Operation Head/Manager

Role & responsibilities

JOB DESCRIPTION

PLANT HEAD

Industry: Automobile Sealant or Adhesives Manufacturing / Chemical Manufacturing
Experience: 15 to 20 Years
Preferred Background: ; Working experience in automobile sealant manufacturing

Location: Pune
Department: Plant Operations / Manufacturing
Reporting To: Managing Director / Director Operations

1. Job Purpose

To lead and manage overall plant operations with responsibility for production, quality, maintenance, safety, manpower, cost control, productivity, customer requirements and continuous improvement, ensuring smooth and efficient manufacturing operations in compliance with company standards and applicable statutory requirements.

2. Key Roles & Responsibilities

Plant Operations

• Overall responsibility for day-to-day plant operations and manufacturing activities.
• Ensure production targets are achieved as per customer requirements and planned schedules.
• Optimize manpower, machines, materials and production processes.
• Monitor plant productivity, OEE, production efficiency and operational costs.
• Ensure timely execution of production plans and minimize downtime and production losses.

Automobile Manufacturing & Customer Requirements

• Manage manufacturing operations related to automobile components/parts supplied to OEMs and Tier-1 customers.
• Strong understanding of Hyundai Motors manufacturing/customer requirements will be preferred.
• Ensure adherence to customer-specific requirements, quality standards and delivery schedules.
• Coordinate with Production, Quality, SCM, Purchase and Engineering teams to meet customer commitments.
• Handle customer audits, process reviews and corrective actions where required.

Chemical / Sealant Manufacturing

• Manage manufacturing processes involving automotive sealants, adhesives, chemical compounds or related products.
• Ensure proper handling, storage and processing of chemicals and raw materials.
• Monitor batch manufacturing, formulation/process parameters, yield and product consistency.
• Experience in automobile sealant manufacturing will be an added advantage.
• Ensure compliance with chemical handling, EHS and process safety requirements.

Quality Management

• Ensure consistent product quality and adherence to applicable IATF 16949 / ISO standards and customer-specific requirements.
• Work closely with QA/QC teams to reduce rejection, rework, customer complaints and process variation.
• Drive root-cause analysis, CAPA, 8D and continuous quality improvement.
• Ensure readiness for internal, customer and certification audits.

Maintenance & Engineering

• Coordinate with Maintenance and Engineering teams to ensure maximum machine availability.
• Reduce equipment breakdowns and unplanned downtime.
• Drive preventive and predictive maintenance practices.
• Support new machinery installation, plant expansion and process improvement projects.

Manpower & Team Management

• Lead and develop plant-level teams including Production, Quality, Maintenance, SCM, Stores, EHS and Engineering.
• Plan manpower requirements based on production volume and business requirements.
• Develop employee performance, technical capabilities and leadership skills.
• Promote discipline, teamwork, accountability and a continuous improvement culture.

Cost & Productivity Improvement

• Control manufacturing costs and improve operational efficiency.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, 5S, TPM, Six Sigma and waste reduction initiatives.
• Improve material utilization, yield and manpower productivity.
• Identify opportunities for cost reduction without compromising quality or delivery.

Safety & Compliance

• Ensure strict implementation of EHS, fire safety, chemical safety and statutory requirements.
• Maintain a safe working environment and conduct regular safety reviews.
• Ensure proper use of PPE and safe operating procedures.
• Coordinate with EHS and Administration teams for statutory compliance and emergency preparedness.

Supply Chain & Inventory

• Coordinate with SCM, Purchase and Stores teams for uninterrupted availability of raw materials and packaging materials.
• Monitor inventory levels, production requirements and material consumption.
• Minimize excess inventory, material shortages and production stoppages.

MIS & Management Reporting

• Prepare and review plant performance reports covering:

• Production

• Quality

• OEM

• Rejection & Rework

• Customer Complaints

• Maintenance

• Manpower

• Cost

• Delivery

• Safety

• Present plant performance and improvement plans to senior management.

3. Required Qualifications

• B.E./B.Tech in Mechanical / Production / Automobile / Chemical Engineering or related discipline.
• MBA/PGDM in Operations/Production Management will be an added advantage.
• 15 to 25 years of relevant manufacturing experience, preferably with significant experience in a plant leadership role.

4. Required Experience

Mandatory / Preferred:

• 15 to 25 years of experience in automobile/component manufacturing or chemical manufacturing.
• Experience in automobile parts manufacturing, preferably serving OEM/Tier-1 customers.
• Exposure to Hyundai Motors parts manufacturing or Hyundai customer requirements will be highly preferred.
• Experience in automobile sealant/adhesive manufacturing is an added advantage.
• Strong exposure to production, quality, maintenance, SCM, EHS and plant administration.
• Experience in handling large-scale manufacturing teams and plant operations.

5. Key Skills

• Plant & Manufacturing Operations
• Automobile Component Manufacturing
• Automotive OEM Customer Handling
• Production Planning & Control
• Lean Manufacturing
• IATF 16949 & Quality Systems
• TPM / OEM / Kaizen / 5S
• Cost Reduction & Productivity Improvement
• Chemical/Sealant Manufacturing
• EHS & Statutory Compliance
• Maintenance & Engineering Coordination
• Manpower Management
• Supply Chain & Inventory Management
• Problem Solving & Root Cause Analysis
• Customer Audit & Compliance
• Leadership & Decision Making
• MIS & Management Reporting

6. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Production achievement against plan
• OEE and machine utilization
• On-time delivery
• Rejection and rework percentage
• Customer complaints
• Manufacturing cost reduction
• Material yield and wastage
• Machine downtime
• Inventory optimization
• Employee productivity
• Safety performance
• Audit compliance
• Continuous improvement/Kaizen implementation

7. Ideal Candidate Profile

A senior manufacturing professional with 15 to 25 years of experience who has strong expertise in automobile parts manufacturing and plant operations, preferably with exposure to Hyundai Motors/OEM customer requirements. Candidates having hands-on experience in automotive sealant, adhesive or chemical manufacturing will have a significant advantage.

The candidate should demonstrate strong leadership, operational discipline, technical understanding, commercial awareness and the ability to independently manage the complete plant with a focus on Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery and Productivity (SQCDP).