Tool / Project Engineer

ACEMCO Incorporated; Spring Lake (MI); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

ACEMCO Incorporated is seeking a Tool Project Engineer to oversee tooling programs from development to production launch. You will coordinate design reviews, tooling buyoffs, and production trials while supporting APQP activities, FMEA, part layout reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives.

The role requires collaboration with tooling suppliers, customers, and cross-functional teams to ensure timing, quality, and production performance meet program requirements.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in tooling, tool engineering, manufacturing engineering, or a related technical field.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and significant tooling or technical background.
• Ability to read and interpret part drawings, blueprints, and GD&T.
• Strong project coordination and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tooling programs and timelines.
• Proficient in Microsoft Outlook and Excel.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee design and build of new tooling, engineering changes and refurbishment programs.
• Conduct timing reviews with tooling suppliers and monitor progress.
• Coordinate early part orders with tooling shops for customer trials.
• Set up production trials and track open issues until resolved.
• Support FMEA meetings for new projects.
• Ensure significant characteristics are addressed by tooling processes.
• Review part layouts for OOT or capability issues.
• Develop part packaging for internal and customer use.
• Provide engineering support for manufacturing improvements and quality issues.
• Travel to local tooling suppliers or customers as needed.

Skills

Tooling

Project coordination

Technical communication

Reading blueprints & GD&T

Microsoft Excel

Team collaboration

Tools

APQP tools

Microsoft Excel

CAD basics

Job description

ACEMCO has a reputation for delivering high-quality, defect-free products engineered to our clients’ specifications, delivered on time, in the proper quantities, and at competitive prices. The Tool Project Engineer is responsible for overseeing the design, build, engineering changes, and refurbishment of tooling programs from initial development through successful production launch. This role works closely with tooling suppliers, customers, production, quality, and engineering teams to ensure tooling meets program requirements for timing, quality, capability, and production performance. The Tool Project Engineer coordinates design reviews, tooling buyoffs, production trials, and open issue resolution while supporting APQP activities, FMEA, part layout reviews, packaging development, and continuous improvement initiatives. This position plays a key role in ensuring new tooling and production programs are successfully developed, launched, and transitioned into efficient, reliable production.

• Responsible for overseeing the design & build of new tooling, engineering changes and/or tooling refurbishment programs.This includes all design reviews, tooling buy-offs at the supplier and internal run-offs.
• Conduct regular timing reviews with the tooling suppliers & monitor their progress to ensure they meet our program requirements.
• Coordinate early part orders with the tooling shops to support customer trial builds.
• Set up initial production trials and track open issues until resolved.This includes successfully achieving our quoted run rates & quality requirements.
• Support FMEA meetings for new projects to identify & address high risk areas.
• Ensure the significant characteristics (both the customers and ours) on new parts are adequately addressed by the tooling process.
• Review part layout results for any areas that need to be addressed (out of tolerance or not capable).
• Develop part packaging for both internal W.I.P. (with mfg) & finished goods (with the customer) and in agreement with our quoted packaging.
• Provide engineering support on current production parts for manufacturing improvements, quality issues, etc. as required.
• Support and/or lead continuous projects as required.
• Travel from time to time to local tooling suppliers and/or the customer.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in tooling, tool engineering, manufacturing engineering, or a related technical field.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and significant tooling or technical background.
• Comfortable leading internal meetings and communicating effectively with tooling suppliers.
• Ability to read and interpret part drawings, blueprints, and GD&T.
• Strong project coordination and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tooling programs and timelines.
• Proficient in Microsoft Outlook and Excel.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• Program management experience is a plus, but not required.
• Experience with welding, including resistance and GMAW, and automation is a plus, but not required.
• Experience with standard APQP tools and forms is a plus, but not required.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

“ACEMCO Incorporated is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.”