Manufacturing Engineer

Manufacturing Engineer

Location: Gastonia, NC (IFAB Corp — On-site)

Job Type: Full-Time 

About the Role

At IFAB Corp, the Manufacturing Engineer is the technical owner of how parts are made. In this role, you will design, document, and continuously improve our fabrication and assembly processes—stamping, forming, welding, CNC machining, assembly, and coating—to ensure production runs to standard with predictable cycle times, yield, and costs.

If you thrive in a hands-on shop-floor environment where your engineering background directly drives plant productivity, quality, and process capability, this role is for you.

Key Responsibilities

• Process Engineering & Documentation: Develop and maintain manufacturing routings, operation sequences, standard times, and Bills of Materials (BOMs) within our ERP environment (Sage 500). Author and control work instructions, setup sheets, and visual standards.

• Tooling & Fixturing: Design fixturing and workholding using 3D CAD (SolidWorks/AutoCAD), coordinate build or purchase, and validate capability through first-article runs.

• Process Optimization & Productivity: Identify and eliminate key cost drivers, reduce setup times (SMED), implement Lean Manufacturing techniques, and improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

• Quality & Root-Cause Problem Solving: Lead process-side root-cause analysis (8D, 5-Why, Fishbone) to reduce scrap and rework. Support APQP/PPAP deliverables (PFMEA, Control Plans, Run-at-Rate).

• NPI & Engineering Changes (ECO): Provide Design for Manufacturability (DFM) feedback on new parts and execute engineering changes smoothly on the production floor without operational disruptions.

• Safety & Compliance: Ensure processes, guarding, ergonomics, and material handling meet plant safety standards and satisfy ISO 9001 / IATF 16949 audit requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing, Mechanical, Industrial, or Welding Engineering (or an Associate degree combined with 6+ years of hands-on manufacturing engineering experience).

• Experience: 3+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in metal fabrication, stamping, welding, CNC machining, or assembly.

• Technical Skills:

  • Strong proficiency interpreting blueprints, GD&T, and welding symbols.

  • Proficiency in 3D CAD software (SolidWorks, Inventor, or AutoCAD).

  • Hands-on experience working with ERP systems (routings, work centers, BOMs).

  • Structured problem-solving discipline (8D, 5-Why, Fishbone).

• Shop-Floor Presence: Comfortable spending the majority of the working day on the production floor working directly with operators and supervisors.

Preferred Qualifications

• Language: Bilingual English/Spanish — strongly preferred for direct communication with the shop-floor workforce.

• Experience across multiple fabrication processes within one facility (press brake, laser/plasma cutting, robotic and manual welding, CNC machining, paint/coating).

• Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma Certification (Green Belt or above).

• Automotive or heavy-truck supply chain experience operating within an IATF 16949 / ISO 9001 quality system.

• Robotic welding or automation programming and integration experience.

• Specific experience with Sage 500 ERP.

• CWI or weld process qualification background (AWS D1.1 / D1.3).

Core Competencies

• Technical Credibility: Earns operator and supervisor trust by solving floor-level issues through collaboration.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Quantifies results before and after project execution to validate cost savings and cycle time improvements.

• End-to-End Ownership: Stays with process modifications until they run reliably to standard on the floor.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.

• Growth opportunities within a dynamic manufacturing operations environment.

• Collaborative culture focused on continuous improvement and operational excellence.

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