SMI- Manufacturing Engineer

Position Summary

The manufacturing engineer is responsible for developing, implementing and improving manufacturing processes within a fabrication and sheet metal manufacturing environment. This position works closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Operations and Production teams to improve safety, quality, efficiency, capacity and cost.

The Manufacturing Engineer will support new product introduction, develop manufacturing processes, perform time studies, optimize plant layouts and process flows, as well as lead continuous improvement initiative. This position will also provide technical support for welding, laser cutting, forming, fabrication, assembly and other manufacturing processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform weld assessments to evaluate welding processes, labor requirements, equipment utilization, quality, and opportunities for improvement.
• Conduct time studies and labor analyses to establish standard work, production rates, labor standards, and process capacity.
• Develop and maintain process flows, manufacturing routings, work instructions, and standard operating procedures.
• Design and optimize plant layouts, work cells, material flow, and equipment placement to improve efficiency, safety, ergonomics, and throughput.
• Lead and support New Product Introduction (NPI) activities, transitioning products from engineering design into production.
• Collaborate with Design Engineering to conduct Design for Manufacturability (DFM/DFA) reviews, identifying opportunities to improve manufacturability, reduce cost, simplify fabrication, and improve quality.
• Participate in and lead DFMEA activities, identifying potential manufacturing and process-related failure modes and developing appropriate corrective actions.
• Identify and implement process improvements using Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, root-cause analysis, and other problem-solving methodologies.
• Analyze production processes to identify bottlenecks, waste, excessive labor content, quality issues, and opportunities for automation or process optimization.
• Develop and implement standardized manufacturing processes to improve consistency, productivity, and product quality.
• Work directly with production personnel to troubleshoot manufacturing issues and develop practical, sustainable solutions.
• Support the development and implementation of fixtures, tooling, jigs, and manufacturing equipment.
• Evaluate capital equipment and process investments based on productivity, capacity, quality, safety, and return on investment.
• Support corrective and preventive actions related to manufacturing and process issues.
• Utilize manufacturing data and performance metrics to identify trends and drive continuous improvement.
• Create engineering documentation, process layouts, presentations, and reports.
• Partner with Quality Engineering to improve process capability and reduce defects, rework, and scrap.
• Provide technical support during production launches, process changes, and continuous improvement projects.
• Maintain awareness of applicable safety, quality, and manufacturing standards.