SMI- Manufacturing Engineer

Anchor Fabrication; Smithville (TN); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) match

Paid time off

Job summary

Anchor Fabrication in Smithville, TN is seeking an experienced Manufacturing Engineer to drive process development for welding and fabrication. You will optimize layouts, labor standards, and production flows to boost quality and throughput.

Collaborate with Design and Quality, lead DFMEA/DFM activities, support NPI launches, and apply Lean, Six Sigma, and data analytics to reduce waste and costs. 5–7 years in fabrication environments preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering or related field.
• 5–7 years manufacturing engineering experience in fabrication/welding environment.
• Strong understanding of fabrication and welding processes.
• Experience performing time studies, labor analysis, and process optimization.
• Experience developing process flows, plant layouts, work instructions, and manufacturing documentation.
• Experience supporting NPI and production launches.
• DFM/DFMEA/PFMEA experience and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Perform weld assessments to evaluate processes, labor, equipment, quality, and improvement opportunities.
• Conduct time studies and labor analyses to establish standard work and production rates.
• Develop and maintain process flows, routings, work instructions, and SOPs.
• Design and optimize plant layouts, work cells, material flow, and equipment placement.
• Lead New Product Introduction (NPI) activities from design to production.
• Collaborate on DFM reviews to improve manufacturability and reduce cost.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Cross-functional teamwork

Communication

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

AutoCAD

MS Office

ERP/MRP systems

Job description

Job Details: Job Location: Smithville, TN - Smithville, TN 37166, Travel Percentage: None, Job Shift: Day, Position Summary

Key Responsibilities

• Perform weld assessments to evaluate welding processes, labor requirements, equipment utilization, quality, and opportunities for improvement.
• Conduct time studies and labor analyses to establish standard work, production rates, labor standards, and process capacity.
• Develop and maintain process flows, manufacturing routings, work instructions, and standard operating procedures.
• Design and optimize plant layouts, work cells, material flow, and equipment placement to improve efficiency, safety, ergonomics, and throughput.
• Lead and support New Product Introduction (NPI) activities, transitioning products from engineering design into production.
• Collaborate with Design Engineering to conduct Design for Manufacturability (DFM/DFA) reviews, identifying opportunities to improve manufacturability, reduce cost, simplify fabrication, and improve quality.
• Participate in and lead DFMEA activities, identifying potential manufacturing and process-related failure modes and developing appropriate corrective actions.
• Identify and implement process improvements using Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, root-cause analysis, and other problem-solving methodologies.
• Analyze production processes to identify bottlenecks, waste, excessive labor content, quality issues, and opportunities for automation or process optimization.
• Develop and implement standardized manufacturing processes to improve consistency, productivity, and product quality.
• Work directly with production personnel to troubleshoot manufacturing issues and develop practical, sustainable solutions.
• Support the development and implementation of fixtures, tooling, jigs, and manufacturing equipment.
• Evaluate capital equipment and process investments based on productivity, capacity, quality, safety, and return on investment.
• Support corrective and preventive actions related to manufacturing and process issues.
• Utilize manufacturing data and performance metrics to identify trends and drive continuous improvement.
• Create engineering documentation, process layouts, presentations, and reports.
• Partner with Quality Engineering to improve process capability and reduce defects, rework, and scrap.
• Provide technical support during production launches, process changes, and continuous improvement projects.
• Maintain awareness of applicable safety, quality, and manufacturing standards.

Qualifications: Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
• 5–7 years of manufacturing engineering experience, preferably within a fabrication, welding, metalworking, or heavy manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of fabrication and welding processes.
• Experience performing time studies, labor analysis, and process optimization.
• Experience developing process flows, plant layouts, work instructions, and manufacturing documentation.
• Demonstrated experience supporting NPI and production launches.
• Strong understanding of Design for Manufacturability (DFM) principles.
• Experience participating in or leading DFMEA/PFMEA activities.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively with production operators, supervisors, engineers, quality personnel, and management.
• Six Sigma certification preferred

Technical Skills

• SolidWorks – understanding of 3D modeling, assemblies, and manufacturing-related design review.
• AutoCAD – proficient in 2D drawings, plant layouts, equipment layouts, and manufacturing documentation.
• Microsoft Office Suite – strong proficiency in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Experience with manufacturing/ERP/MRP systems is preferred.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S, Kaizen, root-cause analysis, and continuous improvement methodologies is preferred.

Preferred Experience

• Welding and fabrication process development
• Weld cell optimization
• Fixture and tooling development
• Robotic weld programming
• CNC and/or sheet-metal fabrication processes
• Labor standards and cost estimating
• Manufacturing capacity analysis
• Value-stream mapping and material-flow optimization
• Capital equipment justification
• Production line/work-cell design
• GD&T and engineering drawing interpretation
• Root-cause analysis and corrective action
• Experience working in a high-mix, low-to-medium-volume fabrication environment

Core Competencies

• Manufacturing Process Development
• Welding & Fabrication
• New Product Introduction
• Design for Manufacturability
• Process Improvement
• Time Studies & Labor Analysis
• Plant & Work-Cell Layout
• DFMEA/PFMEA
• Root-Cause Problem Solving
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Project Management
• Continuous Improvement

Benefits

• Competitive pay
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and holidays
• Opportunities for advancement

Anchor Fabrication is an Equal Opportunity Employer.