Assistant Manager - Value Engineering

Hamilton Housewares (Milton); Haridwar; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Milton is seeking an Assistant Manager - Value Engineering at its Haridwar Plant to drive Value Analysis and Value Engineering initiatives for plastic houseware and thermoware products. The role targets material cost reduction, product cost optimization, and enhanced functionality while preserving quality and customer requirements.

The candidate will lead VA studies on existing products, participate in NPD design reviews, optimize materials and processes, and manage cross-functional VAVE

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of plastic product design and manufacturing.
• Experience in cost reduction and material optimization.
• Knowledge of DFMA / Design for Manufacturing and Assembly.
• Project management and cross-functional collaboration.
• Ability to evaluate alternatives with technical and commercial insight.

Responsibilities

• Drive VA studies on existing products to identify material and cost reduction opportunities.
• Participate in NPD/design development from concept stage with DFMA focus.
• Review designs for manufacturability, material usage, and assembly features.
• Evaluate materials (PP, HDPE, ABS, PS, PET) for performance and cost.
• Create and maintain a VAVE project pipeline with quantified savings.
• Lead cross-functional VAVE projects and ensure savings realization.

Skills

Plastic product design

Value Engineering

Cost reduction

DFMA

Project management

Supplier interaction

Cost modelling

Education

BE / B.Tech / Diploma in Mechanical, Plastics, Polymer

Tools

Excel

CAD

Job description

Milton is looking for an Assistant Manager - Value Engineering for its Haridwar Plant.

Drive Value Analysis & Value Engineering (VAVE) initiatives for plastic houseware and thermoware products to achieve material cost reduction, product cost optimization, improved functionality and manufacturability, while maintaining or improving product quality, performance and customer requirements.

A. Value Analysis – Existing Products

• Conduct systematic VA studies on existing plastic houseware and thermoware products.
• Analyse product BOM, material consumption, component cost, conversion cost and bought-out cost.
• Identify opportunities for:
  • Material reduction / downgauging
  • Part weight reduction
  • Component elimination
  • Function integration
  • Design simplification
  • Material substitution
  • Supplier / process optimization
  • Packaging optimization
• Benchmark existing products against market / competitive products.
• Identify high-cost components and develop cost-reduction opportunities.

B. Value Engineering – New Products

• Participate in NPD / design development from concept stage.
• Review product designs for Design for Manufacturing & Assembly (DFMA).
• Ensure optimum material usage, part thickness, ribbing, draft, boss design, snap fits and assembly features.
• Challenge design specifications where technically feasible without compromising product performance.
• Develop alternate concepts and evaluate their cost, functionality, manufacturability and reliability.

C. Plastic Product & Process Cost Optimization

• Hands-on understanding of:
  • Injection moulding
  • Blow moulding
  • ISBM / suitable plastic processing technologies
  • Thermoforming, where applicable
  • Assembly processes
  • Decoration / printing
  • Welding / joining
  • Secondary operations
• Identify opportunities related to:
  • Cycle-time reduction
  • Cavity optimization
  • Runner / sprue reduction
  • Mould utilisation
  • Rejection and rework reduction
  • Machine selection / tonnage optimizationProcess parameter optimization
  • Automation / semi-automation
  • Productivity improvement

D. Material Optimization

• Evaluate opportunities for PP, HDPE, ABS, PS, PET and other relevant polymers.
• Evaluate virgin vs recycled / PCR / rPET materials wherever technically and commercially feasible.
• Conduct material equivalency and validation studies.
• Optimize material grade based on performance, processing, availability and cost.
• Work with suppliers for alternate material development and trials.

E. Costing & Should-Cost Analysis

• Prepare detailed product cost / should-cost models.
• Analyse: RM cost, part weight, cycle time, machine conversion cost, labour, power, tooling, bought-outs, packaging, scrap / rejection.
• Develop cost models for new and existing products.
• Validate actual savings after implementation.

F. Tooling & Mould Optimization

• Work with Tool Room / mould vendors for VAVE opportunities.
• Review: cavity configuration, hot runner / cold runner, runner balance, gate location, cooling, cycle time, mould life, part ejection, automation possibilities.
• Identify opportunities for mould modification instead of complete mould replacement wherever feasible.

G. Supplier & Alternate Technology Development

• Work with Procurement and suppliers to develop alternate materials, components, manufacturing processes, tooling solutions and bought-out components.
• Conduct technical-commercial evaluation of alternatives.
• Support supplier trials and validation.

H. Project Management & Implementation

• Create and maintain a VAVE project pipeline with quantified savings.
• Prioritize projects based on annualized savings, implementation feasibility, investment, risk and time to implementation.
• Lead cross-functional VAVE projects from idea feasibility trial validation implementation savings realization.
• Maintain project documentation and savings tracker.

Key Performance Indicator

Cost Reduction

Annualized VAVE savings

Material Optimization

Reduction in product weight / RM consumption

Product Cost

Reduction in standard product cost

Process Optimization

Cycle-time / conversion-cost reduction

Quality

VAVE implementation without quality deterioration

Productivity

Improvement in output / machine utilization

Rejection

Reduction in rejection / rework

Innovation

Number of implemented VAVE ideas

NPD

Cost target achievement for new products

Savings Realization

Actual vs approved savings

Project Delivery

VAVE projects completed within target timeline

Required Technical Competencies

• Strong understanding of plastic product design and manufacturing.
• Knowledge of injection moulding and plastic processing.
• Understanding of plastic materials, grades and material properties.
• Product costing and BOM analysis.
• Basic understanding of mould design and tooling.
• Knowledge of DFMA / Design for Cost / Design for Manufacturing.
• Understanding of process capability and quality requirements.
• Knowledge of Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma or structured problem-solving.
• Ability to conduct technical and commercial evaluation of alternatives.
• Good Excel / analytical capability for cost modelling and savings calculations.

Preferred Experience

• 8-10 years of experience in VAVE / Quality / Product Engineering / R&D / NPD / Manufacturing Engineering.
• Experience in plastic houseware, thermoware, consumer durables or FMCG products preferred.
• Hands-on exposure to injection moulding and mould/tooling development.
• Experience in product cost reduction and material optimization.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams and external suppliers.

Educational Qualification

• BE / B.Tech / Diploma in Mechanical, Plastics, Polymer, Production or related engineering discipline.
• Additional qualification in VAVE, Lean, Six Sigma, Cost Engineering or Product Design will be an advantage.

Behavioural Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability.
• Commercial / cost-conscious mindset.
• Ability to challenge existing designs and processes constructively.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration.
• Good negotiation and supplier interaction skills.
• Data-driven decision making.
• Strong project ownership and execution capability.
• Ability to convert ideas into measurable implemented savings.