Production Manager in Spennymoor

The Production Manager is accountable for the safe and efficient operation of all shift activities across the site, from team leaders, process technicians, tool fitters, materials operations, warehouse, packing and inspection. As a production manager, you'll make sure goods and services are produced safely, cost-effectively and on time and that they meet the required quality standards. You will also ensure your Team Leaders deliver training, developing, and performance management across your team, around agreed production targets, quality, housekeeping, continuous improvement, and health & safety.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Plant Manager in all aspects of the business as required, to assist in organising the plant in achieving a safe working environment whilst producing strong financial results.
• Encourage a strong Health & Safety culture, with full compliance to policy and procedure, wearing appropriate PPE as required.
• Strive to have zero LTAs, reducing accidents year on year through training, investment, and control.
• Produce all products on time in full, to the correct standards, running the production department to ISO/IATF standards.
• Oversee the setup of all tools, ensuring full compliance, highlighting issues and investment requirements.
• Provide cover and support for all your team leaders and key operators as and when required.
• Maintain and improve procedures within your departments.
• Control all activities to ensure all team members are fully informed at all times of what they should be doing and at what standards.
• Provide strong and clear leadership, demonstrating excellent communication and lead by example.
• Maintain an organised and tidy working environment.
• Encourage a continuous improvement culture for your team (where team members aim for 6 improvement projects per year).
• Control labour costs in line with budget, fully utilising team resource and capability.
• Complete interviews and oversee recruitment for your department, working with People and Culture to manage the induction process.
• Support our aim to achieve all KPIs and plant targets.
• Maintain and monitor accurate records of all areas within your control that affect KPIs to achieve company goals.
• Aim for zero customer complaints, highlighting any areas of weakness, including any parts that require inspection.
• Analyse performance data to drive continuous improvement across your team.
• Gain a strong understanding of the business, in order to support improvements.
• Produce clear and effective documentation through descriptive, graphical, and statistical information.
• Effectively manage the team, through the provision of regular feedback.
• Any other duties requested by Management.

Production Planning

• Ensure your team follow operations plan and report any deviations.
• Ensure end of shift reports are completed on time and to the correct standard.
• Monitor and report issues within real-time to the relevant people, including BOM issues and cycle times.
• Attend meetings where required.
• Communicate in advance any capacity issues or restrictions from your areas.
• Oversee the plan internally over a one-to-two-week time frame, leaving the regional planner to plan a longer forecast for the plant.
• Ensure the plan levels out labour requirements within your areas to avoid higher labour costs.

Set up & Technicians

• Ensure all technicians are completing setups to correct standards.
• Target all tools to be set up within 30 minutes.
• Rate all tool fits and investigate issues of poor fitting or tools which create quality or process issues.
• Complete and oversee the tooling TRI system to ensure problem tools are repaired.
• Monitor setup concerns and trace issues back to the root cause to eradicate the problems.
• Complete tech projects as needed, providing regular updates and continue to monitor the results.
• Follow the production plan for all information and organise the team to cope with any special requests or trial runs.
• Plan who is responsible for trial runs and coordinate with QA.
• Improve scrap, run efficiency, and quality of parts.
• Reduce leaks and monitor machine and tool performance and feedback root issues.
• Develop apprentices and proactively plan replacement roles ahead of time, identify weaknesses and drive improvement.

Communication

• Ensure all employees are informed on their personal performance.
• Carry out disciplinary and investigation hearings when issues arise, working alongside People & Culture.
• Record all training activities to continually improve across production.
• Ensure effective team communication and collaboration through weekly and monthly meetings.
• Report details and data to back up any issues or improvements you wish to make so they can be reviewed.
• Produce monthly reports showing progress made and concerns highlighted and addressed.
• Rate internal suppliers and highlight need for improvement as required.
• Complete all KPI records and reports to the needs of the business.
• Action improvements from employee surveys and customer complaints, driving continuous improvement.

Training

• Carry out annual PDR reviews in line with the PDR cycle.
• Ensure new starters complete induction and training programs, completing assessments on every job; overseeing competence tests to ensure people understand what to do and how.
• Maintain up to date skills matrices, job descriptions, training packs and competency tests to effectively measure performance.
• Ensure refresher training is completed as and when required.
• Support team leaders with training requirements to ensure targets are achieved.
• Look to improve training and education of team members and systems, to maximise people's potential.
• Highlight external training needs where applicable.

Housekeeping

• Ensure your team control the working environment, carrying out 5s inspections to maintain high standards for all employees.
• Organise painting, cleaning, new signs and maintain high visual standards in and around your department.

Health & Safety

• Keep safety as the main priority and aim for zero LTA/Accidents.
• Lead by example and ensure safety rules are followed by all employees.
• Work alongside People and Culture to address concerns, in line with the disciplinary procedure, for anyone who fails to follow procedures.
• Record any near misses and carry out any risk assessment.
• Complete weekly Health & Safety checks, using the correct systems and paperwork in place.
• Report areas that need attention, along with corrective actions you have carried out during the safety check.
• Ensure all team members complete safety training, both general and specific.
• Make sure all equipment on site is safe and all relevant repair work and checks have been completed.
• Ensure safety risk assessments and procedures are in place for all tasks.
• Attend health and safety meetings.

Company Benefits

• Competitive Salary
• 25 Days Holiday plus Bank Holidays
• Company Pension
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Holiday Purchase Scheme
• Birthday Holiday
• Long Service Awards
• Volunteering Day
• Enhanced Maternity pay
• Free Parking
• Company Uniform
• Employee Welfare Support Line
• Occupational Healthcare Provision