Production Manager

PRODUCTION SECTION MANAGER

1. JOB PURPOSE

The Production Section Manager is responsible for the overall operational performance of all production lines and machining operations at the plant. This role provides hands-on leadership and coaching to Production Supervisors and their teams, ensuring that daily operations consistently meet the plant's targets for Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, People Development, and Digital/ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) performance.

The role requires close day-to-day collaboration across cross-functional teams to keep production running smoothly, and plays a key part in building a culture of structured problem-solving, operational discipline, and continuous improvement across the site.

2. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & KPIs

Safety & Workplace Standards

• Build a zero-accident culture by embedding proactive hazard-prediction routines (KYT), safety observations, and behavior-based safety practices across all production areas.

• Ensure all safety audit findings and corrective actions are closed within 14 days of being raised.

• Maintain workplace organization (5S) audit scores at 80% or above across all production and machining areas.

• Lead safety briefings, near-miss reviews, and root-cause investigations for any safety-related incident.

Quality Assurance & Process Integrity

• Ensure 100% first-part confirmation before resuming full production after every changeover or process restart.

• Lead and support supervisors in structured problem-solving (SPS) and Kaizen improvement projects to eliminate recurring quality issues such as welding defects, part-forming non-conformances, and assembly errors.

• Maintain process capability (Cpk) of 1.33 or above for all critical-to-quality dimensions, and sustain a First Pass Yield (FPY) of 98% or above.

Delivery & Production Efficiency

• Achieve and sustain the plant's daily/shift production output targets across all production lines.

• Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) to 81% or above through systematic analysis of production losses and targeted countermeasures.

• Apply Lean Manufacturing tools — including quick changeover techniques (SMED), line balancing, and elimination of the 8 wastes — to improve throughput and reduce non-value-added activities.

• Maintain an on-time delivery rate above 99% to ensure customer commitments are met.

Cost Management

• Identify, develop, and lead cost-reduction projects covering scrap, consumables, packaging, and utility/energy consumption, aligned with the plant's annual cost-savings targets.

• Partner with the Finance team to validate and sign off on cost savings delivered through Kaizen and SPS projects.

People Leadership & Development

• Provide direct supervision, coaching, and performance management to all Production Supervisors, setting clear expectations and holding regular one-on-one reviews.

• Act as escalation point and operational cover when a Supervisor is absent, to ensure continuity of production.

• Build a strong internal succession pipeline (Team Leader → Supervisor) through structured competency development and Individual Development Plans (IDPs).

• Ensure skill matrices are kept up to date, with 100% of operators multi-skilled and qualified for their assigned roles.

• Conduct bi-annual performance reviews and career development discussions with all direct reports.

• Lead daily and weekly Layered Daily Management (LDM) meetings to align cross-functional teams on daily priorities and issues.

Digital Transformation & ESG

• Champion the adoption of digital OEE dashboards and predictive maintenance tools on the shop floor, ensuring data accuracy and operator buy-in.

• Lead site ESG initiatives such as glove recycling, compressed-air leak reduction, and VOC (volatile organic compound) emission reduction.

• Report progress on these initiatives to the Operations Manager and Plant Steering Committee on a regular basis.

3. KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

• Reports to: Operations Manager

• Direct reports: Production Supervisors and, through them, Team Leaders and operators across all production lines and machining

• Works closely with: Maintenance, Quality, Engineering, Planning, Finance, and HR to resolve day-to-day issues and drive improvement projects

4. QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree or above in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Industrial Management, or related field.

• 7–10+ years progressive manufacturing experience (automotive, compressor, or precision engineering preferred), including 5+ years in a management role.

• Proven leadership coaching supervisors and managing multi-line production operations.

• Strong command of Lean tools — Kaizen, SMED, SPS/8D — and OEE, scrap/defect reduction, cost control, and safety management.

• Strong cross-functional communicator across Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, and Supply Chain.

• Track record leading change and building a continuous-improvement / digital-transformation culture.

• Business-level English, written and spoken.