The Plant Manager / Plant Head holds total operational, technical, and team accountability for our Light Engineering Factory (safety, quality, production hours, manpower, and dispatch). This role leads all shop-floor operations from raw material receipt through CNC processing, press working, roll forming, welding, surface finishing, and dispatch- ensuring on-time, in-full delivery of components consiting of round/ square tube structures, sheet metal components, and greenhouse structures, cold room, panels etc.
Primary Mandate & Leadership Profile: We require a proven technical leader and system-builder who combines strong organizational leadership with a solid shop-floor engineering foundation. The role does not require daily manual machine operation, but demands past hands-on experience and deep mechanical grounding to inspect setups, troubleshoot complex tool/die/feed issues, and practically demonstrate correct machine practices to junior engineers, supervisors, and operators when required.
In addition to day-to-day operations, the Plant Manager is responsible for establishing operational systems from the ground up: drafting Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), designing shop-floor log sheets, setting up Daily Production Report (DPR) formats, and driving a culture of continuous improvement.
Key Responsibilities
1. Production Machinery Governance & Operations
• Machinery Performance & OEE: Govern shop-floor machinery performance-driving maximum throughput, availability, and precision across CNC press bending, power press, iron worker, CNC plasma cutting, laser cutting, shearing machines, CNC auto drill, CNC auto bending, and roll forming lines (C/Z purlins & sheeting profiles).
• Setup, Tooling & Cycle-Time Optimization: Oversee tooling and die selection, press brake bend deductions, clearance settings, feed rates, and cycle-time optimization. Guide teams through quick changeover methodologies (SMED) and preventive maintenance to eliminate unplanned downtime.
• Practical Floor Mentorship: Act as the technical authority on the shop floor; step in during critical changeovers or complex jobs to guide and demonstrate proper setup, alignment, and troubleshooting techniques to shift supervisors and machine operators.
• Production Planning & Hour-Based Execution: Set, schedule, and drive daily, weekly, and monthly production targets measured in Production Hours and Machine Utilization; track shift-wise (Shift A/B/C) planned hours vs. achieved hours and course-correct bottlenecks in real time.
• Nesting & Material Yield: Enforce plate, sheet, and coil nesting optimization to maximize raw material yield, minimize drop-off scrap, and balance machine run times.
• Tooling & Calibration Compliance: Enforce a documented calibration and preventive maintenance schedule for all CNC tooling, press dies, shear blades, measuring instruments, and gauges.
2. Operational System Building & SOP Development
• SOP Architecture: Author, formalize, and implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all manufacturing processes, machine startups, tool changeovers, and safety interlocks.
• Shop-Floor Documentation: Design, standardize, and roll out shift-wise operator logbooks, machine breakdown logs, first-piece inspection sheets, and tool wear registers.
• Process Standardization: Establish standard cycle times and Standard Allowed Hours (SAH) for recurring fabricated parts and assemblies to enable precise capacity planning.
3. Quality Assurance & Compliance (QA/QC & EHS)
• Dimensional Precision: Enforce strict tolerance checks, cut squareness, edge quality, bevel angles, bend angles/springback control, and hole/slot geometry against approved fabrication drawings; mandate first-piece inspection on every job setup or sheet/coil change.
• Roll Forming & Tube Quality: Verify hole pitch, profile geometry, web/flange depth, camber, and sweep on roll-formed sections (C/Z purlins, roof/wall sheets, decking profiles) and tubular structures.
• Welding Standards: Enforce welder qualification (WPS/WPQ) per IS/AWS standards, joint fit-up inspection, and NDT hold points (Visual, DPT, UT as applicable) with joint-to-welder traceability.
• Surface Preparation & Finishing: Oversee surface cleanliness (shot blasting or mechanical cleaning), primer/paint application, dry film thickness (DFT) compliance, and adhesion testing. (Hot-dip galvanizing oversight is managed via dedicated supervisory protocols where applicable).
• EHS & Safety Enforcement: Champion Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) at every workstation-safe handling of fumes, laser/plasma eye safety, crane and rigging protocols, and machine guarding on presses and shearing equipment; conduct daily safety toolbox talks and near-miss reporting.
• Statutory & ISO Compliance: Maintain ISO 9001 compliance (and ISO / standards), lead internal audits, and ensure compliance with the Factories Act, labor regulations (PF/ESI, contract labor licenses), and safety norms.
4. Cross-Functional Coordination & Design Review
• Engineering Drawing Alignment: Review fabrication and shop drawings using AutoCAD (2D/3D) and Autodesk detailing/mechanical software (such as Autodesk Advance Steel or Autodesk Inventor); coordinate with design and detailing teams to resolve drawing queries (RFIs) and verify CNC cut-data/unfolded blank sizes before release to the shop floor.
