Lean Technician

DAKOTA BODIES LLC•Watertown, SD

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Lean Technician supports manufacturing operations by improving process stability, reducing waste, and increasing productivity across fabrication, assembly, and paint processes. Working with production, engineering, maintenance, quality, and leadership teams, this hands-on shop-floor role applies Lean manufacturing principles and data-informed observation to strengthen safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance. The technician helps identify inefficiencies, implement improvements, and ensure they are sustained.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED required.
1–3+ years of experience in a manufacturing, production, or industrial environment.
Basic understanding of Lean manufacturing principles, including 5S, Kaizen, and Standard Work.
Strong mechanical aptitude and problem-solving ability.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and basic data-tracking tools.
Strong communication skills and ability to work on the production floor.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree or technical training in Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, Engineering Technology, or a related field.
Ability to read technical drawings or work instructions.

Responsibilities

Support implementation of Lean manufacturing practices, including 5S, Standard Work, Kaizen, and Visual Management.
Identify waste in production processes, including motion, waiting, defects, overproduction, transport, inventory, and overprocessing.
Participate in and facilitate Kaizen events and rapid improvement activities.
Assist in developing and maintaining Lean daily management systems.
Conduct time studies, cycle time analysis, and line balancing activities.
Help identify bottlenecks and improve throughput.
Analyze production data to identify trends, losses, and improvement opportunities.
Assist in validating takt time alignment and adherence to standard work.
Perform daily Gemba walks to observe processes and engage with operators and supervisors.
Collaborate with production teams to resolve real-time operational issues.
Support corrective actions and help ensure improvements are sustained.
Assist in developing and updating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), visual work instructions, and process documentation.
Help maintain PFEP (Plan for Every Part) and improve material flow.
Promote safety and support safety improvement initiatives.
Assist with root cause analysis, such as 5 Why and Fishbone analysis, for quality and process issues.
Support operator training on Lean concepts and new processes.
Encourage employee engagement in continuous improvement activities.
Work with Engineering, Production, Maintenance, and Quality teams.
Support new product introductions, pilot builds, and process changes.
Assist leadership with tracking CI metrics and reporting improvement results.