Manufacturing Manager – Wiring Harness / Cable Assembly

About the Role

Celestix Industries is looking for a hands-on Production Manager to lead our wiring harness and cable assembly manufacturing operations. This is not a desk-only planning position. The person should understand the actual manufacturing process and be capable of managing production from raw wire and components through cutting, stripping, crimping, splicing, assembly, testing, inspection and final dispatch. We are looking for someone who can combine strong shop-floor execution with production planning, manpower management, quality control and continuous improvement.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have previous experience in wiring harness manufacturing, cable assembly, automotive electrical components, electrical assembly, wire processing, or similar high-volume assembly manufacturing.

Products you may work on include:

• Automotive wiring harnesses
• Industrial wiring harnesses
• Appliance wiring harnesses
• Power cables
• Battery cable assemblies
• Molded cable assemblies
• Braided cable assemblies
• Electrical cable assemblies
• Custom OEM harnesses
• High-current cable assemblies

Key Responsibilities

Production Planning & Execution

• Prepare daily, weekly and monthly production plans based on customer requirements
• Convert customer demand and open orders into realistic production schedules
• Allocate manpower, machines and material based on production priorities
• Ensure production targets are achieved on time
• Monitor production plan versus actual output
• Identify shortages or bottlenecks before they affect customer delivery
• Coordinate urgent customer requirements and priority production
• Maintain accurate visibility of WIP at each manufacturing stage

Wiring Harness Manufacturing Operations

The Production Manager should understand the complete manufacturing flow, including: wire cutting, wire stripping, crimping, terminal insertion, connector assembly, twisting, soldering, splicing, ultrasonic welding, harness routing, taping, braiding or sleeving, loom assembly, labeling, continuity testing, electrical testing, visual inspection, and final packing. Hands-on knowledge of several of these processes is expected.

Crimping & Wire Processing

Strong knowledge of wire processing is particularly valuable. The candidate should understand wire specifications, cutting lengths, strip lengths, terminal selection, crimping parameters, applicators, crimp height, pull-force requirements, conductor crimp, insulation crimp, terminal deformation, wire damage, crimp defects, and process setup. The Production Manager should be able to identify when a crimping process is not producing acceptable results and coordinate corrective action quickly.

Production Planning & Control

The role will work closely with PPC, Procurement, Stores and Planning. Responsibilities include production capacity planning, line loading, material readiness, WIP control, manpower planning, machine loading, dispatch prioritization, production backlog monitoring, daily production reviews, and delivery-risk escalation. The objective is simple: production problems should be identified before they become delivery problems.

Manpower & Shop-Floor Management

Lead and develop a manufacturing team including production engineers, supervisors, line leaders, operators, technicians, and helpers. Responsibilities include daily manpower allocation, skill-matrix management, operator training, productivity monitoring, attendance and absenteeism coordination, shift planning, performance management, shop-floor discipline, and escalation of manpower shortages. The candidate must be comfortable spending significant time on the production floor.

Productivity & Line Balancing

Continuously improve manufacturing output through line balancing, workstation optimization, cycle-time reduction, takt-time analysis, bottleneck removal, layout improvement, better operator utilization, jig and fixture development, automation, work-content balancing, and standardized work. Track output in measurable terms rather than only relying on general observations.

Quality

Work closely with Quality to maintain strong process discipline. The candidate should understand IPC/WHMA-A-620 requirements, in-process inspection, crimp quality, pull-force testing, crimp-height verification, continuity testing, electrical testing, visual workmanship requirements, traceability, non-conformance handling, root cause analysis, and corrective action. Support implementation of PFMEA, Control Plans, Work Instructions, process audits, CAPA, and customer corrective actions.

Rejection & Rework Reduction

The Production Manager will actively monitor internal rejection, rework, scrap, customer complaints, first-pass yield, and process defects. Typical defects may include incorrect wire length, incorrect strip length, poor crimp, terminal back-out, incorrect connector, missing component, wrong routing, wrong label, continuity failure, incorrect wire color, damaged wire, or poor soldering/splice quality. Corrective actions should address root causes rather than repeatedly sorting defective product.

