawings, bills of materials, revisions, and engineering changes.
• Demonstrated ability to improve manufacturing productivity, quality, or cost.
• Ability to manage multiple projects from concept through production implementation.
• Strong analytical, communication, project-management, and problem-solving skills.
• Comfortable working regularly on the manufacturing floor and collaborating directly with production employees.

Preferred Experience

• Waste containers, compactors, truck bodies, trailers, or material-handling equipment.
• Robotic welding, automated fabrication, programmable manufacturing equipment, or systems integration.
• Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, value-stream mapping, or continuous improvement.
• Finite element analysis and structural design.
• ERP, product lifecycle management, or engineering document-control systems.
• Capital-equipment justification, vendor selection, installation, and commissioning.

Measures of Success

Performance will be evaluated through measurable results in:

• Product durability, quality, and field performance.
• Manufacturing throughput and production capacity.
• Labor efficiency, material utilization, scrap, and rework.
• Accuracy and control of CAD drawings, bills of materials, and engineering documentation.
• Standardization of product designs and components.
• Automation implementation, reliability, utilization, and financial return.
• Engineering project completion against agreed schedules and budgets.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate enjoys both engineering design and hands-on manufacturing work. This individual listens to experienced production employees, understands how fabricated steel products are built, and translates engineering concepts into practical shop-floor improvements. They bring discipline to engineering documentation, take ownership of implementation, and help Thompson strengthen product quality, expand capacity, and advance its manufacturing capabilities.