Quality Engineer

What do we do? Spartan Light Metal Products is on the cutting edge of automotive manufacturing. We make highly engineered parts for electric, and fuel powered vehicles. Our parts go on automakers like General Motors, Ford, Toyota and Honda. The Company is family-owned, and we have lived our family values for the past 60 years. We believe in servant leadership, collaboration, safety and quality. We have talented people that work hard and have fun. Benefits! Comprehensive benefit package, including medical, dental, vision, company provided life insurance! 401k Match! Tuition reimbursement! Growth and development opportunities! Bonus opportunities! GENERAL SUMMARY Leads and manages in the advance quality control activities in coordination with the Launch Engineer and interfaces with site customer quality engineering, product engineering, and manufacturing staff in order to develop and execute the quality control system for new product launches. Ensures the quality system is in place to assure ongoing compliance with the customer specifications in production. Performs advanced quality planning, development of the gaging strategy and acquisition of the product gage package for launches. Responsible for providing coverage support for Quality Manager, and ensures point of contact with Customer quality. As part of the Engineering team, participates in the attainment of department and company goals and demonstrates Spartan’s core operating values through work activities, actions and behaviors. PRINCIPAL DUTIES Participates, as required, in the development of quote proposals for new business opportunities. • Evaluates customer prints, models, and other quality input documents. • Develops gaging strategies to support quoting needs. • Provides input to develop gaging package budget to support quoting needs. • Develops gaging vendors to support Spartan’s quality standards and operational needs. 2. Develops the specific gaging strategy for new product launches. • Sources the gaging package to the suppliers. • Conducts design reviews and run-off’s with the gaging suppliers. • Works with launch engineering to maintain budget negotiations for the gaging package. • Works with site quality and operations to support the Spartan gaging strategy. 3. Leads the launch team in the creation of PFMEA’s, Control Plans and other quality documentation for new product launches. • Works with the launch team to create the quality documents. • Creates all documentation to follow a one Spartan standard. • Applies all Lessons Learned and 8-D of like products to the new quality documentation and quality plans. • Maintains a standardize identification of RPN’s for Spartan. 4. Assists in the development and coordination of APQP documentation. 5. Assists engineering in the measurement and establishment of process capability studies for die cast trials, vendor machine run-offs and component supplier manufacturing processes. • Acts as the expert for determining if a process is stable and robust by applying statistical methods. • Evaluates capability studies, assists in the set-up/planning of process trials, assists in analyzing data, and validates conclusions. • Assists in the engineering of solutions to establish capable processes that meet customer expectations. 6. Facilitates discipline approach to problem solving as necessary during the launch phase of new products. 7. Supports Spartan’s New Product Review process (NPR) for the launch of new products with the following responsibilities: Primary Responsibilities: • Reviews customer inputs: significant and critical characteristics, DFMEA, Warranty and Durability targets. • Reviews Spartan Lesson Learned documentation. • Develops the quality plans for prototype parts. Support Responsibilities: • Supports manufacturing concepts for die casting, machining and assembly operations. • Supports supplier selection, logistics, and timing/lead times. 8. Maintains and improves on SLMP plant quality system: • Leads in developing, documenting and reviewing inspection, quality assurance and calibration procedures. • Assists in developing, documenting and implementing IATF 16949 quality systems, as needed. • Assists with IATF 16949 internal audits and follow-up actions, as needed • Assists with the development and training of inspection personnel. • Leads in the determination of sampling frequencies and quantities for inspection plans for new and ongoing jobs. 9. Involvement with customer visits to SLMP and/or customer quality audits when required. This includes providing corrective actions resulting from the audits 10. Assists with the development of suppliers’ quality programs, as required. 11. Issues supplier and internal corrective actions when nonconformity is found. Follows-up on problems and ensures that corrective actions have been implemented. 12. Participates in lean manufacturing initiatives and incorporates lean and continuous improvement concepts in work activities and completion of projects. 13. Communicates, coordinates and cooperates with all levels of management, team members, suppliers and customers on quality issues. 14. Travels to customer’s plants to review customer complaints and potential problems. 15. Leads automation and computerization of quality functions when justified. 16. Jointly identifies problem areas and establishes corrective action with manufacturing personnel to correct and improve product quality. 17. Maintains knowledge of inspection tools and the gage calibrations, including providing assistance in maintaining gage R&R studies and capability studies. 18. Provides practical knowledge of statistics and SPC and train others in these topics. 19. Contributes to and supports the existence of a positive work environment through personal involvement by communicating, interacting and behaving in a professional and ethical manner that promotes productive relationships with coworkers, supervisor, customers, and others with whom such relationships are important to the success of company operations. 20. Monitors customer’s scorecard using their portals and updates Quality Manager for good and bad trends and for Management Review. 21. Performs other duties as assigned. Supervisory Responsibilities: 22. Leads groups and teams to accomplish tasks and provides training. Provides leadership and guidance in the development of new gaging strategies. Teaches and instructs new quality plans and gaging instructions to the operations and site quality employees. JOB QUALIFICATIONS Required: • Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or related field. • SPC training including working knowledge. (Includes Gage R&R knowledge). • Completion of Blueprint interpretation course including Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing. • Control Plan and FMEA training or working knowledge. • Gage usage training course (Micrometers, Height Gage, Calipers, Dial Indicators, Thread Gages, etc.). Preferred: • Certified Quality Engineer (CQE)