Plant Manager

United Rolls•Canton, OH

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Plant Manager leads the overall performance, safety, quality, and profitability of United Rolls Inc.’s manufacturing operations in Canton, Ohio. The operations include an iron foundry and machine shop producing centrifugal spun cast iron rolls for industrial processing industries. The role directs production, maintenance, quality assurance, engineering, environmental compliance, and workforce development to deliver products on time while maintaining high standards of safety, quality, and operational excellence. The Plant Manager oversees daily foundry and machine shop operations, including melting and pouring iron alloys, centrifugal casting, mold preparation, heat treatment, roll finishing, machining, and metallurgical testing. The role manages production planning, maintenance and reliability, quality systems, budgets, capital planning, and continuous improvement. It also develops employees and leaders, supports customer and business needs, and ensures compliance with applicable safety, environmental, and customer requirements. This position is central to delivering high-quality spun cast iron rolls safely, efficiently, and profitably while supporting the company’s long-term growth objectives. The work involves frequent presence in foundry and machine shop environments, with exposure to heat, noise, dust, moving equipment, and industrial hazards.

Requirements

Minimum 10 years of manufacturing leadership experience.
Minimum 5 years in a plant management, operations management, or senior production leadership role.
Strong experience in foundry operations, metal casting, steel or iron manufacturing, heavy industrial manufacturing, or related industries.
Proven success leading safety, quality, productivity, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Knowledge of iron metallurgy and centrifugal casting processes.
Knowledge of foundry operations and heat treatment processes.
Knowledge of CNC machining and machining best practices.
Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies.
Knowledge of quality management systems and root cause analysis.
Knowledge of maintenance and reliability management.
Knowledge of ERP/MRP manufacturing systems.
Knowledge of OSHA and environmental compliance standards.
Strong leadership and team-building skills.
Strategic thinking and business acumen.
Excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Results-oriented approach and continuous improvement mindset.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
High level of accountability and integrity.
Ability to walk production areas daily and occasionally climb stairs, ladders, and platforms.
Ability to wear required personal protective equipment (PPE).

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Metallurgy, Industrial Management, or a related field; equivalent combination of education and industry experience may be considered.
Experience managing machining operations and large CNC equipment.

Responsibilities

Establish and maintain a strong safety culture across foundry and machine shop operations.
Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, state environmental regulations, and company safety policies.
Lead incident investigations, root cause analysis, corrective actions, safety audits, risk assessments, and safety training.
Direct daily foundry, centrifugal casting, heat treatment, roll finishing, and machine shop operations.
Ensure production schedules meet customer delivery requirements while maintaining efficiency and quality standards.
Monitor productivity, capacity utilization, scrap rates, and operational performance metrics.
Coordinate production planning, workflow optimization, and resource allocation.
Implement Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and other continuous improvement initiatives.
Oversee melting and pouring of iron alloys, centrifugal casting, mold preparation and handling, heat treatment, metallurgical testing, and quality control.
Maintain process controls to meet customer specifications and metallurgical requirements; improve yield, casting quality, and process consistency.
Manage machining operations using large CNC and manual equipment; optimize utilization, tooling, setup, and throughput.
Ensure maintenance and calibration of machine tools and inspection equipment, and support appropriate advanced machining technologies and automation.
Partner with Quality and Metallurgical teams to protect product integrity and reduce defects, rework, customer complaints, and warranty claims.
Ensure compliance with ISO and customer quality standards; review quality metrics and implement corrective actions.
Direct preventive and predictive maintenance programs, capital improvement and equipment replacement planning, and reliability strategies.
Oversee plant utilities, infrastructure, and critical support systems while minimizing downtime.
Develop and manage annual operating budgets; monitor labor, material, energy, maintenance, and overhead costs.
Identify cost reductions, analyze operational data to improve profitability, and support capital investment and ROI analysis.
Lead, coach, and develop supervisors, managers, and hourly employees; foster engagement, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
Support workforce and succession planning and talent development; collaborate with Human Resources on hiring, performance management, and employee relations.
Maintain positive labor-management relationships where applicable.
Support sales and customer service by aligning manufacturing capabilities with customer requirements.
Participate in customer visits, audits, and technical reviews; collaborate with engineering on product development and process improvements.
Maintain strong communication with suppliers and contractors.