General Manager Operations

Role & Responsibilities

• Lead and manage overall operations across Suja Shoei manufacturing units to achieve production, quality, cost, delivery and safety objectives.
• Develop and implement operational strategies aligned with business goals and customer requirements.
• Drive production planning, capacity utilization, productivity improvement and on-time delivery.
• Ensure effective management of manufacturing processes, manpower, machines, materials and resources.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives including Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing, TPM, 5S and cost reduction.
• Monitor and improve OEE, productivity, yield, rejection, downtime and manufacturing efficiency.
• Ensure strict adherence to quality standards, customer requirements and QMS procedures.
• Coordinate with Quality, Production, Maintenance, Engineering, SCM, Purchase, HR and Finance functions.
• Handle OEM customer requirements, production escalations, customer complaints and corrective actions.
• Drive new product, process development, capacity expansion and manufacturing projects.
• Ensure preventive maintenance, machine reliability and optimum utilization of plant infrastructure.
• Establish and monitor operational KPIs and review performance of individual plants/functions.
• Ensure compliance with statutory, safety, environmental and company requirements.
• Develop leadership capability and skill development programs for plant and operations teams.
• Identify operational risks and implement effective corrective and preventive actions.
• Lead annual operating plans, budgets, manpower planning and cost-control initiatives.
• Support business growth through capacity planning, new plant setup and expansion activities.
• Provide regular operational performance reports and strategic recommendations to top management.
• Promote a culture of safety, quality, productivity, discipline and continuous improvement across all manufacturing units.

Preferred Candidate Profile

• Graduate / Postgraduate in Engineering, preferably Mechanical / Production / Industrial Engineering.
• MBA / PG qualification in Operations Management will be an added advantage.
• Minimum 15+ years of experience in manufacturing operations, with significant experience in a senior leadership role.
• Strong experience in automotive component manufacturing is preferred.
• Experience in rubber products, O-rings, oil seals, metal-bonded rubber components or similar precision automotive components will be highly preferred.
• Strong exposure to OEM / Tier-1 automotive manufacturing environment is mandatory/preferred.
• Proven experience in managing multiple manufacturing plants / business units.
• Strong knowledge of production planning, process improvement, quality systems, maintenance and supply chain coordination.
• Hands-on experience in Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, TPM, 5S, OEE and productivity improvement.
• Strong understanding of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plan, SPC and customer-specific requirements.
• Demonstrated experience in cost reduction, capacity expansion and operational excellence.
• Strong leadership capability with experience in managing large cross-functional teams.
• Excellent problem-solving, decision-making and analytical skills.
• Ability to work closely with Japanese / multinational management and automotive customers.
• Strong communication, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills.
• Willingness to travel between manufacturing locations as required.

Key Competencies

Operations Leadership | Manufacturing Excellence | Automotive OEM | Rubber Products | O-rings & Oil Seals | Multi-Plant Management | Lean Manufacturing | TPM | Kaizen | OEE | Cost Reduction | Quality Management | Capacity Planning | Project Management | Customer Management | Team Leadership | Continuous Improvement