Plant Head

Company Name: Kashish Panel Works

Job Title: Operations Head

Location: Vasind, Maharashtra | Mumbai, Maharashtra

Reports To: CEO

About the Company

Kashish Panel Works is an established OEM Furniture Manufacturer since over three decades. We are a trusted manufacturer partner to Godrej, supplying wooden and metal furniture products across multiple categories. Our plant in Vasind runs a mixed product portfolio and we are looking for a hands-on Operations Head to lead operations and drive efficiency, quality and growth.

Role Summary

The Operations Head will own end-to-end responsibility for plant operations including production planning, quality, cost, delivery, safety, and people management. The role requires close coordination with our OEM partner (Godrej) to consistently meet schedule, quality, and cost expectations. The ideal candidate is a hands-on operations leader who can drive shop-floor discipline, optimize processes, and build a high-performing team.

Key Responsibilities

1. Production & Operations

• Plan and execute monthly / weekly / daily production schedules to meet OEM dispatch commitments

• Ensure machine loading, manpower allocation and shift planning are aligned with the production schedules.

• Monitor hourly production vs plan, downtime, rejection and productivity.

• Monitor shop-floor activities across cutting, edge banding, drilling, welding, grinding, powder coating, assembly, packing, and dispatch

• Coordinate raw material planning with purchase/SCM (panels, hardware, edge banding, adhesives).

• Ensure machine uptime through PM schedules, breakdown analysis, spare management, and maintenance coordination.

2. Quality Management

• Ensure all products meet Godrej's quality standards and product specifications

• Implement in-process quality checks, rejection control, and root-cause analysis for defects

• Drive a zero-defect culture and continuously reduce internal & external PPM

• Handle customer quality audits and close corrective actions on time

3. OEM / Client Relationship

• Serve as the primary plant-level point of contact for Godrej's SCM, quality, and vendor development teams

• Manage daily / weekly review calls, address escalations, and ensure schedule alignment

• Support new product development (NPD), sampling, and pilot runs as per OEM requirements

4. People & Workforce Management

• Lead a team of supervisors, operators, helpers, and support staff

• Drive shop-floor discipline, attendance, and productivity

• Plan skill development, multiskilling, and worker training programs

5. Cost & Budget Management

• Own the plant operating budget; control material, labour, power, and overhead costs

• Track cost per unit, productivity metrics, and material yield

• Identify and execute cost-reduction initiatives without compromising quality

6. Safety, Compliance & Housekeeping

• Ensure compliance with the Factories Act, labour laws, environmental regulations, and statutory norms

• Lead safety initiatives, accident prevention, and 5S/housekeeping standards

• Manage statutory inspections and external audits

• Implement energy-saving, water conservation, waste reduction, and resource optimization practices to drive greenco

7. Continuous Improvement

• Drive Lean, Kaizen, and process improvement initiatives across the plant

• Identify and implement automation / modernization opportunities within budget

• Track and improve KPIs such as OTD, OEE, Rejection %, PPM, Productivity, Changeover Time, Machine Utilization and Labour Efficiency.

• Use tools such as 5 Why, Fishbone Analysis, Pareto, CAPA and PDCA for defect and downtime reduction

Qualifications

Education

• Diploma or Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Industrial or Production

• Certifications in Lean, Six Sigma, or Furniture Manufacturing are a plus

Experience

• 8–10 years in furniture, panel, plywood, metal-based or wood-based manufacturing

• Minimum 4 years in a leadership role (Plant Head / Operations Head / Senior Production Manager) in a small-to-mid-sized plant

• Prior experience as an OEM supplier to brands like Godrej, Featherlite, Wipro Furniture, Nilkamal, or IKEA vendors is highly desirable

• Hands-on experience with metal and panel-processing machinery