Manager, Manufacturing Engineering

COMPANY OVERVIEW:

TAS is a recognized leader in designing, packaging/manufacturing and servicing high efficiency cooling, heating and power systems for a broad variety of global energy, industrial and commercial markets.   We are considered a pioneer in creating repeatable modular energy efficient equipment solutions and provide systems for turbine inlet chilling, commercial cooling, combined heat & power, waste heat recovery and other custom engineered applications.

The foundation of TAS’ success lies within our experienced and highly technical team.  The combination of know-how in power generation, refrigeration, and engineered packaging has established us as the leader in modular chilling solutions.  By utilizing unique, factory manufactured, modular designs, TAS is able to deliver systems with higher efficiency characteristics, at a lower cost, and with shorter project durations than traditional field-erected systems.

Ten years old and privately held, our headquarters and fabrication operations are located on a single site in Houston, Texas. We operate out of a 250,000 square foot manufacturing site and have sales and service offices located in Texas, Florida, California, New York, Dubai, Singapore, Thailand, and Qatar.   TAS has achieved a record of consistent growth rate greater year after year and with our tremendous market potential, advanced technological systems, entrepreneurial culture as well as a talented and eager workforce we continue to set aggressive five year revenue and EBITDA targets.  More information is available at the company website at: www.tas.com.

OVERVIEW: 

The Manufacturing Engineering Manager will manage the manufacturing engineering department to support production operations. The position requires a results oriented individual with a history of driving change in their work environment, strong analytical skills and previous experience in an engineer to order / make to order project environment. Primary objectives are to drive continuous improvement and document processes and procedures critical to sustainable manufacturing performance.

Peer relationships include Production, Design Engineering, Planning, Estimating and Facilitates departments.

This individual will facilitate and/or lead cross-functional teams with Engineering, Production and Estimating in support of driving efficiencies, eliminating non-value added activities, and employing structured improvement methodologies, including LEAN principles. Responsible for training, building and certifying a capability of continuous and sustainable improvement.

KEY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:  The Manufacturing Engineering Manager will manage a department responsible for the following:

• Partner with Operations Specialists and Operations Managers to drive process stabilization and improvement.
• Plan and execute facility layout modifications based on planned products and workload to optimize material and product flow.
• Support production operations through work cell planning and layout.
• Justify, procure, and implement necessary production equipment and other assets.
• Develop, design, and implement appropriate tooling to maximize labor efficiency and total cost.
• Develop and maintain documentation of SOPs / SOCs and provide training as needed to insure the necessary skills / knowledge across the workforce to insure consistent product quality and labor efficiency.
• Evaluate quality data and implement improvement activities to insure all quality requirements are met.
• Collaborate with design engineering in concurrent engineering efforts to insure manufacturability. Proactively identify opportunities for improved manufacturability and coordinate implementation with design engineering.
• Control the implementation of ECOs to insure product quality requirements are met and that rework and scrap are minimized.
• Create product routings and labor estimates and insure they are kept up to date. Review and audit time standards as necessary to insure they reflect actual costs. Conduct time studies as appropriate to validate and adjust labor estimates.
• Support estimating function by providing estimates of direct labor and raw material costs as required. Develop and maintain cost models for various activities for use in estimating.
• Support make/buy analysis of fabricated parts and subassemblies.
• Evaluate production activities through data analysis to identify opportunities for improvements in productivity, material flow, and cost. Prioritize actions to be taken, establish schedules for completion, and implement the necessary measures to realize savings.
• Document and track all cost savings against targets.
• Support production planning by insuring integrity of engineering BOMs.
• Support all health, safety, and environmental objectives of the company.
• Troubleshoot day-to-day operations.

• Foster a climate of continuous improvement and champion LEAN and 5S activities through specific training and certification of LEAN practitioners within the organization.
• Develop and drive a culture of data based decision making.
• Manage the ME department budget to plan and control expenses effectively.
• Hire, train, develop, and appraise staff effectively.  Take corrective action as necessary on a timely basis and in accordance with company policy.  Consult with Human Resources as appropriate.
• Keep up-to-date on information and technology affecting functional area(s) to increase innovation and ensure compliance.
• Collaborate closely with production manager to maximize overall efficiency of operations.

JOB SKILLS:

Some of the Competencies/Skills required to successfully perform this position are:

• Adaptability – Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work tasks or the work environment; adjusting effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures.
• Building Strategic Working Relationships – Developing and using collaborative relationships to facilitate the accomplishment of work goals.
• Building Trust – Interacting with others in a way that gives them confidence in one’s intentions and those of the organization.
• Communication – Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message.
• Customer Focus – Making customers and their needs a primary focus of one’s actions; developing and sustaining productive customer relationships.
• Decision Making – Identifying and understanding issues, problems, and opportunities; comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions; using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences.
• Inclusion – Appreciating and leveraging the capabilities, insights, and ideas of all individuals.  Working effectively with individuals of diverse style, ability, and motivation for a direct effect on business results.
• Initiating Action – Taking prompt action to accomplish objectives; taking action to achieve goals beyond what is required; being proactive; generating innovative solutions in work situations.
• Safety Awareness – Identifying and correcting conditions that affect employee safety; upholding safety standards.
• Work Standards – Setting high standards of performance for self and others; assuming responsibility and accountability for successfully completing assignments or tasks; self-imposing standards of excellence rather than having standards imposed.
• PC proficiency – must be versed in the use of basic Microsoft office tools – Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Project.

RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE:

• 10 or more years experience in manufacturing/industrial engineering including 4 years supervisory experience, or equivalent. 
• A solid understanding of, and experience in implementing, LEAN initiatives, including leading Rapid Improvement (Kaizen) events and Value Stream Mapping.
• Relevant experience in a make to order/engineer to order project environment.
• Experienced in the implementation and use of ERP systems.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING:

• BS in Manufacturing or Industrial engineering, or equivalent.
• LEAN certification is a plus.

Ability to exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body.  Performs other physical activities including use of fingers, stooping, crouching, talking, hearing and performing repetitive motions.  Visual acuity requirements include color, depth perception and field of vision necessary to prepare and analyze data and figures, operate a computer terminal and conduct extensive reading.  The incumbent will be subject to inside environmental conditions.