• Supply Chain & Stores Alignment: Coordinate with procurement and stores for timely raw material (coils, plates, tubes, hardware) staging to prevent machine starvation.
5. Cost & Commercial Management
• Operational Budget Ownership: Own plant operating costs-labor, consumables (gas, nozzles, tooling, blades, paint), maintenance, utilities, and overtime.
• Continuous Improvement: Spearhead Lean, 5S, Kaizen, and waste-reduction initiatives to systematically decrease cost per production hour.
• Management Reporting: Report plant performance, budget vs. actual variance, scrap recovery, and CAPEX proposals to senior management.
Reporting Architecture & Governance
The Plant Manager builds the reporting framework, reviews operational logs with department leads, and authors executive summaries for senior leadership:
• Shop-Floor Logs (Designed by Plant Manager, Maintained by Supervisors): Shift-wise production output logs, planned vs. actual production hours, machine downtime and OEE logs, scrap and material consumption sheets, and daily quality inspection logs.
• Operational Reviews (Daily / Weekly): Daily cross-functional morning meetings (Production, Quality, Maintenance, Stores, Dispatch) to review yesterday’s hours vs. target, resolve shift bottlenecks, and review NCR/CAPA logs.
• Management & Executive Dashboard (Authored by Plant Manager): Monthly plant performance deck (production hours achieved, machine utilization, rework percentage, scrap yield, EHS score), plant budget-vs-actual variance, and Quarterly Business Review (QBR) presentations.
• Client & Dispatch Reports (Approved by Plant Manager): Inspection call notices, Third-Party Inspection (TPI) coordination, Material Test Certificates (MTC), and On-Time In-Full (OTIF) dispatch reports.
Key Deliverables / KPIs
• Production Hours Achievement: Shift-wise and monthly target hours achievement vs. planned schedule (>= 95% adherence).
• Machine Utilization & OEE: Availability, Performance, and Quality across CNC cutting, press bending, and roll forming lines (OEE >= 80% on bottleneck machines).
• SOP & Documentation Rollout: Timely establishment and active adoption of SOPs, shift logs, and quality check-sheets across all production bays.
• First-Time-Right (FTR) Quality: Rejection and rework rate <= % across cutting, punching, bending, and welding.
• Material Yield & Scrap Control: Adherence to scrap percentage baselines on sheet, plate, and coil nesting.
• Tooling & Calibration Compliance: 100% on-time calibration of measuring tools, dies, and blades; zero production downtime resulting from uninspected tooling failures.
• Delivery Adherence (OTIF): >= 95% on-time dispatch against project order schedules.
• Safety & Compliance: Zero Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) and 100% statutory compliance under the Factories Act and labor laws.
Required Qualifications
• Education: . / in Mechanical, Production, or Industrial Engineering (or Diploma in Engineering with extensive relevant experience and proven shop-floor leadership).
• Experience: Minimum 15 years in manufacturing operations, with substantial experience in light engineering, sheet metal manufacturing, structural steel / secondary PEB fabrication, round/square tube structures, or greenhouse structure manufacturing.
• Leadership Experience: Minimum 5 years in a plant leadership role (Plant Manager, Plant Head, Factory Manager, or Operations Head) with operational budget, safety, quality, and multi-shift team ownership.
• Technical Grounding & Demonstration Ability: Strong mechanical foundation across CNC press bending, power presses, iron workers, CNC plasma/laser cutting, shearing, CNC auto drilling, and roll forming lines-with the proven ability to evaluate setups, troubleshoot tool/die issues, and demonstrate correct operating practices to junior staff when necessary.
• System-Building Track Record: Demonstrated experience authoring Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), designing shop-floor formats, and implementing 5S, Kaizen, or Lean workflows in a growing manufacturing environment.
• Drawing & Software Proficiency: Proficient in AutoCAD (2D/3D) for fabrication drawing review and part dimensioning; familiarity with Autodesk mechanical/detailing environments (., Autodesk Advance Steel, Autodesk Inventor, or similar) and nesting software (., CypCut, ProNest, SigmaNEST).
• ERP Proficiency: Hands-on experience working with ERP/SAP systems for work order tracking, inventory management, and shift-wise production confirmation.
• People Leadership: Strong interpersonal, team-building, and conflict-resolution skills with experience managing a multi-shift workforce of engineers, supervisors, and technicians.
Preferred
• Experience managing multi-shift, multi-line fabrication operations in light structural steel, racking, greenhouse, or industrial enclosures.
• Familiarity with paint shop operations (liquid painting / powder coating) and surface preparation standards.
• Exposure to Hot-Dip Galvanizing (HDG) processes or coordination with dedicated galvanizing units is an added advantage.
• Formal certifications in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma (Green Belt), or ISO Internal Auditor.
5 - 11 Years
1 Openings
4.0 - 7.0 Lac/Yr
Face-to-Face interview
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