Tooling Engineer

Wieland Group; Pine Hall (NC); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Wieland is seeking a Tooling Engineer in Pine Hall, NC, to develop, optimise, and manage tooling for Tech Tube fining and copper shell drawing processes. The role focuses on troubleshooting tooling issues, improving setups, and driving cost efficiency across operations.

The ideal candidate has a mechanical/industrial engineering degree with 1–3 years of manufacturing experience, strong problem-solving abilities, and proficiency in Excel and ERP systems (SAP preferred).

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering or related field.
• 1-3 years of manufacturing experience.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook).
• Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis capabilities.
• Ability to travel for initial training.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively across teams.
• Strong organisational skills with high attention to detail.
• Experience with copper processing, tube manufacturing, or metal forming operations (preferred).
• Experience implementing tooling tracking or inventory management systems (preferred).
• Experience with ERP systems (SAP preferred).
• Experience with data analysis and KPI development for manufacturing processes (preferred).
• Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement experience (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Support tooling development and optimisation for production finning operations.
• Troubleshoot tooling and process issues affecting tube quality and efficiency.
• Collaborate with teams to improve fining stability and repeatability.
• Analyse parameters and tooling conditions to improve geometry and performance.
• Develop and maintain tooling inventory with real-time status and tracking.
• Monitor KPIs for tooling performance including life, cost, and refurbishments.

Skills

Troubleshooting

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Team collaboration

Travel ability

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering

Tools

Excel

SAP

ERP systems

Tooling tracking systems

Job description

Tooling Engineer

Job Location: Pine Hall, NC

Wieland is a global leader in copper and copper alloy manufacturing. We have a large product and service portfolio including power, automotive, ammunition, coinage, construction materials, refrigeration, electronics and many other industries. The Tooling Engineer will be responsible for the development, optimisation, and lifecycle management of tooling used in the Tech Tube fining process and copper shell drawing operations. This role focuses on troubleshooting tooling issues, developing tooling setups, improving tooling performance, and establishing structured tooling management systems to support operational efficiency and cost optimisation. On the Tech Tube side, the engineer supports the setup development and troubleshooting of fining operations used to manufacture high‑performance heat transfer tubes. On the Drawing process side, the engineer leads tooling management initiatives supporting the transformation of cast copper shells into finished products including straight tubes for HVAC and plumbing, Level Wound Coils (LWC), inner‑grooved coils, and bunch coils.

Responsibilities

Tech Tube Tooling Development & Troubleshooting:

• Support setup development and optimisation for internal and external finning operations.
• Troubleshoot tooling and process issues affecting fin quality, tube integrity, and production efficiency.
• Collaborate with production teams to improve fining stability and repeatability.
• Analyse process parameters and tooling conditions to improve fin geometry consistency and product performance.
• Support new product development initiatives related to enhanced heat transfer tube designs.

Drawing Tooling Management & Optimization:

• Support tooling development for copper shell drawing operations producing straight tubes, LWC, inner‑grooved coils, and bunch coils.
• Identify tooling improvements that enhance drawing stability, surface quality, and dimensional consistency.
• Develop and maintain a structured tooling inventory system including real‑time tooling inventory status (in stock vs deployed), tool identification using unique tracking methods (barcode or QR code if feasible), and tracking of tooling deployed.
• Develop and monitor key performance indicators for tooling performance including tool life, tooling cost, tool refurbishment frequency, and emergency tooling requests.

Continuous Improvement & Cost Optimization:

• Identify opportunities to reduce tooling costs while maintaining performance and reliability.
• Optimise tooling inventory levels to avoid over‑stock or shortages.
• Support capital investment planning for tooling upgrades.
• Reduce emergency tooling purchases and expedite costs through improved planning.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives related to tooling design and lifecycle management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering, or related technical field. (required)
• 1‑3 years of experience in manufacturing. (required)
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook). (required)
• Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis capabilities. (required)
• Ability to travel for initial training. (required)
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively across teams and departments. (required)
• Strong organisational skills with high attention to detail. (required)
• Experience with copper processing, tube manufacturing, or metal forming operations. (preferred)
• Experience implementing tooling tracking or inventory management systems. (preferred)
• Experience with ERP systems (SAP preferred).
• Experience with data analysis and KPI development for manufacturing processes. (preferred)
• Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement experience. (preferred)

Equal Opportunity Employer

Wieland is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment for all employees.