Plant Manager

Colonial Group; Bluffton (IN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

20/20 Custom Molded Plastics in Bluffton, IN seeks a Plant Manager to oversee all plant operations, drive safety, quality, and productivity, and lead 24/7 manufacturing processes. You will manage personnel, budgets, schedules, and continuous improvement initiatives across departments while coordinating with Inteplast Group.

Ideal candidate has a engineering-focused degree and at least 5 years of manufacturing leadership experience in plastics with strong cost-control and strategic planning

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent with engineering/technical emphasis
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a manufacturing leadership capacity
• Experience in plastics blown film and converting operation
• Understanding of structural foam or high-pressure molding
• Experience in scheduling products and personnel in manufacturing
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills
• Excellent communication skills and PC proficiency
• Ability to forecast monthly material and labor costs
• Ability to monitor and ensure achievement of business unit goals
• Knowledge of management techniques and general business principles

Responsibilities

• Schedule workflow to meet customer orders through proper planning and control, training of personnel and equipment utilization
• Coordinate with scheduling to assure a customer fill rate near 100% and plan raw materials and equipment in advance
• Analyze operations financially to prepare monthly management reports and explain results
• Travel domestically and internationally as necessary for business needs
• Collaborate with Logistics, Scheduler, and General Manager to address capacity shortfalls
• Coordinate with Maintenance to ensure availability of extrusion dies and critical components
• Lead continuous improvement projects with engineering to reduce downtime and quality issues
• Suggest and manage capital projects to improve the business and ensure proper planning and execution
• Oversee production scheduling and material flow to maximize machine efficiency and reduce waste
• Monitor resin usage metrics and drive yield and efficiency improvements
• Provide leadership to 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics and Inteplast Group teams
• Assist sales, quality, and GM with customer contact including scheduling, audits, shipping, and quality
• Lead safety initiatives to meet OSHA standards and GMP requirements
• Develop processes and products with cross-functional teams
• Ensure performance appraisals are completed and drive skill development

Job description

Plant Manager

POSITION OBJECTIVE:

The Plant Manager will support the General Manager in overseeing all aspects of plant operations, including personnel, safety, quality, production efficiency, materials, equipment, processes, and cost management. This role is responsible for ensuring that all products are manufactured in compliance with company specifications and consistently meet or exceed customer expectations. The Plant Manager will drive operational performance by achieving or surpassing established targets for safety, quality, and productivity, while providing leadership and direction to team leaders and assistant team leaders. Success in this role will be measured by the ability to meet forecasted production volumes, effectively manage variable and fixed costs, minimize quality returns, maintain appropriate staffing levels, drive continuous improvement, and uphold strong safety performance.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent required, Engineering or technical emphasis desired
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a manufacturing leadership capacity
• Experience in managing plastics blown film and converting operation
• Understanding and working knowledge of the structural foam or high-pressure molding.
• Experience in scheduling products and personnel in a manufacturing environment
• High degree of planning and coordination skills required to coordinate between purchasing, maintenance, engineering, sales, quality, operations and suppliers
• Ability to monitor and ensure achievement of business unit goals and to take corrective action as necessary if cost levels, schedules, or other production factors do not conform to the plan
• Knowledge of management techniques and skills, engineering, purchasing methods, and general business principles is required to effectively manage processes
• Experience in a 24/7 environment, preferred
• Strong verbal and written communications skills
• Strong technical skills required
• Strong organizational skills with ability to handle multiple tasks
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills
• Strong PC skills/aptitude with proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel)
• Ability to understand P & L Statements
• Ability to develop production cost model
• Ability to forecast monthly material and labor costs
• Proven problem-solving leadership skills in a team environment
• Experience in Quality Management Systems
• Ensure consistent, dependable attendance and demonstrate a willingness to accommodate non-standard work hours as necessary.
• Capable of effectively managing job-related stress and fostering productive workplace interactions.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Schedule workflow to meet customer orders through the proper planning and control, training of personnel and equipment utilization.
• Work with the scheduling department on finalizing a schedule to assure a customer fill rate of nearly 100%. Make sure all raw materials and equipment are planned in advance to meet the schedule.
• Analyze the operations from a financial perspective to prepare monthly financial reports for the management team. The analysis should predict the future month’s outlook and explain the prior month’s results.
• Travel both domestically and internationally as necessary, assuring business requirements are met, as dictated by business needs.
• Work with Logistics Team, Scheduler, and General Manager to supplement any product capacity shortfalls.
• Work with Maintenance Managers to ensure the availability of extrusion dies and other key components that are critical to the extrusion and conversion process.
• Work with the engineering team to focus on continuous improvement projects to reduce or eliminate down time, quality issues, and inefficiencies.
• Suggest and manage capital projects that improve the business. Work with the engineering team to ensure the projects are properly planned and executed.
• Manage production scheduling and material flow process to maximize machine efficiency while minimizing raw materials and finished goods.
• Report all aspects related to resin including but not limited to; pounds consumed, pounds scrapped, scrap reasons, percentage reclaimed, net reclaimed, product weights per 1000, cost and efficiencies improvements, pounds scheduled to actual, and usage by supplier. Use information to improve the yield and efficiencies.
• Monitor, report, and initiate action on results of efficiencies, quality, and costs.
• Develop and prepare routine reports and submit them to General Manager.
• Provide leadership and team guidance while relating work with all levels within the 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics organization and outside the organization with Inteplast Group.
• Assist sales, quality, and General Manager when required with direct contact with customers including scheduling, audits, shipping, and quality.
• Lead the manufacturing processes in meeting safety performance goals, enforcing OSHA regulations and adhering to the 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics housekeeping standards and Good Manufacturing Practices.
• Work with the quality manager and safety coordinator to recommend and submit capital projects to improve safety.
• Coordinate staff in the development of new processes and/ or products as either self-initiated or directed by the General Manager or engineering team.
• Coordinate maintenance, quality, engineering and production in the implementation and prove-in of new equipment, processes and products
• Provide visionary leadership in continuous improvement to exceed productivity, quality and safety expectations.
• Work with Human Resources and the General Manager in the administration of all 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics and Inteplast Group policies, work rules, hiring, disciplinary actions, performance reviews, skill development and terminations of business unit employees.
• Generate ideas and initiate actions with regard to equipment, training, staffing, raw materials, systems, and general operations improvements.
• Work with Quality department to assure the business operates with the highest standards of quality ensuring product meets quality specifications and using the 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics corrective action process when required.
• Assure all performance appraisals, 6-month and annual, are completed by self and direct reports.
• Create strong relationships and work closely with all Inteplast Group members in sharing knowledge, resources, technology, cost savings ideas, and product / process improvements.
• Actively participate in the strategic development of the long- and short-term goals of the company.
• Submit recommendations on strategic ideas and improvements to the 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics Management Team.
• Perform other duties as requested by management.