Production Manager - Fabrication

Weidmann Electrical Technology•Saint Johnsbury, VT

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Production Manager - Fabrication provides manufacturing leadership and experience to the site’s make-to-order board fabrication department. This role ensures that the production of products and processes meets or exceeds safety, quality, service, and productivity expectations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or related field.
10+ years of progressive leadership in 24/7 manufacturing operation and matrix organization.
Proven expertise in make-to-order production, Lean, Six Sigma and TPM methodologies.
Strong ERP proficiency required; SAP experience preferred.
Skilled in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, SharePoint, OneNote).
Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills, with a strong ability to lead across all organizational levels.
Strong financial acumen, with direct experience in labor planning, budget management, and cost optimization.
Track record of developing leaders, building succession pipelines, and driving organizational change.
Safety Leadership & Regulatory Compliance - Promotes a safety-first culture and ensures compliance with all regulatory, environmental, and company standards.
People Leadership & Talent Development - Builds high-performing teams through coaching, accountability, employee development, and succession planning.
Operational Excellence & Results Orientation - Drives operational performance by improving productivity, quality, delivery, and cost through disciplined execution and a focus on results.
Lean Manufacturing & Continuous Improvement - Applies advanced manufacturing and Lean principles to drive continuous improvement, operational excellence, waste elimination, and sustainable business results.
Change Leadership - Effectively leads and sustains organizational, operational, and cultural change to achieve business objectives.
Cross-Functional Collaboration - Partners effectively across functions to align priorities, solve problems, and improve overall business performance.

Nice To Haves

SAP experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives across the Urbana, Ohio and St. Johnsbury, VT manufacturing facilities.
Drive measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance.
Support and execute the company’s Operational Excellence strategy and global continuous improvement standards.
Lead cross-functional process optimization and operational improvement projects.
Implement and standardize continuous improvement tools, methodologies, and best practices across operations.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement by coaching and engaging employees at all levels of the organization.
Lead by example in a values-driven culture, aligning teams with the company’s mission, vision, and values.
Lead and drive change management in 24/7 converting operations, including supervision of shift supervisors and frontline production teams.
Develop, coach, and manage labor resources, technical skill development, and succession planning for all converting employees.
Champion a safety-first culture, ensuring all shifts adhere to safe work practices and company safety policies.
Promote employee engagement around safety awareness and compliance across all production activities.
Maintains safe environment with continuous training, accident prevention, safety committees, OSHA compliance, and involvement in safety investigations.
Ensures OSHA compliance, ISO 9000 (QMS), 14001 (EMS), 45001 (OSHAS) adherence; enforces Weidmann Production System (WPS).
Drive operational performance improvements through employment of CI / LSS tools in 24/7 make-to-order department, standardizing production processes, tools and systems.
Develop, implement and maintain manufacturing best practices that are aligned to standardized global top-down operational strategic initiatives.
Drive standard work, utilizing work center specific best practices, to improve our overall operational efficiencies.
Drive improvement across key performance indicators (KPIs) including material yield and throughput, changeover efficiency, schedule adherence, scrap rate, on-time delivery performance, lost time & recordable injury rates, and customer complaints.
Executes business and site operational goals aligned with overall business strategies.
Understands Weidmann product lines and customers; manages customer complaints and root cause corrective actions.
Implement and sustain Lean Six Sigma and Shop Floor Management systems.
Lead structured daily management systems including Gemba walks, tiered meetings, and performance huddles.
Facilitate Kaizen events, structured problem-solving, and root cause analysis to drive ongoing improvement.
Promote and standardize visual management, SOPs, equipment standards, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Partner with the Board Machine Manager to align upstream production with downstream board fabrication requirements.
Work closely with Engineering and Maintenance to ensure machine reliability and identify improvement opportunities.
Coordinate with Planning, Technical, Quality, Maintenance, and Logistics teams to optimize schedules, material flow, and production efficiency.