Position Overview
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We are seeking an accomplished Foundry Production Manager to take ownership of manufacturing operations within a high-volume metal casting environment. This leader will be responsible for ensuring that production activities are performed safely, efficiently, and consistently while meeting customer requirements for quality and delivery.
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The successful candidate will provide direction to production supervisors and manufacturing personnel, optimize foundry processes, improve equipment performance, control operating costs, and build a strong culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
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This is a highly visible leadership position with direct influence over plant productivity, workforce performance, product quality, and operational results.
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Key Areas of Responsibility
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The Production Manager will have oversight of the complete foundry manufacturing process, including:
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- Metal melting and furnace operations
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- Molding and core-related production activities
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- Casting operations
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- Shakeout and finishing processes
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- Production planning and scheduling
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- Material utilization and yield
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- Equipment performance and availability
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- Quality and scrap reduction
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- Safety and environmental compliance
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- Workforce development and performance management
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Primary Responsibilities
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- Direct day-to-day foundry production activities to achieve established safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives.
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- Translate customer demand and production requirements into practical manufacturing schedules and staffing plans.
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- Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and production employees to strengthen team performance and accountability.
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- Establish and monitor operational metrics related to throughput, efficiency, labor utilization, downtime, scrap, and quality.
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- Identify production constraints and implement solutions to improve capacity, flow, and overall manufacturing performance.
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- Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) by addressing equipment losses, process inefficiencies, and downtime.
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- Work closely with Maintenance to improve machine reliability, preventive maintenance effectiveness, and equipment availability.
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- Partner with Quality teams to investigate defects, identify root causes, and implement sustainable corrective and preventive actions.
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- Reduce scrap, rework, and material waste while improving first-pass yield and casting consistency.
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- Lead Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement activities, including 5S, Kaizen, process optimization, and waste reduction.
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- Review production results and communicate performance, challenges, corrective actions, and improvement opportunities to plant leadership.
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- Ensure employees follow established safety procedures, manufacturing standards, work instructions, and operating practices.
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- Support workforce planning, training, employee development, and succession planning for the production organization.
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- Evaluate raw material consumption and manufacturing yields to improve cost efficiency.
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- Promote a culture centered on safety, ownership, teamwork, problem-solving, and operational excellence.
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Required Qualifications
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- Demonstrated experience working in a metal foundry or casting manufacturing environment.
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- Previous experience managing production teams in a manufacturing facility.
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- Strong understanding of production planning, scheduling, and shop-floor execution.
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- Proven ability to improve manufacturing productivity, efficiency, quality, and throughput.
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- Experience leading supervisors and hourly manufacturing personnel.
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- Strong analytical, decision-making, troubleshooting, and problem-solving abilities.
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- Excellent communication and leadership skills with the ability to work effectively across production, maintenance, quality, and management teams.
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Preferred Experience
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Candidates with experience in the following areas will be highly valued:
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- Metal casting and foundry production
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- Furnace and melting operations
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- Sand molding and sand system processes
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- Casting finishing operations
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- Lean Manufacturing
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- 5S and Kaizen
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- Six Sigma methodologies
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- OEE improvement
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- Root Cause Analysis
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- Scrap and yield improvement
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- KPI development and performance management
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- Continuous improvement programs
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What the Company Offers
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- Leadership responsibility within an established foundry operation
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- Opportunity to make a measurable impact on plant performance
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- Strong focus on operational excellence and continuous improvement
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- Collaborative manufacturing leadership environment
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- Opportunities to develop production teams and strengthen plant culture
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- Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits
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- Long-term career opportunity within a stable manufacturing organization
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