Senior Industrial Engineer – Lean Extrusion & Process Improvement

PolyPipe; Erwin (TN); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

PolyPipe in Erwin, Tennessee seeks a Sr. Industrial Engineer to provide technical leadership in plastic extrusion manufacturing serving the natural gas distribution market.

The role focuses on implementing improvements to enhance efficiency, process capability, product quality, and cost performance while driving Lean and data-driven KPI management. You will collaborate with safety, quality, shipping, maintenance, and production to reduce variation, increase throughput, and ensure operations meet

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (industrial, mechanical, electrical) with a minimum of 5 years engineering experience in manufacturing environment.
• Lean manufacturing experience (Lean Six Green Belt+ preferred).
• Proficient in 2D & 3D CAD (On Shape) and Microsoft Office products.
• Knowledge of AC/DC motors and drives, light electrical troubleshooting and design.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for plastic extrusion manufacturing processes, equipment performance, tooling systems, and process improvement initiatives.
• Assess current manufacturing operations to identify opportunities for improved safety, quality, productivity, material utilization, equipment efficiency, and cost reduction.
• Initiate, develop, and implement technical improvements that improve extrusion process capability, reduce variability, and support consistent product quality.
• Prevent, troubleshoot, and resolve technical problems related to extrusion processes, equipment performance, tooling, material flow, dimensional control, and production efficiency.
• Analyze process data, production metrics, scrap, downtime, throughput, labor utilization, and quality trends to identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Manage, develop, monitor, and improve key performance indicators related to manufacturing efficiency, equipment utilization, scrap reduction, labor productivity, quality performance, and overall operational performance.
• Lead continuous improvement activities using Lean manufacturing, 5S, standard work, visual management, root cause analysis, and other operational excellence tools.
• Partner with production and maintenance teams to improve manufacturing equipment efficiencies, reduce downtime, improve reliability, and support preventive maintenance strategies.
• Develop and implement standardized processes, work instructions, process controls, and best practices to support repeatable and reliable extrusion operations.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

5S

Root cause analysis

Project management

Communication skills

Training

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Industrial/Mechanical/Electrical)

Tools

Onshape CAD

Microsoft Office

Job description

PolyPipe in Erwin, Tennessee seeks a Sr. Industrial Engineer to provide technical leadership in plastic extrusion manufacturing serving the natural gas distribution market.

The role focuses on implementing improvements to enhance efficiency, process capability, product quality, and cost performance while driving Lean and data-driven KPI management. You will collaborate with safety, quality, shipping, maintenance, and production to reduce variation, increase throughput, and ensure operations meet