Founded in 1990, Utility Solutions is a designer and manufacturer of hot-line tools and products for the electrical power industry. Our success is based on working as a team to deliver high-quality products and unsurpassed customer service. We believe that each team member contributes directly to our growth and success as a company. Come grow with us!
We are seeking a Production Supervisor to join our team in Hickory, NC!
Job Summary:
The Production Supervisor – Assembly & Fiberglass is responsible for coordinating the daily activities of the Assembly and Fiberglass departments. This position ensures the published production schedule is met by coordinating labor, materials, equipment, tools, documentation, and support resources.
The Production Supervisor provides leadership and direction to the Assembly and Fiberglass Area Leads, establishes daily priorities, monitors production performance, resolves departmental issues, and promptly raises concerns requiring assistance from the Operations Team or supporting departments.
This position is not responsible for designing, creating, modifying, or approving fixtures. The Production Supervisor is expected to identify fixture needs early and communicate them to the Operations Team before they negatively affect safety, workmanship, productivity, or the production schedule.
Responsibilities:
Ensure the published production schedule is met by coordinating labor, materials, equipment, tools, documentation, and support resources.
Assist the Operations Team and Planning/Scheduling in developing and maintaining the Assembly and Fiberglass production schedules.
Establish and communicate daily priorities based on the published schedule, customer requirements, material availability, upstream production status, capacity, and business needs.
Conduct daily check-ins with the Assembly and Fiberglass Area Leads.
Ensure employees have clear work assignments and understand the production priorities for the day.
Monitor production progress throughout the shift and adjust labor or work priorities as necessary.
Review incomplete work and determine why scheduled production was not completed.
Communicate schedule risks, production delays, material shortages, workmanship concerns, and resource needs to the Operations Team.
Resolve issues that can reasonably be handled within the Assembly or Fiberglass departments.
Promptly escalate issues requiring support from Engineering, Maintenance, Purchasing, Planning, or other departments.
Address Quality Issues with the Operations Team.
Document production-inhibiting issues through the appropriate ticketing or issue-tracking process.
Communicate priorities, project status, schedule risks, and resource needs to Area Leads and applicable support departments.
Maintain accountability for staffing and capacity planning within the assigned departments.
Identify overtime, temporary labor, or staffing adjustments that may be required and communicate recommendations to the Operations Team.
Establish training and cross-training priorities based on production needs, employee skill levels, and coverage requirements.
Ensure employees are trained and qualified before independently performing assigned work.
Provide coaching, feedback, and performance direction to Area Leads and department employees.
Hold employees and Area Leads accountable for safety, workmanship, productivity, attendance, housekeeping, and compliance with established procedures.
Direct personnel, conduct, attendance, disciplinary, or employee-relations concerns directly to the HR Team and Operations Team.
Do not independently handle formal disciplinary actions or sensitive personnel matters without involving the HR Team and Operations Team.
Ensure current prints, bills of material, routings, standard operating procedures, work instructions, and inspection requirements are available and followed.
Raise concerns when documentation is missing, unclear, incorrect, outdated, or does not accurately reflect the approved production process.
Ensure employees use the correct materials, components, adhesives, resins, hardware, tools, and approved process parameters.
Ensure material shortages, incorrect components, or upstream delays are identified and communicated before they stop production.
Identify missing, damaged, outdated, or ineffective fixtures that could affect safety, workmanship, cycle time, or schedule attainment.
Raise fixture creation, repair, replacement, or modification needs to the Operations Team.
Provide operational feedback regarding existing fixtures when problems are experienced during production.
Track the production impact of reported fixture issues and continue communicating schedule risks until the concern is resolved.
Maintain accountability for the availability, organization, and condition of standard departmental hand tools, power tools, equipment, and supplies.
Review routine departmental tool and supply purchases within established approval limits and raise larger or nonroutine needs to the Operations Team.
Ensure required in-process inspections, final inspections, cure requirements, traceability records, and production documentation are completed.
Address Quality Issues with Operations Team, including nonconforming material, recurring workmanship issues, scrap, and rework.
Ensure completed products meet applicable workmanship, cleanliness, identification, packaging, and routing requirements.
Ensure fiberglass materials, resins, adhesives, chemicals, and other controlled materials are properly stored, labeled, handled, and used.
Monitor material shelf life, expiration dates, storage conditions, and inventory rotation where applicable.
Ensure employees follow required mixing, application, cure, ventilation, and handling procedures.
Maintain accountability for cleanliness, organization, 5S, and preventive maintenance within the assigned departments.
Ensure departmental tools, equipment, ventilation systems, and other assets are properly used and cared for.
Ensure equipment problems and maintenance needs are promptly reported and documented.
Promote safe work practices and immediately address unsafe conditions or behaviors.
Ensure employees use required personal protective equipment and follow applicable safety, chemical-handling, ventilation, and waste-disposal procedures.
Open the building at the beginning of the workday and provide company leadership coverage until 8:00 a.m., as assigned.
Perform other duties as assigned by the Operations Team.
Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
Ability to understand basic manufacturing prints: Required
Ability to prioritize multiple competing production demands while maintaining schedule attainment. Required
Ability to understand bills of materials and work instructions: Required
Ability to use measurement equipment to verify basic dimensions and perform routine inspections: Required
Ability to understand production schedules, work orders, and priorities: Required
Working knowledge of production assembly processes, hand tools, power tools, and material flow: Preferred
General understanding of fiberglass production, resin and adhesive handling, cure requirements, and related safety practices: Preferred
Prior assembly, fiberglass, or manufacturing leadership experience: Preferred
Ability to coach, develop, and hold employees accountable for performance and safety. Required
Strong communication, organization, leadership, and problem-solving skills: Required
Basic computer skills and the ability to use ERP, scheduling, ticketing, and production-tracking systems: Required
Education & Experience Requirements:
High School Diploma or GED required.
Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Engineering, Business, or a related field preferred. Equivalent combinations of education and directly related manufacturing leadership experience will be considered.
Minimum of five (5) years of progressive manufacturing experience required.
Minimum of two (2) years of experience leading employees in a manufacturing environment preferred.
Physical Requirements:
Ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, and move throughout a manufacturing facility for extended periods.
Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
Ability to work in a manufacturing environment with exposure to machinery, noise, dust, etc.
Position Hours: Monday-Thursday 6:00am - 4:30pm
This is a salaried, exempt role starting at $65,000 annually.
