At Engineered Products, our mission is to maximize space efficiency and redefine material handling and storage solutions. As a privately held company with over 70 years of industry experience, we have earned the trust of businesses worldwide by delivering customized storage solutions tailored to their unique needs. Our innovative approach not only streamlines space utilization and reduces costs for our clients, but also offers dynamic career opportunities across all departments. We foster a culture of innovation and empowerment, where every team member contributes to our success by embodying our core values: building strong internal relationships, approaching challenges with optimism and a proactive mindset, and embracing continuous learning and collaboration. If you're ready to join a dynamic team and make a meaningful impact in the material handling industry, apply now and become part of our exciting journey!
We are seeking a hands-on Plant Manager (Production Operations) to lead daily manufacturing execution across our metal fabrication operation. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role responsible for driving safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance through direct shop floor leadership. This is not a desk-based role. The successful candidate will be a technical leader and operator, capable of recognizing what “good” looks like in a fabrication environment and driving performance in real time. The Plant Manager will build and lead a high-performing team, drive Lean manufacturing practices, and operate with a strong business mindset focused on profitability, efficiency, and accountability.
HOW SUCCESS IS DEFINED (ROLE EXPECTATIONS)
Operates with an uncompromising Safety Quality Delivery
- Cost (SQDC) mindset—in that order.
- Spends 50%+ of time on the shop floor, leading from the front, developing people, and driving execution.
- Acts as a technical leader, not an administrator—able to identify process issues, improve flow, and coach fabrication, welding, and production teams.
- Demonstrates a “mind the shop” ownership mentality—takes full responsibility for plant performance and responds quickly and decisively to issues.
- Builds a high-performance leadership team, driving accountability, urgency, and results.
- Leads and teaches Lean manufacturing principles, embedding standard work, visual management, and continuous improvement into daily operations.
- Maintains a strong business mindset—understanding that manufacturing performance must drive profitability and cash flow.
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
Operational Leadership (Production Only)
- Lead all production operations including fabrication, welding, paint, assembly, and material flow.
- Drive daily execution aligned to SQDC priorities, ensuring safety and quality are never compromised for output.
- Ensure production plans are executed effectively to meet delivery commitments while maintaining cost discipline.
- Monitor and actively manage key performance indicators including throughput, labor efficiency, scrap, and on-time delivery.
- Identify constraints and drive immediate corrective actions to maintain flow and performance.
Safety & Compliance
- Champion a zero-incident safety culture and lead by example on the shop floor.
- Ensure compliance with OSHA standards and company safety policies.
- Hold frontline leaders accountable for safe work practices and risk mitigation.
People Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and frontline leaders to drive accountability and performance.
- Build a culture of urgency, ownership, and continuous improvement.
- Establish clear expectations and hold teams accountable to results and standards.
- Develop bench strength and succession plans for critical leadership roles.
Lean Manufacturing & Continuous Improvement
- Serve as the site’s primary Lean leader, actively coaching and teaching Lean principles on the floor.
- Drive waste reduction, flow improvement, and lead time reduction initiatives.
- Implement and sustain standard work, visual management, and daily accountability processes.
- Lead root cause problem-solving and corrective actions for operational issues.
Quality & Customer Focus
- Ensure production consistently meets customer specifications and internal quality standards.
- Drive proactive quality ownership across all production teams.
- Lead corrective actions and continuous improvement efforts to reduce defects.
Financial & Business Performance
- Drive labor efficiency and cost performance while maintaining SQDC priorities.
- Support production planning, capacity alignment, and operational profitability.
- Identify and execute cost reduction and efficiency improvement opportunities.
- Operate with a clear understanding that manufacturing performance must drive financial results.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, or related field preferred
- 7–10+ years of manufacturing leadership experience
- 5+ years leading multi-department production operations
- Strong experience in metal fabrication or heavy manufacturing environments
- Proven success building and leading high-performing production teams
- Demonstrated expertise in Lean manufacturing implementation and leadership
SKILLS & LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTES
- Hands-on, shop-floor leadership style
- Strong technical understanding of fabrication and manufacturing processes
- Ability to identify problems quickly and drive corrective action
- High sense of ownership and accountability
- Strong financial and business acumen
- Data-driven decision-making mindset
- Ability to lead in a fast-paced, high-expectation environment
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS / WORK ENVIRONMENT
This role is primarily performed on the production floor, requiring extended periods of standing, walking, and direct engagement with manufacturing operations. The position involves exposure to machinery, welding operations, paint processes, moving equipment, and industrial noise levels. Personal protective equipment (PPE) such as safety glasses, steel-toed boots, gloves, and hearing protection is required.
Duties include frequent lifting, pushing, pulling, and maneuvering materials up to 50 lbs. The role involves bending, reaching, climbing, and safely navigating around equipment and production lines. Stamina, coordination, and awareness of surroundings are essential to support continuous manufacturing operations.
