Engineer II

Circle Graphics is the world’s foremost producer of grand and large-format digital graphics. We are an industry leader in creating innovative products for outdoor advertising, business signage, wall decor, art reproduction, and the professional photography and art communities.

Our combined 407,000 square feet of manufacturing facilities across the United States house over 88 grand and large format digital printers, custom automated finishing equipment, and coating capabilities to produce printed recyclable materials up to 16 ft wide. Our prepress department processes more than 40,000 files per day with the aid of proprietary software automation tools. We operate around-the-clock, 7 days a week to deliver extraordinary customer service, and print over 431 million square feet of material annually. We specialize in industry leading innovations accompanied by world-class service.

Job Description Overview:

The role of the Process Engineer is to identify areas for improvement and drive cost and quality gains throughout the manufacturing operation. The ideal candidate primarily operates on the production floor with desk time limited to data analysis and process documentation. The Manufacturing Engineer operates independently as well as with a team of production associates, engineers, and quality personnel, and is motivated by seeing projects through to the end while obtaining measurable results. This person will promote the use of lean tools, and helps create a continuous improvement culture.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

80% Shop Floor Support: drive continuous improvement and support growth.

• Define/Improve product and process flow to improve yield, cycle time, process reliability, and product cost
• Identify areas for improvement, develop plan and schedules, and drive gains in all aspects of manufacturing
• Eliminate waste through tool/equipment design, set-up reduction, layout changes, improved processes, and material flow
• Provide yearly recommendations and justification for capital investments such as equipment, tooling, etc.
• Responsible for developing and improving processes utilizing lean tools such as value stream mapping, kaizens, gemba, etc.
• Track/Improve equipment performance including creating control charts. Drive machine uptime by coordinating with maintenance and engineering. Work with Maintenance and Operations to ensure PM programs and processes are established, implemented, and audited.
• Create and maintain work instructions for assembly, maintenance and support functions that are English and ESL friendly
• Responsible for Packaging design for ensuring product integrity and cost
• Establish relationships and work with vendors and technical representatives
• Adjust and monitor capacity planning to match product mix and customer demands
• Establish/Verify/Document/Improve critical process and product parameters creating operator friendly visuals
  • Takt time, cycle times, lead time
  • Machine utilization and uptime
  • Process Key Parameters
  • Product and Material Yield and true material cost

20% - Support transfer of new products and processes into manufacturing.

• Support R&D and Sales on new product and process introduction ensuring manufacturability and lean processes
• Design and build tooling, work stations, and process flow
• Drive material and labor cost reduction through suggestion, trial and implementation of new materials and processes
• Create ESL friendly Work Instructions and visual management tools
• Work with Engineering and Maintenance/Facilities in the design and building of tooling, work stations, improvements in process flow, and building layout.
• Capital Asset Inventory Management
• Indirect material or equipment purchasing

EDUCATION AND FORMAL TRAINING:

• Bachelor’s degree in an Engineering discipline, preferably Mechanical or Manufacturing
• Lean training – either certificate or significant on the job experience
• 5+ years’ experience in a LEAN environment - prefer make to order, high volume, high mix, fast turnaround time
• 5+ years’ experience in mechanical design or manufacturing support

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITY:

• Excellent organizational, attention to detail, and communication skills. Ability to prioritize. Proactively plans, sets and publishes goals, and meets deadlines
• Proven ability to develop positive, collaborative relationships at all levels. Must be approachable
• Proven ability to act independently, exercise judgment and influence people to take appropriate actions
• Demonstrated ability driving and completing projects from start to finish including project planning, concept, cost benefit analysis, design and development, fabrication and implementation, training of manufacturing associates, and documentation of results/SOP/WI’s
• Solid Works, CAD knowledge a plus
• Microsoft Office including Excel expertise
• Experience designing and building manufacturing fixtures, manufacturing process implementation
• Ability to “multi-task” while also reassessing priorities on a continual basis

INTELLECTUAL DEMANDS:

• Requires high energy, driving personality to work through barriers and meet short timelines
• Expected to work 40+ hours as required by project timelines and production ramps
• Must understand vague and implicit instructions, and react favorably in all work situations
• Must be approachable and responsive to a variety of people and issues.
• Must be adaptable, flexible, and creative in order to solve people, process, and product issues
• Must be able to resolve problems, handle conflict and make effective decisions under pressure
• Ability to solve practical problems, prioritizing variables in situations where only limited standardization exists