Continuous Improvement Manager

Standex•Fairfield, OH

About The Position

Standex International is a global industrial growth company operating through our market-leading brands in electronics, cutting-edge forming technologies, engraving, and scientific refrigeration. We work with our customers to advance progress through innovation. From inventing and producing parts for next-generation space vehicles to evolving vaccine refrigeration, designing functional textures for everyday products, improving renewable energy technology, and much more, we are focused on making what’s next possible.

Requirements

Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives
Lean tools including 5S, Standard Work, Visual Controls, Root Cause Analysis, Value Stream Mapping, Pull Systems, SMED, TPM, and Autonomous Maintenance
Standard operating procedures, work instructions, visual management tools, and best practices
Continuous improvement projects from concept through implementation and follow-up
Best practice sharing across departments
Lean principles into project planning and execution
Change management initiatives
Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, Safety, Warehouse, and HR teams
Key performance indicators related to OEE, downtime, throughput, labor utilization, waste, scrap, and cost savings
Plant performance data analysis
Prioritizing projects and aligning improvement efforts with plant and company goals
Member of the plant leadership team
Operational issues, project planning, and long-term strategy development
Lean principles, continuous improvement tools, and problem-solving methods
Continuous improvement capability within the plant
Employee engagement
Continuous improvement expectations, standard work, and operational discipline
Product hold, disposition, corrective action, root cause investigation, and complaint resolution processes

Responsibilities

Lead implementation and sustainment of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives throughout multiple facilities.
Drive plant-wide efforts focused on safety, quality, productivity, waste reduction, labor efficiency, downtime reduction, and cost savings.
Facilitate Kaizen events, improvement workshops, and cross-functional problem-solving activities to improve operational performance.
Support development and implementation of lean tools including 5S, Standard Work, Visual Controls, Root Cause Analysis, Value Stream Mapping, Pull Systems, SMED, TPM, and Autonomous Maintenance.
Develop standard operating procedures, work instructions, visual management tools, and best practices to support sustainable improvements.
Coordinate continuous improvement projects from concept through implementation and follow-up.
Monitor progress of improvement projects and provide regular updates to plant leadership regarding results, barriers, and next steps.
Facilitate best practice sharing across departments and help standardize successful processes throughout the facility.
Support new equipment installations, line changes, plant layout changes, and capital projects by incorporating lean principles into project planning and execution.
Serve as a key resource for change management initiatives and help employees understand the purpose, expectations, and benefits of improvement efforts.
Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, Safety, Warehouse, and HR teams to identify process gaps and improvement opportunities.
Develop, track, and communicate key performance indicators related to OEE, downtime, throughput, labor utilization, waste, scrap, and cost savings.
Analyze plant performance data to identify trends, root causes, and opportunities for sustainable improvement.
Assist plant leadership in prioritizing projects and aligning improvement efforts with plant and company goals.
Participate as a member of the plant leadership team and provide support for operational issues, project planning, and long-term strategy development.
Maintain visibility on the production floor to observe operations, identify opportunities, coach employees, and reinforce continuous improvement behaviors.
Support additional plant projects, business initiatives, and operational priorities as assigned.
Provide training, coaching, and development to supervisors, engineers, maintenance employees, and hourly employees on lean principles, continuous improvement tools, and problem-solving methods.
Build continuous improvement capability within the plant by helping leaders and employees understand and apply lean concepts in their daily work.
Support employee engagement by encouraging ownership, accountability, and involvement in improvement activities.
Reinforce plant-wide understanding of continuous improvement expectations, standard work, and operational discipline.
Manage product hold, disposition, corrective action, root cause investigation, and complaint resolution processes.