Full-Time

Die Repair 1: Non-Journeyperson

Posted on 6/30/2025

Challenge Manufacturing

Challenge Manufacturing

1,001-5,000 employees

High-speed automotive stamping, welding, and assembly

No salary listed

Grand Rapids, MI, USA

In Person

Category
Mechanical Engineering (1)
Requirements
  • Must be 18 years of age or older
  • High School diploma or equivalent preferred
  • Must be able to understand and follow written and verbal workplace instructions.
  • Must be able to work up to 12 hours per day, including Saturday and Sunday.
  • Must be able to obtain a hi-lo license.
Responsibilities
  • Fit and assemble parts to make, repair, or modify dies, jigs, gauges, and tools using machines and hand tools.
  • Smooth and polish flat and contoured surfaces of parts or tools using scrapers, emery cloths or power grinders.
  • Verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, and dial indicators.
  • Complete repairs on dies in the press.
  • Select metals to be used from a range of metals and alloys, based on properties such as hardness and heat tolerance.
  • Studies specifications such as blueprints, sketches, models, or descriptions, and visualizes product to determine materials required and machines to be used to fabricate parts.
Challenge Manufacturing

Challenge Manufacturing

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Challenge Manufacturing specializes in high-speed progressive stamping, high-tonnage transfer, automated assembly, and multiple welding methods (resistance, projection, MIG, drawn arc stud welding) to produce automotive structures for Tier 1 suppliers. Its processes turn raw metal into precise, high-quality assemblies through automated lines with about 1,500 industrial robots across 12 locations, enabling fast production and high consistency. The company differentiates itself by its large, employee-owned ESOP model that aligns worker incentives with company success, a global footprint, and a culture built on Safety, Ownership, and Teamwork, alongside its scale and focus on automotive structures. The goal is to be the best global supplier of automotive structures while delivering value to its employee-owners.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

Debt Financing

Total Funding

$100M

Headquarters

Walker, Michigan

Founded

1981

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • EV production reaching 35% of global sales by 2030 drives lightweight assembly demand.
  • Nearshoring trends increase North American OEM capacity 15-20% through 2027, favoring Challenge.
  • Tier 1 supplier consolidation creates M&A opportunities for employee-owned companies to scale.

What critics are saying

  • EV transition reduces stamped metal component demand; integrated battery housings favor composites.
  • Chinese suppliers undercut pricing; Challenge's Michigan cost structure cannot compete.
  • Top 3 OEM customers represent 60-75% revenue; 20% production drop loses 15-25% revenue.

What makes Challenge Manufacturing unique

  • 1,500+ industrial robots with AI-driven predictive maintenance reduce downtime 25-30%.
  • Employee-owned ESOP structure aligns workforce incentives with long-term operational excellence.
  • Specialized welding expertise positions Challenge for emerging EV battery enclosure demand.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account

Short-Term Disability

Basic Life

Voluntary Life

LTD

401(k) Company Match

Tuition Reimbursement

Referral Bonus Program

Challenge Incentive Program

Paid Time Off

ESOP shares

Company News

Business Wire
Oct 17th, 2023
WhiteHawk Capital Partners Provides Senior Term Loan Facility to Challenge Manufacturing

WhiteHawk Capital Partners, LP announced it has entered into an agreement with Challenge Mfg. Company, LLC to provide a senior term loan facility.

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