Plant Manager

Forte Opening Solutions•Marshfield, WI

17d

About The Position

Forte Opening Solutions is seeking an experienced Plant Manager with a strong background in particle board or engineered wood panel manufacturing to lead a high-volume production facility. The role is responsible for the plant’s safety, operational performance, quality, financial results, and continuous improvement. The Plant Manager leads all aspects of operations, develops high-performing teams, optimizes production, and maintains safety, quality, and environmental compliance. The position also owns the plant operating budget and full P&L responsibility and serves as the plant’s primary leader during customer visits, audits, and regulatory inspections.

Requirements

10 or more years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience.
At least 5 years of leadership experience in particle board, MDF, OSB, engineered wood products, wood composites, or other continuous panel manufacturing environments.
Demonstrated experience leading large manufacturing teams in a 24/7 operation.
Proven success managing plant financial performance and P&L responsibility.
Extensive knowledge of particle board manufacturing processes, including wood handling and fiber preparation, drying systems, resin blending and application, mat forming, hot press operations, sanding, trimming, finishing, panel quality testing, and process control.
Strong understanding of resin chemistry, moisture control, density profiles, panel properties, and process optimization.
Experience managing continuous production systems with a focus on maximizing uptime and throughput.
Knowledge of emissions control systems, environmental compliance, dust collection, combustible dust hazards, and wood products manufacturing regulations.
Expertise in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, Root Cause Analysis, and continuous improvement methodologies.
Strong leadership, coaching, and employee development skills, with the ability to build highly engaged teams.
Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities and a data-driven approach to decision making.
Experience using manufacturing KPIs such as OEE, First Pass Yield, throughput, downtime, waste, energy utilization, and overall plant efficiency.
Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Proficiency with ERP systems and Microsoft Office applications.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, Forestry, Wood Products, or a related field.
Previous Plant Manager or Operations Manager experience in a continuous manufacturing operation.
Experience with continuous press systems.
Experience with wood fiber procurement and raw material optimization.
Familiarity with SPC (Statistical Process Control) and process capability analysis.
Experience leading major capital projects, equipment installations, or plant expansions.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.

Responsibilities

Lead all aspects of plant operations, including Safety, Quality, Production, Maintenance, Engineering, Shipping, Environmental, and Continuous Improvement.
Champion a world-class safety culture and ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, environmental permitting, and company safety policies and procedures.
Apply Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, and other continuous improvement methodologies to improve safety, productivity, yield, uptime, and cost performance.
Lead production of particle board products by optimizing fiber preparation, drying, blending, forming, pressing, finishing, and packaging operations.
Use raw materials efficiently, including wood fiber, resin systems, wax, and additives, while minimizing waste and maximizing recovery.
Monitor and improve manufacturing metrics, including OEE, throughput, yield, press efficiency, uptime, scrap, energy consumption, customer complaints, and on-time delivery.
Develop production schedules that meet customer demand while maximizing plant capacity and operational efficiency.
Partner with Maintenance and Engineering to improve equipment reliability through preventative and predictive maintenance programs.
Build, coach, and develop a high-performing leadership team focused on accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.
Foster employee engagement through coaching, communication, training, and leadership development.
Maintain compliance with quality systems and ensure products meet customer specifications.
Drive capital improvement projects that improve plant capability, automation, safety, efficiency, and cost competitiveness.
Own the plant operating budget and full P&L responsibility, partnering with Finance, Sales, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Corporate Leadership to achieve business objectives.
Analyze operational data to identify trends, eliminate losses, and drive sustainable improvements.
Lead the plant during customer visits, audits, and regulatory inspections.
Perform other duties as assigned.