Industrial Engineer (Quality)

Fechheimer Brothers•Blue Ash, OH

4d•Remote

About The Position

The Industrial Engineer improves sewing operations across multiple manufacturing sites, both domestic and international, as well as both company owned and 3rd party contractors, by increasing operator efficiency, reducing WIP, improving quality, and lowering manufacturing costs using proven industrial engineering and lean methods. This role monitors production performance by operation, implements process changes to increase efficiency using TSS (Toyota Sewing System) for modular manufacturing, conducts time studies and sets production rates, and delivers routine daily/weekly/monthly production reporting in support of the ISO 9001 quality management system. The position is remote and requires frequent travel to manufacturing locations to observe processes, validate standards, and drive consistent execution.

Requirements

Strong industrial engineering capability in apparel/uniform sewing manufacturing (flow, modular operations, standard work, bottleneck analysis).
Working knowledge of TSS (Toyota Sewing System) or similar modular manufacturing systems.
Working knowledge of ISO 9001 and how reporting/metrics support a quality management system.
Skilled in time study techniques, setting standard rates, and improving methods in a production environment.
Proficiency working with production control data and generating recurring performance reporting (daily/weekly/monthly).
Strong communication and stakeholder management skills for remote work and multi-site influence; able to translate data into action plans.
Background in apparel manufacturing processes through formal education and/or on-the-job training; Bachelor’s degree preferred but not required.
5+ years’ experience in apparel manufacturing (or equivalent relevant experience).
Remote role with frequent travel to multiple manufacturing locations, both domestic and abroad, as business needs require.
Frequent sitting (remote work and data analysis); occasional standing and walking during on-site observations; driving and air travel as required for multi-site support.
Rare climbing or crawling; occasional stooping, kneeling, or crouching when observing processes and workstations; frequent reaching and handling when using measurement tools and working with laptops/documents.
Frequent talking and visual acuity for near and midrange tasks (reporting, analysis, documentation); occasional depth perception and field of vision demands while navigating production floors and during travel.

Responsibilities

Monitor production levels by operation and implement process changes to increase operator efficiency using TSS (Toyota Sewing System) principles for modular manufacturing.
Identify bottlenecks, imbalance, and flow constraints within sewing modules/lines and recommend practical countermeasures to improve throughput and reduce WIP.
Apply apparel/uniform industry best practices (e.g., standard work, modular staffing, line balancing, point-of-use staging) to improve consistency and performance.
Conduct production analysis and time studies and set manufacturing production rates/standards.
Maintain and update engineered standards (e.g., SMV/SAM concepts, method validation, allowance logic) used for planning, costing, and performance measurement in sewing operations.
Support continuous improvement by evaluating methods/motions to reduce non-value-added work and improve ergonomics without compromising quality.
Perform data analysis using the ISO 9001 quality management system and produce daily/weekly/monthly reports on production to be shared with plant management.
Extract data from the production control program/system and maintain accurate data entry as needed to ensure reliable reporting and analysis.
Use data to identify trends and root causes (efficiency loss, downtime, rework drivers) and translate insights into improvement actions.
Partner with Operations and Quality to reduce defects and variation through process controls, operator method adherence, and prevention-focused improvements consistent with ISO expectations.
Support manufacturing cost reduction through improved methods, reduced rework/scrap, better utilization, and increased throughput.
Ensure compliance with safety guidelines and governmental regulations; promote safe work practices aligned to production floor realities (equipment, workstation layout, material flow).
Serve as a site safety advocate as assigned, supporting OSHA-aligned practices and safe process design.
Travel to multiple manufacturing sites (domestic & international, internally, & 3rd party vendors) to observe processes, validate standards, and drive consistent execution of best practices across operations.
Collaborate with plant leadership and cross-functional partners to implement improvements and sustain gains through training on standard methods (non-supervisory; improvement-focused).
Evaluate and recommend apparel manufacturing technologies and workflow changes that reduce cost and improve quality.
Other duties as assigned consistent with industrial engineering support for apparel sewing operations.