Position Summary: Responsible for leading daily molding operations to ensure safety, quality, delivery, labor efficiency, schedule attainment, 5S compliance, material flow, and operational discipline across all molding shifts. This role owns molding operational execution including manpower allocation, floor execution, material and packaging readiness, downtime response and escalation, shift accountability, and achievement of daily production and OEE targets.
Responsible for maintaining proper production support flow including resin, packaging, racks, hardware, and material staging to support uninterrupted production execution.
This position does not own process engineering, mold/process parameter development, technical process troubleshooting, SMED, new tool validation, process sheet ownership/compliance, PPAP/process engineering activities, or maintenance-related responsibilities.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
· Lead daily molding operations to ensure production schedules and customer requirements are achieved.
· Drive molding operational performance through execution of safety, quality, delivery, labor, and OEE targets.
· Maintain continuous floor presence and leadership within the molding operation.
· Ensure manpower, materials, packaging, racks, and support resources are properly allocated to support production requirements.
· Lead operational execution of Tier II meetings, shift passdowns, escalation processes, and downtime recovery activities.
· Coordinate closely with Materials, Maintenance, Quality, Scheduling, and Process Engineering to minimize production interruptions.
· Immediately escalate risks impacting safety, quality, customer delivery, labor efficiency, or schedule attainment.
· Drive accountability for production downtime, labor utilization, startup delays, production readiness, and operational discipline.
· Ensure molding lines are properly prepared before startup, including materials, packaging, tooling readiness, labor coverage, and documentation.
· Support achievement of molding OEE targets through execution discipline and rapid response to production interruptions.
· Monitor daily production performance and implement immediate corrective actions when targets are missed.
· Ensure accurate production reporting, inventory transactions, downtime tracking, and operational documentation.
· Maintain and enforce 5S standards, PFEP discipline, and workplace organization throughout the molding operation.
· Ensure compliance with all safety requirements, OSHA regulations, environmental standards, and company policies.
· Develop and coach Supervisors, Team Leaders, and hourly associates to strengthen operational execution and accountability.
· Support TS16949 / IATF requirements and all applicable customer-specific operational standards.
· Ensure shift-to-shift communication is structured, accurate, and action-oriented.
· Drive a zero past due culture through disciplined execution and proactive operational management.
· Other duties may be assigned based on business needs.
Key Performance Expectations
· Schedule attainment
· Molding OEE performance
· Labor efficiency
· Downtime reduction
· Safety performance
· 5S audit results
· Inventory accuracy behaviors
· Escalation responsiveness
· Shift execution discipline
· Customer delivery performance
Role Separation / Scope Clarification
This role is operationally focused and does not own molding process engineering responsibilities such as process parameter development, technical troubleshooting ownership, mold validation, PPAP/process engineering activities, SMED ownership, new tool validation, process sheet development or compliance ownership, or maintenance-related responsibilities. Those responsibilities remain under the Process Manager, Engineering, and Maintenance functions. The Molding Production Manager is responsible for operational execution, schedule attainment, manpower utilization, floor discipline, escalation, and daily production performance.
Qualifications
· Minimum 5 years of leadership experience in high-volume manufacturing operations.
· Experience managing molding, assembly, paint, or automotive manufacturing production environments preferred.
· Strong knowledge of OEE, Lean Manufacturing, 5S, labor efficiency, and production control systems.
· Demonstrated ability to lead in fast-paced, high-pressure manufacturing environments.
· Strong leadership, communication, escalation, and accountability management skills.
· Ability to analyze operational performance and drive corrective actions quickly.
· Experience leading salaried supervisors and hourly production teams.
· Ability to work flexible schedules including nights and weekends as required.
Work Environment
Position requires extensive time on the manufacturing floor in a fast-paced molding production environment with exposure to machinery, noise, heat, moving equipment, and manufacturing materials. The position may require support during night shifts, weekends, extended hours, or other non-standard schedules based on production demands, customer requirements, operational recovery activities, or business needs