Manufacturing Engineer / Metallurgist
Summary
The Manufacturing Engineer / Metallurgist is responsible for supporting safe, consistent, and quality-driven iron foundry operations through metallurgical control, laboratory oversight, process improvement, defect analysis, and manufacturing engineering support. This position works closely with Operations, Quality, Melt, Molding, Core Room, Maintenance, Engineering, Sales, suppliers, and customers to help ensure castings meet customer requirements, internal quality standards, and production needs.
This role is plant-floor focused and requires practical foundry judgment, strong technical knowledge of gray and ductile iron, and the ability to use data and hands-on observation to improve casting quality, reduce scrap, strengthen process discipline, and support continuous improvement in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Morale.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Metallurgical Control & Melt Support
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Establish, monitor, and improve metallurgical controls for gray iron and ductile iron production, including chemistry targets, carbon equivalent, inoculation, magnesium treatment, temperature control, and metal traceability.
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Review and analyze charge materials, returns, alloys, additives, inoculants, magnesium treatment materials, and other melt inputs to support consistent metal quality and cost control.
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Analyze spectrometer results, test bars, hardness readings, microstructure, nodularity, nodule count, and mechanical properties to confirm conformance to customer and internal requirements.
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Work with the Melt Department to troubleshoot chemistry, temperature, slag, chill, carbide, shrinkage, gas, inclusions, inoculation fade, treatment issues, hardness variation, and related metallurgical concerns.
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Audit ladle readiness, pour temperatures, hold times, metal transfer practices, furnace readiness, and pour-window discipline to reduce process variation and improve casting quality.
Foundry Laboratory & Testing
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Oversee or coordinate laboratory testing for chemical composition, tensile properties, hardness, microstructure, sample preparation, product verification, and special testing requirements.
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Use destructive and non-destructive testing methods as appropriate to evaluate castings, production samples, raw materials, and process performance.
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Maintain test procedures, calibration records, gage control, equipment condition, sample identification, and documentation needed to support accurate and reliable laboratory results.
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Prepare, review, and retain material certifications, chemical and physical reports, customer documentation, internal quality records, and required traceability information.
Casting Defect Analysis & Scrap Reduction
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Lead technical troubleshooting of casting defects including gas porosity, shrinkage, inclusions, slag, misruns, cold shuts, cracks, hardness variation, chill/carbides, penetration, burn-on, scabs, veining, and dimensional or process-related defects.
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Use scrap data, Pareto analysis, casting photos, sectioning, fracture review, metallography, production history, and input from hourly employees and supervisors to identify likely root causes.
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Develop and support corrective actions involving melt chemistry, pouring temperature, gating/risering, inoculation, sand properties, core quality, venting, coatings, binder systems, tooling, handling, and standard work.
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Track the effectiveness of corrective actions and help standardize successful improvements through training, documentation, process audits, and updated control methods.
Manufacturing Engineering & Process Improvement
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Plan, coordinate, and support process trials for new castings, tooling revisions, new materials, gating or riser changes, process parameter changes, and quality-improvement projects.
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Support launch of new and revised castings by reviewing drawings, specifications, material requirements, sampling plans, test requirements, manufacturability concerns, and process risks.
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Develop, update, and maintain procedures, work instructions, standard operating procedures, inspection plans, control plans, sampling requirements, and technical documentation.
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Assist with integration of new or modified equipment, tooling, gauges, laboratory equipment, and process controls into foundry production.
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Use production data, lab results, scrap trends, and structured problem solving to improve throughput, reduce variation, support uptime, lower cost, and improve consistency across shifts.
Sand, Core, Molding & Tooling Support
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Support sand and core process control by reviewing sand properties, binder performance, core strength, venting, coating performance, and process variation with responsible department leaders.
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Work with molding and core room leadership to identify process settings, material conditions, or work practices contributing to scrap, rework, or customer concerns.
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Provide technical input on gating, rise ring, chills, sleeves, filters, venting, core prints, coatings, shakeout, cooling, and casting handling practices.
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Collaborate with Tooling and Engineering on pattern changes, core box changes, sample casting evaluations, prototype reviews, and manufacturability improvements.
Quality Systems, Customer Support & Compliance
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Support customer quality requirements, specifications, sample submissions, material certifications, nonconformance investigations, and technical communications.
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Assist with corrective action responses, warranty or return investigations, internal audits, customer audits, and quality-system documentation.
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Communicate technical findings clearly to supervisors, operators, managers, engineers, sales staff, suppliers, and customers in a practical and professional manner.
