Milliken & Company is a global manufacturing leader whose focus on materials science delivers tomorrow's breakthroughs today. From industry-leading molecules to sustainable innovations, Milliken creates products that enhance people's lives and deliver solutions for its customers and communities. Drawing on thousands of patents and a portfolio with applications across the textile, flooring, chemical and healthcare businesses, the company harnesses a shared sense of integrity and excellence to positively impact the world for generations. Discover more about Milliken's curious minds and inspired solutions at Milliken.com and on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
The Flame-Resistant Technologist reports directly to the Process Improvement Manager at the Magnolia Finishing Plant. This role provides technical leadership for flame resistant product lines, with a primary focus on improving process performance, reducing off-quality, strengthening process capability, and driving sustainable manufacturing improvements. The role partners with internal teams to support plant and objectives.
Key Responsibilities
- Promote continuous improvement of the safety process at Magnolia Finishing by ensuring that associates and processes support participation in associate-driven safety committee activities. Ensure corrective actions assigned to processes and committees are addressed in a timely manner.
- Assist the Location Manager in ensuring that management and production associates clearly understand overall plant goals, process performance expectations, quality goals, and current improvement initiatives, including how their roles and processes contribute to achieving those goals.
- Work with Magnolia associates to ensure sound processes are followed when developing specifications and procedures within established ISO, PSM, EMS, and MPS frameworks. Identify opportunities to strengthen process controls and improve consistency.
- Support plant manufacturing capability by identifying and implementing opportunities to improve process performance, reduce off-quality, rework, waste, and manufacturing costs while supporting established margin and cost targets.
- Ensure location management associates are educated on using statistical techniques to identify and quantify variation in key process and quality measures and use this information to identify improvement opportunities.
- Facilitate and support focused improvement projects designed to eliminate special cause variation, reduce common cause variation, improve first-quality performance, and prevent recurring process failures using established Milliken MPS and DMAIC methodologies.
- Work with plant Operations, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, and Supply Chain functions to identify and address process conditions contributing to off-quality, rework, manufacturing losses, and delivery concerns. Support the timely disposition of reworked sets and replacement of off-quality product.
- Lead investigations into significant off-quality events, recurring process issues. Utilize root cause analysis and statistical analysis to identify causes, develop sustainable countermeasures, and verify effectiveness to prevent recurrence. Prepare detailed presentations of findings and product performance when appropriate.
- Work with inspection and lab testing functions to understand product performance, identify trends and recurring quality issues, and improve process requirements related to first-quality performance and customer satisfaction.
- Provide regular feedback to business and plant teams regarding process and job performance, including annual reviews when applicable. Develop plans to improve weak areas through further training, education, coaching, and process improvements.
- Ensure all associates under this roles responsibility perform within the guidelines of the Magnolia locations Environmental Management System and that all process changes are communicated according to the procedures documented in the EMS and PSM manuals.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in an Engineering/Chemistry field from an accredited institution.
- Management-of-managers experience required, with demonstrated leadership of teams of 10+ employees.
- Demonstrated experience driving process improvements, reducing off-quality, and improving manufacturing performance.
- Experience in maintenance/engineering services for finishing processes.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
- Minimum of eight years of textile experience.
- Prior knowledge of continuous dyeing processes.
- Experience with multi-fiber dyeing.
- Prior manufacturing experience in FR preparation, FR dyeing, and FR finishing.
- Knowledge of FR industry test standards and requirements.
- Knowledge of industrial laundry market expectations and existing industry capabilities.
- Knowledge of FR textile processing equipment and processes.
- Knowledge of FR garment durability requirements.
- Knowledge of textile industry shade performance and measurement systems.
- Knowledge of Process Safety Management.
Preferred Strengths and Competencies
- Strong leadership skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and use resources creatively.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with demonstrated ability to identify root causes, reduce off-quality, and improve process performance; experience with statistical analysis and Green Belt methodologies is preferred.
- Effective communication skills, including verbal communication, written communication, and group presentations.
- Ability to work effectively as part of a team.
- Ability to lead and develop a team of managers.
- Ability to drive accountability for process, quality, and manufacturing performance.
- Ability to interact professionally with customers and internal stakeholders within the FR business segment.
Milliken is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, including but not limited to lactation), sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression (including transgender status), ancestry, national origin, citizenship, age physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran or military status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
To request a reasonable accommodation to complete a job application, pre-employment testing, a job interview, or to otherwise participate in the hiring process, please contact TalentAcquisition@milliken.com.