Paint/Powder Department Supervisor

Job Description

Job Description

Description :

To directly supervise hourly personnel assigned to the paint department and to oversee all paint and powder coat work performance as related to the finishing of all products in the department. Ensuring hourly personnel are meeting all quality requirements in the safest, most effective and economical manner possible.

Duties and Responsibilities -

1. Plans, organizes, and controls all paint / powder coat operations in accordance with guidelines established by production schedules and the Plant Manager. Releases paint line shop orders after review for completeness and correctness.

2. Develops, trains, and motivates hourly employees to acquire maximum efficiency, productivity, cooperation, and morale. Resolves conflicts between associates and maintains harmony in the workforce.

3. Ensures that all shift employees, equipment, materials, and areas of operation conform to all appropriate health and safety rules and regulations.

4. Ensures that safe work practices and conduct are maintained at all times and provides instructions, guidance and directions to assist associates having production difficulties and procedural problems ex : special / custom rack fabrication.

5. Communicate / coordinate with Plant Manager regarding any departmental disciplinary action in accordance with established policies and the local labor agreement. Assists Plant Manager with any required supporting documentation.

6. Ensures that the equipment and tools in the paint department are maintained and good housekeeping practices are in place and enforced. Informs the maintenance department of any required repairs and equipment issues.

7. Schedules vacations for hourly personnel in accordance with individual requests, company policy, local labor agreements, and production schedules.

8. Assists with the development and creation of written job procedures and maintains all required production reports in support of the plant quality management system.

9. Actively supports and responds to quality issues, non-conformance reports and participates in the root cause analysis process. Develops permanent solutions to on-going departmental issues / problems.

10. Assist Plant Manager with departmental goal setting and department performance metrics. Optimizes beam utilization for maximum paint line efficiency.

11. Effectively interacts, cooperates and communicates with all other functional departments and internal / external customers and suppliers.

12. Inspect incoming paint and powder components for compliance to requirements and audits out-going product quality. Maintains select paint / powder inventory levels and prevents any inventory stock-outs. Mix paint and ensure proper color match using appropriate equipment.

13. Maintain all department reports per DEP regulations and internal Leed Himmel reporting requirements including electronic daily paint and production reports.

14. Assist with the cross-training and development of trained back up personnel for this position to adequately provide for vacation, illness, etc. coverage to ensure the customer’s requirements are always met.

15. All other duties as assigned / required by plant management.

Requirements :

Technical Knowledge / Job Competencies -

1. Working knowledge of all paint and powder coating operations including mixing, blending, color matching, application methods and best practices.

2. Knowledge of metrology and use of measuring instruments pertaining to paint / powder density. Able to read and interpret technical drawings regarding finish requirements and job specifications.

3. Basic math skills and the ability to optimize material usage and creatively minimize waste. Working knowledge of the color matching computer software.

4. Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite and basic computer skills including the use of inter-office e-mail. Ability to communicate fabrication issues with designer and sales group.

5. Familiar with powder coating operation control system and settings, oven settings and conveyor operations, sprayer controls and system troubleshooting.

6. Ability to multi-task and manage multiple issues simultaneously. Conflict resolution skills, team building, managing change and setting expectations and performance levels to meet company goals. Able to anticipate problems and develop solutions in advance to consistently meet customer expectations.

Impact on Organization -

This position ensures that all paint / powder line work is done in concert with all other functional groups to meet common company objectives, goals and schedules.

Successful departmental operations consistently supply all upstream and downstream operations and customers with a quality product, enabling them to meet all quality and throughput goals. Provides constructive feedback to upstream operations to advance internal quality awareness and improvement. Conversely, as a major internal supplier to the company and directly to external customers, non-conforming products produced and released directly results in increased scrap and rework in all subsequent departments or outside customer facilities. This has a direct, negative impact on costs and customer confidence.

Education / Prior Work Experience -

High school graduate plus 3 – 5 years manufacturing experience with a minimum of 1 year in a leadership position or two year technical degree plus 2 years of manufacturing experience with a minimum of 1 year in a leadership position. Experience with paint application / powder coating methods and operations especially working with nonferrous metals. Bi-lingual (Spanish) desirable.

Organizational Relationships :

This position reports to the Plant Manager. Directly supervises a union hourly workforce in the paint department and works in conjunction with the Quality Assurance Manager in support of company quality initiatives. Frequent contact with all other departments regarding coated finish issues, managing delivery dates and assisting with the resolution of field performance issues.