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The job will be located at our production site in Iron County in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

The Manufacturing Engineer is responsible for improving manufacturing processes, equipment reliability, safety, quality, productivity, and cost. This position leads continuous improvement initiatives, manages manufacturing and capital projects, and partners with Production, Maintenance, Quality, and Safety to improve overall plant performance. The successful candidate will be a hands-on problem solver who uses data, Lean manufacturing principles, and structured problem-solving to develop practical and sustainable improvements.

Process & Continuous Improvement

· Identify and implement improvements in safety, quality, productivity, cost, throughput, and equipment performance.

· Lead Lean and continuous improvement activities using tools such as 5S, Kaizen, Standard Work, 5 Why, Pareto analysis, and FMEA.

· Analyze production processes, downtime, cycle times, workflow, capacity, and equipment utilization to identify improvement opportunities.

· Eliminate waste, bottlenecks, process variation, unnecessary motion, and recurring production issues.

· Develop and maintain standard work, process documentation, and manufacturing procedures.

· Identify opportunities for automation, tooling improvements, equipment upgrades, and process simplification.

· Establish measurable project baselines and verify that implemented improvements achieve sustainable results.

Safety

· Incorporate safety and ergonomics into equipment, process, and facility improvements.

· Partner with Safety, Production, and Maintenance to identify hazards and implement engineering controls.

· Conduct risk assessments for new and existing equipment and processes.

· Support improvements related to machine guarding, lockout/tagout, ergonomics, material handling, and equipment safety.

· Participate in incident investigations and develop engineering solutions to prevent recurrence.

· Ensure new equipment and modifications meet applicable safety and company requirements.

Project Management

· Lead manufacturing and capital projects from concept through installation, startup, and final validation.

· Develop project scope, schedules, budgets, resource requirements, and implementation plans.

· Coordinate equipment suppliers, contractors, Production, Maintenance, Quality, Safety, and other stakeholders.

· Manage equipment installations, facility improvements, process changes, and manufacturing technology projects.

· Track project milestones, costs, risks, and deliverables and communicate status to plant leadership.

· Develop cost estimates, business cases, and ROI analyses for proposed projects.

· Ensure projects are completed safely, on schedule, within budget, and achieve defined performance objectives.

Maintenance & Equipment Reliability

· Partner with Maintenance to improve equipment reliability, maintainability, and uptime.

· Analyze downtime and maintenance data to identify chronic and high-impact equipment failures.

· Lead root cause analysis of recurring failures and implement permanent corrective actions.

· Support development and optimization of preventive and predictive maintenance programs.

· Identify opportunities to reduce reactive maintenance and increase planned maintenance.

· Improve equipment accessibility, serviceability, standardization, and spare-parts strategies.

· Support maintenance KPIs including equipment uptime, MTBF, MTTR, PM completion, and planned versus unplanned maintenance.

· Ensure equipment upgrades consider long-term reliability and maintainability.

Manufacturing Support

· Provide technical support to Production and Maintenance during equipment and process problems.

· Troubleshoot issues involving equipment, tooling, materials, process parameters, and workflow.

· Support equipment commissioning, startup, qualification, and production ramp-up.

· Develop specifications for manufacturing equipment, tooling, fixtures, and supporting systems.

· Conduct trials and validate process changes before full implementation.

· Provide technical documentation and training for operators and maintenance personnel.

Key Performance Indicators

Performance will be evaluated based on measurable improvements in safety and risk reduction; equipment uptime and OEE; unplanned downtime; MTBF and MTTR; preventive maintenance effectiveness; productivity and throughput; scrap and rework; manufacturing cost; project schedule and budget performance; cost savings and cost avoidance; 5S and workplace organization; and corrective action effectiveness.

Work Environment & Measures of Success

This is a hands-on manufacturing position requiring regular presence on the plant floor. The Manufacturing Engineer will work closely with Production and Maintenance to observe processes, troubleshoot problems, implement improvements, and support equipment and project activities. Occasional work outside normal business hours may be required for equipment installations, major maintenance activities, or production support.

Success is demonstrated through measurable improvements in safety, equipment reliability, productivity, quality, cost, and project execution. The Manufacturing Engineer is expected to develop sustainable solutions, eliminate recurring problems, and serve as a technical leader connecting Engineering, Production, Maintenance, Quality, and Safety.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee. He or she will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other duties requested by his or her supervisor.

 We seek the following:  

Required

· Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Mechanical, Industrial, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field; equivalent relevant manufacturing experience may be considered.

· Manufacturing, process engineering, maintenance engineering, reliability, or similar industrial experience.

· Strong mechanical and technical problem-solving skills with experience in continuous improvement and structured root cause analysis.

· Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities and communicate effectively with operators, skilled trades, engineers, contractors, and plant leadership.

· Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.

Preferred

· 3-7+ years of manufacturing engineering or related experience.

· Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma training/certification and experience with 5S, Kaizen, Standard Work, FMEA, and Value Stream Mapping.

· Capital project, equipment installation, CMMS, and preventive/predictive maintenance experience.

· Knowledge of automated equipment, PLC-controlled systems, robotics, industrial controls, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, or similar engineering software.

· Formal project management training or PMP certification.

QUALITIES

Continuous Improvement • Safety Leadership • Project Management • Equipment Reliability • Root Cause Analysis • Lean Manufacturing • Technical Problem Solving • Data Analysis • Cost Reduction • Cross-Functional Leadership • Manufacturing Process Optimization • Preventive Maintenance

What you'll love about us:

• Medical, Dental & Vision benefits.
• Flexible Spending, Health Reimbursement Arrangement and Health Savings Accounts.
• Company paid Life Insurance, Short and Long-Term Disability.
• Voluntary benefits including Legal, Identity Theft, Supplemental Life, Critical Illness, Accident, and Pet Insurance Programs.
• 401k & Company provided match.
• Paid Time Off, Paid Holidays and Paid Parental Leave.
• Wellness Program, Service Awards, Educational Assistance, EAP, Product Discounts.
• Monthly Company Provided Lunches
• Champion of the Month Programs
• Quarterly Offsite Employee Events