Lean Engineer

Corning Inc.; Wilmington (NC); On-site; USD 86,000 - 119,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company-wide bonuses

100% company-paid pension

401(k) matching

Health and well-being benefits

Paid time off

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Corning Inc. in Wilmington, NC, seeks a Lean Engineer to drive foundational and transformational lean competencies across the plant, partnering with Operations to improve Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Morale and Innovation.

Lead Kaizen events, map Value Streams, standardize work, and deploy A3 thinking, PDCA cycles, 5S, and Gemba engagement to reduce waste and cost while improving throughput. BS in Industrial Engineering with 2–5 years lean engineering experience required; strong

Qualifications

• Progressive lean manufacturing experience.
• Ability to promote lean culture and drive change.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Experience with Value Stream Mapping, Kanban, SMED, 5S.

Responsibilities

• Directly contribute to a safe work environment and safe practices across the Lean Organization.
• Develop lean skills and train others to establish a lean culture in the plant.
• Plan and lead 3-4 Kaizen events per year with defined deliverables and leadership follow-up.
• Track cost savings and partner with Engineering and Finance to realize lean cost reductions.
• Own Value Stream Maps and maintain current/future state with cross‑functional alignment.

Skills

Lean engineering

Lean manufacturing

Process improvement

Communication skills

Education

BS Degree in Industrial Engineering

Tools

A3 process

PDCA

5S

Job description

The company built on breakthroughs.
Join us.
Corning is one of the world’s leading innovators in glass, ceramic, and materials science. From the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space, our technologies push the boundaries of what’s possible.

Requisition Number: 77292
How do we do this? With our people. They break through limitations and expectations– not once in a career, but every day. They help move our company,and the world, forward.
At Corning, there are endless possibilities for making an impact. You can help connect the unconnected, drive the future of automobiles, transform at-home entertainment, and ensure the delivery of lifesaving medicines. And so much more.
Come break through with us.
Our Optical Communications segment has recently evolved from being a manufacturer of optical fiber and cable, hardware and equipment to being a comprehensive provider of industry-leading optical solutions across the broader communications industry.This segment is classified into two main product groupings – carrier network and enterprise network. The carrier network product group consists primarily of products and solutions for optical-based communications infrastructure for services such as video, data and voice communications. The enterprise network product group consists primarily of optical-based communication networks sold to businesses, governments and individuals for their own use.

Scope Of Position

Responsible for driving both foundational and transformational competencies within the Lean Organization and across the manufacturing plant. These competencies include but are not limited to Value Steam Mapping, Visual Management, Work Standardization, Gemba Engagement, Kanban, SMED, 5S, Pull Systems, etc. With these core competencies, this role will partner with Operations and the Lean Manufacturing Supervisor to improve plant performance in Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Morale, and Innovation. The intent of this role is to decrease overall manufacturing cost, increase operational efficiencies, and drive waste from the production processes in conjunction with the strategy of the Lean Organization.

Day To Day Responsibilities

• Directly responsible for performing work in a safe manner and maintaining a safe work environment. This includes being responsible for their own safety, as well as that of others that may be at the facility, whether working, visiting, or apart of the Lean Organization. This individual will be responsible for observing safe work practices and being proactive at reporting and fixing any unsafe conditions.
• Continuously developing lean skills individually, as a part of the Lean Organization, and within the plant as a whole. This includes learning and occasionally teaching current lean principles/methodology in order to overcome obstacles and start establishing a lean culture at the plant. This individual will work to become a trained lean facilitator, able to facilitate Kaizen events at the plant directly linked to both the foundational and transformational competencies.
• Planning and facilitating 3-4 Kaizen events per year. This could include workshops focused on Value Stream Mapping, Kanban, SMED, 5S etc. with oversight and help from the Lean Organization. Each workshop will have an agenda, deliverables defined and managed, and outcomes/next steps delivered to leadership. This individual will be responsible for the follow‑up after each event to ensure actions identified are being deployed across the site.
• Tracking cost savings per each Kaizen event and working with the appropriate resources to quantify and ultimately realize lean cost savings. This will require partnership with both Engineering and Finance in order to complete. Each Lean Engineer is expected to save $250K annually as a result of all the projects identified and executed after each Kaizen event.
• Supporting the site’s 5S program in conjunction with participation in routine Gemba performance audits with leadership. In addition, this individual will provide support as required to the plant’s iKaizen program in order to challenge the norm and try new and innovative ideas in order to promote lean thinking/methodology.
• Owning one of the plant’s Value Stream Maps including both current state and future state upkeep, along with creating a cadence for routine review and updating within the Lean Organization and cross‑functionally with plant resources. This individual will be responsible for working the Engineering to have projects identified on the VSM be incorporated into the plant’s cost reduction portfolio with resourcing identified and managed.
• Planning and implementing workplace flow/layout improvements in addition to analyzing new equipment installations, existing equipment movements, and equipment modifications in accordance with lean teachings and methodologies. This individual will also be responsible for updating layouts with any new relevant lean changes that need to be captured.
• Participating in engineering design reviews for new technology and existing modifications to equipment. Additionally being an active member of the ergonomics team in order to assist in assessments and provide lean feedback relative to workstation changes.
• Partnering with plant process engineering to establish the A3 process and subsequent deployment in order to drive root cause understanding of critical production issues. In addition, this individual will also be responsible for leading 5 PDCA’s every year, while maintaining the rigor of lean thinking, identifying root cause, and clearly demonstrating fundamental understanding of the issues identified.
• Identifying and horizontally deploying benchmark opportunities at the division level and across the sister sites in partnership with the Lean Manufacturing Supervisor. Travel expected from this is less than 10% in order to facilitate best practice migration.

Travel Requirements:

< 10%

Required Education:

BS Degree (Industrial Engineering Strongly Preferred)

Required Years And Area Of Experience

• 2 to 5 Years of Lean Engineering Experience

Required Skills

• Demonstrated progressive roles in lean manufacturing coupled with the ability to articulate real lean tool application with demonstrated results.
• Ability to support the Lean Organization’s vision and strategy, in order to promote culture change while acting as an agent of change for lean thinking and methodologies.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal) with ability to present ideas, opinions, and data to gain understanding consensus, and support.
• Knowledge of manufacturing methods, systems, and production processes.
• Process/results oriented with organizational and attention-to-detail abilities.

This position does not support immigration sponsorship.

The range for this position is $86,197.00 - $118,521.00 assuming full time status. Starting pay for the successful applicant is dependent on a variety of job‑related factors, including but not limited to geographic location, market demands, experience, training, and education.

A job that shapes a life.

Corning offers you the total package.

Your well-being is our priority. Our compensation and benefits package supports your health and wellness, financial aspirations, and career from day one.

• Company-wide bonuses and long-term incentives align with key business results and ensure you are rewarded when the company performs well. When Corning wins, we all win.
• As part of our commitment to your financial well‑being, we provide a 100% company‑paid pension benefit with fixed contributions that grow throughout your career. Combined with matching contributions to your 401(k) savings plan, Corning’s total contributions to your retirement accounts can reach between 7% and 12% of your pay, depending on your age and years of service.
• Our health and well‑being benefits include medical, dental, vision, paid parental leave, family building support, fitness, company‑paid life insurance, disability, disease management programs, paid time off, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support you and your family.
• Getting paid for our work is important, but feeling appreciated and recognized for those contributions motivates us much more. That’s why Corning offers a recognition program to celebrate successes and reward colleagues who make exceptional contributions.