Manufacturing Engineer

LECO Corporation•St. Joseph, MI

4d•Onsite

About The Position

LECO is seeking a versatile, proactive Manufacturing Engineer to optimize, support, and scale operations in a high-mix, low-volume (HMLV) manufacturing environment. The role focuses on expanding production capacity, developing agile workflows, designing flexible tooling, reducing changeover times, and applying Lean principles to support safety, quality, and on-time delivery across a dynamic production schedule. The Manufacturing Engineer partners with an Automation Engineer to identify valuable automation opportunities. The position is based in St. Joseph, Michigan, with a Monday-through-Friday schedule from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. LECO is a family-owned company that has developed and produced laboratory instruments for over 90 years.

Requirements

2–5 years of experience as a manufacturing or process engineer; experience in an HMLV, Engineer-to-Order (ETO), or job-shop environment is preferred.
Hands-on exposure to relevant fabrication processes, such as precision electromechanical assembly, sheet metal, welding, machining, or PCBA.
Strong proficiency with CAD modeling software such as SolidWorks, AutoCAD, or Creo.
Practical familiarity with ERP/MRP systems such as SAP or Oracle for managing routings and BOM allocations.
Solid understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles.
Ability to adapt to ambiguity, shifting production schedules, and fast-paced engineering changes.
Ability to collaborate across Design, Quality, Procurement, Supply Chain, and shop-floor teams.
Strong problem-solving ability and a self-starter mindset for diagnosing unstandardized, low-frequency product issues.
Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a highly related technical discipline.

Nice To Haves

Experience in an HMLV, Engineer-to-Order (ETO), or job-shop environment.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.

Responsibilities

Develop flexible manufacturing process flows, line-of-balance tracking, and factory layouts for varied product lines.
Apply Design for Manufacturing (DFx) principles during early design phases to reduce downstream production costs and complexity.
Reduce changeover and setup times using Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) techniques.
Create and maintain SOPs, work instructions, routings, and Bills of Material (BOMs) in the ERP system.
Define, design, and commission flexible fixtures and tooling for multiple product variants.
Evaluate and integrate manufacturing technologies such as flexible automation, modular workstations, and 3D printing for rapid prototyping.
Oversee calibration, maintenance, and verification setups to ensure measurement integrity across product families.
Lead cross-functional New Product Introduction (NPI) projects from design validation through production ramp-up.
Execute Engineering Change Orders (ECOs), coordinating updates to physical processes, material flows, and document records.
Provide hands-on production-floor support to troubleshoot assembly issues, yield drops, and process variations.
Perform Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and implement Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) or Non-Conformance Reports (NCR).
Use Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methods, including PFMEA, value stream mapping, and 5S, to eliminate waste in low-volume work cells.
Partner with an Automation Engineer to identify opportunities for automation.