Material & Inventory Coordination

Work closely with Purchase and Stores to ensure material availability. Monitor wire, cable, terminals, connectors, seals, sleeves, tubing, tape, labels, clips, fasteners, and packaging. Prevent production loss caused by missing materials through effective planning and escalation.

Equipment & Machine Utilization

Monitor production equipment including automatic wire cutting and stripping machines, crimping machines, applicators, pneumatic presses, ultrasonic welding machines, twisting machines, soldering equipment, continuity testers, electrical testers, pull-force testers, and crimp-height measuring equipment. Coordinate with Maintenance to reduce downtime and improve equipment availability.

Lean Manufacturing & Continuous Improvement

Drive practical improvement activities including Kaizen, 5S, visual management, standard work, lean manufacturing, waste elimination, process flow improvement, layout improvement, poka-yoke, cycle-time improvement, and changeover reduction. We are looking for someone who actively improves processes rather than simply maintaining the existing system.

Production KPIs

The Production Manager should regularly track and review metrics including plan vs actual production, productivity, output per operator, efficiency, first-pass yield, rejection percentage, rework percentage, scrap, overtime, absenteeism, machine downtime, WIP, customer delivery, OTIF / On-Time Delivery, and capacity utilization. Management should be able to understand the health of production from measurable data.

Cost Control

Identify and execute improvements that reduce manufacturing cost without reducing quality. Focus areas may include manpower productivity, material utilization, scrap reduction, rework reduction, overtime, cycle time, machine utilization, tooling, consumables, and process automation.

New Product Introduction

Support Engineering and NPD with new customer programs. Responsibilities may include manufacturing feasibility, production layout, process flow, tooling requirements, fixture requirements, capacity, manpower, trial production, pilot lots, ramp-up, and process validation. Ensure new products transition smoothly into regular production.

Customer & Audit Support

Support customer audits, ISO audits, IATF audits, process audits, and customer visits. The candidate should be comfortable explaining production controls, process capability and corrective actions to customers and auditors.

Required Experience

We prefer candidates with 6–12 years of manufacturing experience, including meaningful responsibility for production teams. Direct wiring harness experience is strongly preferred. Relevant backgrounds include wiring harnesses, cable assemblies, automotive electrical components, electrical/electronic assembly, switchgear assembly, electrical connectors, and wire and cable processing.

Candidate backgrounds we will consider — we should not unnecessarily restrict the search only to someone whose current title is "Production Manager." Candidates currently working as Production Manager, Assistant Production Manager, Deputy Manager – Production, Senior Production Engineer, Production In-Charge, Manufacturing Manager, Production Supervisor, Section Head, or Manufacturing Engineer may apply if they have managed meaningful production responsibility.

Qualifications

Diploma / B.E. / B.Tech in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Production Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or Automobile Engineering. Relevant wiring-harness production experience will receive greater weight than the exact engineering discipline.

Preferred Technical Knowledge

Experience with the following is valuable: IPC/WHMA-A-620, ISO 9001, IATF 16949, PFMEA, Control Plan, Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Kaizen, ERP / MRP, Excel, and production planning systems.

Ideal Candidate

A strong candidate should be able to walk onto a wiring harness production floor and quickly answer questions such as:

• Why is today's output below plan?
• Where is the bottleneck?
• Is manpower properly balanced?
• Which material shortage could affect tomorrow's production?
• Why is crimp rejection increasing?
• Why is WIP accumulating at one operation?
• Which machines are underutilized?
• Can the line meet next month's increased demand?
• Where can cycle time be reduced?
• Which issue requires immediate escalation?

We are looking for someone who takes ownership of production results rather than simply reporting them.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means production targets are consistently achieved, customer deliveries are protected, material shortages are identified early, rejection and rework decrease, productivity improves, operators are properly trained, machines and manpower are effectively utilized, production problems are escalated early, new products launch smoothly, production data is accurate and actionable, and the shop floor operates with strong discipline and ownership.