Production Engineer in Stonehouse

ADEY, the market leader in the provision of residential water treatment products for closed loop heating and cooling systems in the UK, is looking for a Production Engineer to join the team. Working for the Stonehouse Engineering department, Production Engineers are responsible for end-to-end development and implementation of production assembly processes, providing operational support, troubleshooting and maintaining equipment, coordinating engineering change control, and delivering continuous improvement to meet production, quality, and compliance objectives.

The Role

• Daily Production Support & Continued Improvement

• Equipment Management: Catalogue and manage production equipment located in production cells or the production engineering storage facility; apply 6S methodology.
• Preventative Maintenance: Perform simple preventative maintenance tasks according to agreed schedules.
• Breakdown Support: Support initial equipment breakdowns, apply equipment knowledge to resolve issues, conduct root cause analysis, and document corrective actions; engage the maintenance team as required.
• Daily Management: Actively support and participate in daily management routines and production meetings.
• Lean Implementation: Apply Lean methodologies to optimise assembly processes, reduce waste, and lower production costs.
• Performance Analysis: Conduct time and motion studies; measure and analyse KPIs such as OEE, downtime, and performance; implement improvements and corrective actions to remove bottlenecks and increase throughput.
• Kaizen / Gembas: Attend Kaizen events, workshops, Gembas and improvement meetings as requested; contribute ideas, data, and technical insight. Take responsibility for agreed actions.

• Process Development: Develop and implement assembly processes for new products; plan and execute pilot runs, validate process capability, and scale to full production.
• Design for Manufacture: Collaborate with design teams to ensure DFM principles are applied and aligned with existing production cell configurations and assembly equipment to meet defined production metrics.
• Risk and Failure Analysis: Participate in DFMEA and PFMEA activities to identify and mitigate product and process risks.
• BOM Management: Create and optimise BOMs for production assembly and identify requirements for external sub-assemblies.
• Assembly Tooling and Equipment: Design or specify jigs, fixtures and tooling in partnership with R&D; identify, source and procure equipment from external suppliers.
• Product Launch Support: Provide close support during try-out builds through first production runs, capturing and acting on production feedback at each stage.
• Training and Documentation: Produce WKINs and training materials; deliver operator and support staff training; maintain training matrices and ensure knowledge transfer to production teams.
• Spare Parts Ownership: Generate critical spares lists for new equipment, classify and propose a sourcing strategy for each.
• QHSE Compliance: Ensure processes meet quality, health, safety, environmental and regulatory requirements.
• Change Management: Manage changes of existing products through the Engineering Change Request (ECR) process, applying the same core responsibilities listed above to ensure minimal disruption to the business.
• Product Sunset and End of Life: Manage the planned withdrawal of products from production, plan safe decommissioning of production tooling and equipment; manage asset disposal or redeployment. Update all documentation accordingly.

• Site Visits: Travel to assembly facilities and suppliers in the UK and overseas as required.
• Ad hoc Support: Undertake tasks as directed by the line manager to meet business needs.

The Person

• Proven experience (minimum 3 years) in production/process engineering within a production assembly environment.
• Practical knowledge and application of Lean philosophies in a working environment.
• Actively involved in NPI and ECR processes.
• Bachelor’s degree or HND in Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing, or related engineering discipline.
• Mechanical knowledge (jigs, fixtures, assembly tooling) enabling ability and confidence to complete basic maintenance tasks.
• Ability to read engineering drawings.
• Microsoft Office familiarity with BOM management.
• Strong written and verbal communication; ability to produce clear documentation and deliver training.
• Effective, diplomatic and confident communicator at all levels.
• Continuous improvement and proactive hands-on problem solver.