Manufacturing Excellence Leader

Harco Fittings is a member of the IPEX group of companies. Our mission is to compete and grow using innovation, differentiation and extraordinary service. 

 Harco Fittings LLC, founded in 1966 in Lynchburg, Virginia is a producer of gasketed joint injection-molded PVC and push-on gasketed joint ductile fittings.  Our Harco locations span across seven states in the US and we are looking for new individuals to come be a part of a dynamic and growing team today! 

We currently have an exciting opportunity as a Manufacturing Excellence Leader. This role is based in our facility in Lynchburg, Virginia and reports to the Plant Manager. 

Job Summary  

To support Operational Excellence Initiatives in our plants, driving divisional and plant KPIs, leading and supporting projects to achieve optimum potential of staff, systems, equipment, machine and site operations, and providing leadership in the implementation and sustainability of corporate lean initiatives and 5S goals.

Principal Responsibilities 

• Lead the implementation of 5S as per the Ipex standard by designing the systems, planning the implementation and working closely with each department to achieve the plan

• Develop KPIs and systems for communicating manufacturing performance with all levels of the plant

• Collaborate with each department manager to develop information sharing and reporting for the shift handover process

• Develop and then lead the daily management reviews

• Develop and then facilitate the weekly and monthly management reviews

• Develop and implement a Layered Process Audit system

• Facilitate focused improvement programmes to improve plant performance, leading and

administering the cost saving reporting that communicates the impact of each improvement

• Lead a Kaizen system that encourages all colleagues to raise improvement ideas, then ensures the best ideas are implemented

• Be the lean champion for the plant, lead training in lean and continuous improvement techniques

• Ensure we meet global branding standards inside the plant Lead the new product introduction process within the plant, coordinating with internal and external functions and tracking the internal actions to ensure smooth launch of new products

• Share and implement best practices from across the divisions through working closely with the manufacturing centres of excellence

• Support day-to-day plant operations with problem solving, root cause analysis, and solutions to address operational issues

• Contribute and support implementation of Division wide projects and initiatives through ongoing liaison with key stakeholders

People

• Contribute to improving the plant’s look and feel to make it a better place for or colleagues to work

• Ensure that Group organisational standards for management for Health and Safety, Quality, ISO14001, Corporate Policy, Customer Excellence and business values are adhered to during project delivery.

• Responsible for executing manufacturing excellence goals and execution across North America to achieve performance, financial and staff development objectives

• Facilitate, assist, and develop shop floor excellence operations and removes barriers for employees to meet measurable objectives

• Deploys and participates in Gemba walks and coaching employees on 5S / standard work / visual management development/modification/adherence, M.D.I., continuous improvement, flow, and problem solving and other lean methods, techniques and processes.

• Attend to individual mindsets to help foster a culture of change leadership

• Lead the training and development of plant employees in lean tools

• Track and report program progress and communicate with plant leadership

Health, Safety & Environment / Quality

• Ensure a Safety-First culture and support Aliaxis Divisional & Global Safety standards deployment

• Support the implementation of the Divisional HS&E strategy, ensure site accountability and report

progress, events and initiatives to Plant Management and Divisional Leadership.

• Lead Continuous Improvement initiatives with a Quality assurance mindset.

Qualifications & Experience 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering or another related technical field

• Project Management Certificate is an asset.

• Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma Certification is an asset.

Technical Skills & Experience

• A minimum of 3 years experience leading projects of operation transformation, with focus on continuous improvement projects and demonstrated process improvement success.

• Computer skills, including all Microsoft Office applications.

• Knowledge and experience in manufacturing processes is an asset

• Excellent oral and written communication skills

Harco Fittings is committed to providing accommodations for people with disabilities throughout the recruitment process and, upon request, will work with qualified job applicants to provide suitable accommodation in a manner that takes into account the applicant’s accessibility needs due to disability. Accommodation requests are available to candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process for IPEX jobs. To request an accommodation, please contact HR at [email protected]