Plastics Extrusion Production Lead

Wavin; Chippenham; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Wavin, Orbia’s Building & Infrastructure business, is seeking a hands-on production leader for a fast-paced extrusion environment. You will balance operational delivery with strong leadership, driving safety, quality, efficiency, and continuous improvement on the shop floor.

You'll lead teams, develop supervisors and operators, and work with Engineering and Maintenance to keep lines running, implement SOPs and 5S/Kaizen, and push Lean initiatives to boost OEE and throughput while maintaining a

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical, Industrial, or Plastics Engineering or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage daily extrusion production operations to achieve safety, quality, and delivery targets.
• Plan schedules, line utilisation, changeovers, and material flow to maximise throughput and minimise downtime.
• Coordinate closely with Engineering and Maintenance teams on preventative maintenance and breakdown response.
• Drive and maintain a strong safety-first culture, ensuring compliance with EHS standards and procedures.
• Lead incident investigations and implement corrective actions where required.
• Ensure products consistently meet specification and quality standards.
• Implement and maintain SOPs, SPC processes, first-off checks, and corrective actions.
• Lead, coach, and develop supervisors, team leaders, and operators.
• Support capability development across setup, troubleshooting, quality, and continuous improvement activities.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing initiatives including 5S, SMED, Kaizen, and OEE improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Team development

Data-driven

ERP/MRP systems

Lean Manufacturing

Problem solving

Analytical skills

PLC/HMI knowledge

Education

Engineering degree (Mechanical/Industrial/Plastics)

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Wavin, Orbia’s Building & Infrastructure business, is seeking a hands-on production leader for a fast-paced extrusion environment. You will balance operational delivery with strong leadership, driving safety, quality, efficiency, and continuous improvement on the shop floor.

You'll lead teams, develop supervisors and operators, and work with Engineering and Maintenance to keep lines running, implement SOPs and 5S/Kaizen, and push Lean initiatives to boost OEE and throughput while maintaining a