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Support evaluations of alloys, inoculants, binders, sand, coatings, refractory materials, outside testing, and other technical materials or services that affect casting quality.
Training, Communication & Leadership Support
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Train and coach hourly and salaried employees on foundry metallurgy, lab testing, process controls, defect identification, sample handling, and quality expectations.
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Maintain a strong plant-floor presence and work hands-on with production teams to solve problems quickly and reinforce accountability.
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Listen carefully to input from employees and supervisors, communicate recommendations respectfully, and provide timely updates to plant leadership on major quality, metallurgy, and process issues.
Secondary Responsibilities
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Participates in department projects, corrective actions, audits, process reviews, sample reviews, and continuous improvement activities as assigned.
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Supports cross-functional problem solving with Production, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Sales, HR, Finance, suppliers, and customers as needed.
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Maintains confidentiality of customer prints, quality records, metallurgy data, quotations, and proprietary company processes.
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Takes on special projects or additional duties as assigned by company management.
Direct Reports
None, unless assigned. This position may provide technical direction to laboratory personnel, production employees, and cross-functional project teams as required.
Competencies
To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:
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Safety & Security– Observes safety and security procedures, reports potentially unsafe conditions, supports corrective actions, and uses equipment and materials properly.
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Technical Expertise– Applies foundry metallurgy, laboratory testing, process control, and manufacturing engineering knowledge to practical production problems.
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Judgment– Displays willingness to make decisions, uses sound judgment, explains reasoning, includes appropriate people in decisions, and makes timely decisions.
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Quality– Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness, looks for ways to improve and promote quality, applies feedback, and monitors work to ensure requirements are met.
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Communication– Promotes open communication throughout the organization, listens actively, communicates technical information clearly, and keeps leadership informed.
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Organizational Support– Follows company policies and procedures, completes administrative tasks correctly and on time, and supports company goals and values.
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Continuous Improvement– Identifies opportunities to reduce scrap, stabilize processes, improve flow, lower cost, strengthen standard work, and improve plant performance.
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Adaptability– Adapts to changes in the work environment, manages competing demands, and responds effectively to production issues, quality concerns, and unexpected events.
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Dependability– Follows instructions, responds to management direction, accepts responsibility, keeps commitments, and completes tasks on time.
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Attendance/Punctuality– Is consistently at work and on time, ensures responsibilities are covered when absent, and arrives at meetings and appointments on time.
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Education and/or Experience
Bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering, Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field preferred. Equivalent combinations of education, foundry experience, laboratory experience, and technical training may be considered. Foundry experience with gray iron and ductile iron is strongly preferred. Experience with cupola melting operations is preferred.
Language Skills
Ability to read and interpret documents such as customer specifications, safety rules, operating instructions, quality procedures, inspection requirements, work instructions, and technical standards. Ability to write reports, document findings, communicate technical conclusions, and work effectively with employees, supervisors, management, suppliers, and customers.
Mathematical Skills
Ability to perform calculations involving percentages, ratios, averages, weights, temperatures, chemistry targets, production data, scrap rates, and quality-related trends. Ability to use data to support process-control decisions and corrective actions.
Reasoning Ability
Ability to apply common sense understanding and technical judgment to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or specification form. Ability to identify problems, evaluate practical solutions, and address issues involving safety, equipment, production, metallurgy, quality, and customer requirements.
Computer Skills
To perform this job successfully, an individual should have working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Experience with ERP, MES, quality systems, laboratory systems, production reporting, statistical process control tools, or manufacturing data systems is preferred.
Other Skills and Abilities
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Strong practical understanding of iron foundry operations, including melt, molding, core making, sand systems, finishing, inspection, and quality control.
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Knowledge of gray and ductile iron metallurgy, casting defects, test methods, material certifications, and process-control practices.
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Ability to work with production, maintenance, quality, engineering, and leadership to resolve technical and operational issues.
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Strong attention to safety, quality, documentation, communication, urgency, and accountability.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to sit, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds, including samples, test bars, small tooling, or laboratory materials. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, and the ability to differentiate colors and surface conditions.
Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee works in both office/laboratory and active foundry environments. The employee may be exposed to moving mechanical parts, molten metal, hot surfaces, industrial equipment, fumes or airborne particles, dust, silica-containing materials, chemicals, vibration, outside weather conditions, and risk of electrical shock. The noise level in the work environment is usually loud. Required PPE must be worn in designated areas.
