Plant Manager / Plant Head — LEF (Light Engineering Factory)

DuoBridge; Ranchi; On-site; INR 900,000 - 1,700,000; Full time

Job summary

DuoBridge in Ranchi seeks a Plant Manager to lead light engineering operations, ensuring safe, on-time delivery of metal components from CNC to finish.

You will drive SOPs, daily targets, and continuous improvement; manage multi‑shift teams, and coordinate with engineering and quality to sustain ISO standards and cost controls.

Qualifications

• B.E./B.Tech in Mechanical/Industrial Engineering or diploma with extensive shop-floor leadership.
• Minimum 15 years in manufacturing operations with light engineering exposure.
• Minimum 5 years in plant leadership with budget, safety and multi-shift ownership.
• Strong capability to evaluate setups, troubleshoot tooling and guide junior staff.

Responsibilities

• Govern shop-floor machinery performance across CNC and forming lines to maximise throughput and quality.
• Set daily/weekly/monthly targets; monitor hours, machine utilisation, and bottlenecks in real time.
• Author SOPs, shop floor formats, and maintenance schedules; drive 5S/Kaizen initiatives.
• Oversee safety, EHS compliance, and ISO audits; ensure traceability and quality records.

Skills

CNC machinery

Shop floor leadership

SOP development

AutoCAD 2D/3D

Lean / Kaizen

ISO 9001 / audits

ERP / SAP

Team management

Education

Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical

Diploma in Engineering with extensive shop-floor experience

Tools

AutoCAD

Autodesk Inventor

Autodesk Advance Steel

SigmaNEST

ProNest

CypCut

SAP

ERP systems

Job description

About The Opportunity

• The Plant Manager / Plant Head holds total operational, technical, and team accountability for the Light Engineering Factory (LEF), overseeing safety, quality, production hours, manpower, and dispatch. This role leads all shop-floor operations from raw material receipt through CNC processing, press working, roll forming, welding, surface finishing, and dispatch - ensuring on-time, in-full delivery of components including round/square tube structures, sheet metal components, greenhouse structures, cold room panels, etc.
• The ideal candidate is a proven technical leader and system-builder with strong organizational leadership and a solid shop-floor engineering foundation. The role does not require daily manual machine operation but demands past hands‑on experience to inspect setups, troubleshoot complex tool/die/feed issues, and demonstrate correct machine practices to junior engineers, supervisors, and operators.
• In addition to day‑to‑day operations, the Plant Manager is responsible for establishing operational systems from the ground up: drafting Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), designing shop‑floor log sheets, setting up Daily Production Report (DPR) formats, and driving a culture of continuous improvement.

