Production Manager

Position Summary

Leads and manages site plant production to meet internal and external customers’ requirements and to support HEM business strategies, operating initiatives, and financial objectives.

Responsible for maintaining compliance with the Huber Sustainability Management Standard requirements, within their sphere of influence. This may or may not include compliance with any air permits, wastewater permits, storm water permits, or other rules as presented to the employee as requirements.

Principal Accountabilities

• Guide, coach and support production team members to ensure efficient and effective operations
• Promotes Huber Vision, Principles and desired culture by developing skills and leadership competencies of production staff.
• Lead and support EHS&S systems and ensure we are engaging, developing and recognizing our employees.
• Oversee production schedules to meet customer demands and ensure timely delivery of products.
• Support adjustments in schedules as necessary to accommodate changes in demand, maintenance activities, new product trials, or other production-related factors.
• Communicate production schedules to all relevant employees and customers to ensure everyone is aligned with production volumes and timelines.
• Notify appropriate customers (Plant Management, Sales Team, Customer Care) when production schedule puts orders in jeopardy of being late and work to minimize impact to customers.

Principal Accountabilities continued

• Support maintenance in efforts to maintain and repair equipment that encourages minimum downtime.
• Drive engagement of the strategic action plan throughout the site. Ensure that the strategic action plan is supported by the site and business leaders.
• Maintain and improve production cycles to minimize product changeovers and drive efficiency.
• Collaborate with the Quality Department to ensure the production of high-quality products.
• Assist with investigation and resolution of customer complaints.
• Coordinate Batch Record creation with the Logistics Department and communicate on any deviations from original plan.
• Coordinate with the Purchasing Department to ensure the availability of needed raw materials and supplies.
• Support new product development and ramp up of new products to support growth of the business.
• Cleary communicate reports and findings with leadership team and plant employees to reduce bottlenecks and increase production efficiencies.
• Ensure all processes and procedures comply with ISO, requirements.
• Maintain compliance with MSHA, IEPA, and regulations.
• Develop and maintain a positive relationship with Regulators and Customer auditors.

Driving Continuous Improvement:

• Strong use of Lean Six Sigma tools and methodologies. Aligns productivity efforts with and supports existing Continuous Improvement program and processes.
• Identify potential Process or Capital improvements that would increase efficiencies related to productivity, quality, cost performance, delivery and capacity.
• Ensure that the appropriate productivity and cost metrics are in place throughout the organization (asset utilization, OEE, capacity, throughput, cycle time, changeover time, energy consumption, yield, quality, etc.).
• Utilize Microsoft Power BI to build and analyze reports for tracking production metrics
• Develop and implement an Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) system to better understand production capabilities and identify areas for improvement.
  • Use OEE tools to identify and eliminate production bottlenecks.
  • Help team learn and understand OEE and how it benefits the plant.
• Manage and develop site resources to implement productivity projects. This incudes prioritization, mentorship, execution and project management.
• Ensure Lean Six Sigma tools and methodologies are used throughout the production plants on a daily basis to measure and improve performance.

Major Opportunities

• Analyze effectiveness of Preventative and Predictive Maintenance efforts and work with Management Team to implement improvements.
• Work with Engineering in new process improvements and new system start-ups.
• Work closely with the sales team to track production and provide products for customers.

Competencies

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Manufacturing, or a related experience.
• Proven experience in a production management role in the manufacturing industry.
• Thorough understanding of Microsoft Power BI, including building and analyzing reports.
• Demonstrated ability to develop, follow and audit detailed procedures.
• Expertise in using OEE tools to improve production efficiency.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated experience in using Root Cause Analysis to prevent repeat occurrences.

Education and/or Experience

• B.S. Degree in a technical discipline. Chemical or Mechanical Engineering preferred.
• 5-10 years of industry experience including Operations Productivity and Asset Utilization.
• Past experience as Process or Production Engineer preferred.
• Lean- and/or Six Sigma Green-/Black-Belt education & certification
• Experience in managing and developing a team.

Specialized or Technical Knowledge/Skills:

• Experience with continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience in Root Cause Analysis.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Strong analytical skills with attention to detail.
• Proactive approach to identifying and solving production issues.
• Must be able to acquire complete knowledge of production process and production capabilities with thorough knowledge of equipment.
• Must have good interpersonal skills and communication skills to be able to effectively collaborate with all levels of the organization.