Manufacturing Engineer (Lean Manufacturing)
Summit Polymers is a leading, global supplier of automotive interior systems including consoles, door panels, and instrument panels. With over 50 years serving the industry, we deliver engineering and product excellence to our customers, on time, in budget, with the latest innovations. JOIN A TEAM WHERE YOU’LL BE CHALLENGED AND valued. A career with Summit Polymers means working with smart people in a culture that thrives on challenging, meaningful work. At Summit, we look for growth potential with every hire. We don’t just fill seats, we set people on career paths.
About the Role
The SLMS Engineer is a technical and plant floor focused leadership position with an emphasis on improving manufacturing operations across the plant using SLMS (Summit Lean Manufacturing System – developed from Toyota Production System). This position requires a hands-on person who prefers the plant floor to the cubicle, and who will develop a passion for implementing SLMS into the manufacturing processes. The successful engineer will be humble, willing to learn from shop floor experiences as well as from team members on the production lines. This position also requires strong analytical skills with the ability to gather and analyze information and make decisions based on that information. The successful candidate will be self-motivated, have project management and leadership skills, as well as the initiative and ability to get things done with and through others.
Responsibilities
- Lead the implementation of SLMS in all areas of the facility
- Conduct routine SLMS Audits and lead corresponding kaizen activities derived from the audits
- Analyze manufacturing methods for process improvement, work balance and cost reduction using kaizen mentality and standardized work development tools
- Teach SLMS principles and concepts in a classroom and shop floor environment to all plant employees from plant floor to plant management
- Lead and manage projects while working independently, including independent decision-making on the shop floor
- Develop and maintain plant floor layout(s)
- Occasional travel to other SPI plants
- Other duties as required by General Manager
Learning
- Understand the theory and application in all aspects of SLMS (Jidoka, JIT, stability, True North - standardized work, pull systems, problem solving, material and information flow etc.)
- Ability to identify and eliminate waste throughout the plant
- Gain broad range of experiences with different processes and environments
- Learn how to organize shop floor activities, how to coach others to “learn SLMS by doing”
- Combine classroom and shop floor learning
Requirements
- Engineering or related degree or 3 years experience in a manufacturing environment
- Possesses the ability to gather and analyze information and make decisions from a limited number of choices
- Ability to effectively communicate and coach all levels from plant floor operators to plant management
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office products including Excel and Word
- A minimum score of 50 on the Wonderlic Select Assessment (26 on the Cognitive section)
Travel
This position typically requires less than 5% travel.