Role & Responsibilities

• Govern shop‑floor machinery performance - driving maximum throughput, availability, and precision across CNC press bending, power press, iron worker, CNC plasma cutting, laser cutting, shearing machines, CNC auto drill, CNC auto bending, and roll forming lines (C/Z purlins & sheeting profiles).
• Oversee tooling and die selection, press brake bend deductions, clearance settings, feed rates, and cycle‑time optimization. Guide teams through quick changeover methodologies (SMED) and preventive maintenance to eliminate unplanned downtime.
• Act as the technical authority on the shop floor; step in during critical changeovers or complex jobs to guide and demonstrate proper setup, alignment, and troubleshooting techniques to shift supervisors and machine operators.
• Set, schedule, and drive daily, weekly, and monthly production targets measured in Production Hours and Machine Utilization; track shift‑wise (Shift A/B/C) planned hours vs. achieved hours and course‑correct bottlenecks in real time.
• Enforce plate, sheet, and coil nesting optimization to maximize raw material yield, minimize drop‑off scrap, and balance machine run times.
• Enforce a documented calibration and preventive maintenance schedule for all CNC tooling, press dies, shear blades, measuring instruments, and gauges.
• Author, formalize, and implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all manufacturing processes, machine startups, tool changeovers, and safety interlocks.
• Design, standardize, and roll out shift‑wise operator logbooks, machine breakdown logs, first‑piece inspection sheets, and tool wear registers.
• Establish standard cycle times and Standard Allowed Hours (SAH) for recurring fabricated parts and assemblies to enable precise capacity planning.
• Enforce strict tolerance checks, cut squareness, edge quality, bevel angles, bend angles/springback control, and hole/slot geometry against approved fabrication drawings; mandate first‑piece inspection on every job setup or sheet/coil change.
• Verify hole pitch, profile geometry, web/flange depth, camber, and sweep on roll‑formed sections (C/Z purlins, roof/wall sheets, decking profiles) and tubular structures.
• Enforce welder qualification (WPS/WPQ) per IS/AWS standards, joint fit‑up inspection, and NDT hold points (Visual, DPT, UT as applicable) with joint‑to‑welder traceability.
• Oversee surface cleanliness (shot blasting or mechanical cleaning), primer/paint application, dry film thickness (DFT) compliance, and adhesion testing. (Hot‑dip galvanizing oversight is managed via dedicated supervisory protocols where applicable).
• Champion Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) at every workstation - safe handling of fumes, laser/plasma eye safety, crane and rigging protocols, and machine guarding on presses and shearing equipment; conduct daily safety toolbox talks and near‑miss reporting.
• Maintain ISO 9001 compliance (and ISO 14001/45001 standards), lead internal audits, and ensure compliance with the Factories Act, labor regulations (PF/ESI, contract labor licenses), and safety norms.
• Review fabrication and shop drawings using AutoCAD (2D/3D) and Autodesk detailing/mechanical software (such as Autodesk Advance Steel or Autodesk Inventor); coordinate with design and detailing teams to resolve drawing queries (RFIs) and verify CNC cut‑data/unfolded blank sizes before release to the shop floor.
• Coordinate with procurement and stores for timely raw material (coils, plates, tubes, hardware) staging to prevent machine starvation.
• Own plant operating costs - labor, consumables (gas, nozzles, tooling, blades, paint), maintenance, utilities, and overtime.
• Spearhead Lean, 5S, Kaizen, and waste‑reduction initiatives to systematically decrease cost per production hour.
• Report plant performance, budget vs. actual variance, scrap recovery, and CAPEX proposals to senior management.
• Build the reporting framework, review operational logs with department leads, and author executive summaries for senior leadership: Shop‑Floor Logs (Designed by Plant Manager, Maintained by Supervisors): Shift‑wise production output logs, planned vs. actual production hours, machine downtime and OEE logs, scrap and material consumption sheets, and daily quality inspection logs.
• Conduct Operational Reviews (Daily / Weekly): Daily cross‑functional morning meetings (Production, Quality, Maintenance, Stores, Dispatch) to review yesterday’s hours vs. target, resolve shift bottlenecks, and review NCR/CAPA logs.
• Author Management & Executive Dashboard (Monthly plant performance deck: production hours achieved, machine utilization, rework percentage, scrap yield, EHS score, plant budget‑vs‑actual variance, and Quarterly Business Review (QBR) presentations).
• Approve Client & Dispatch Reports: Inspection call notices, Third‑Party Inspection (TPI) coordination, Material Test Certificates (MTC), and On‑Time In‑Full (OTIF) dispatch reports.

Skills & Qualifications

Must‑Have

• B.E. / B.Tech in Mechanical, Production, or Industrial Engineering (or Diploma in Engineering with extensive relevant experience and proven shop‑floor leadership).
• Minimum 15 years in manufacturing operations, with substantial experience in light engineering, sheet metal manufacturing, structural steel / secondary PEB fabrication, round/square tube structures, or greenhouse structure manufacturing.
• Minimum 5 years in a plant leadership role (Plant Manager, Plant Head, Factory Manager, or Operations Head) with operational budget, safety, quality, and multi‑shift team ownership.
• Strong mechanical foundation across CNC press bending, power presses, iron workers, CNC plasma/laser cutting, shearing, CNC auto drilling, and roll forming lines - with the proven ability to evaluate setups, troubleshoot tool/die issues, and demonstrate correct operating practices to junior staff when necessary.
• Demonstrated experience authoring Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), designing shop‑floor formats, and implementing 5S, Kaizen, or Lean workflows in a growing manufacturing environment.
• Proficient in AutoCAD (2D/3D) for fabrication drawing review and part dimensioning; familiarity with Autodesk mechanical/detailing environments (e.g., Autodesk Advance Steel, Autodesk Inventor, or similar) and nesting software (e.g., CypCut, ProNest, SigmaNEST).
• Hands‑on experience working with ERP/SAP systems for work order tracking, inventory management, and shift‑wise production confirmation.
• Strong interpersonal, team‑building, and conflict‑resolution skills with experience managing a multi‑shift workforce of engineers, supervisors, and technicians.

Preferred

• Experience managing multi‑shift, multi‑line fabrication operations in light structural steel, racking, greenhouse, or industrial enclosures.
• Familiarity with paint shop operations (liquid painting / powder coating) and surface preparation standards.
• Exposure to Hot‑dip Galvanizing (HDG) processes or coordination with dedicated galvanizing units is an added advantage.
• Formal certifications in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma (Green Belt), or ISO Internal Auditor.

Benefits & Culture Highlights

• Not explicitly mentioned in the job description.

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