Production Supervisor

Lead a Team That Builds Millions of Cups

Clark Cup is looking for a hands-on Production Supervisor to lead our manufacturing operation. This position is responsible for driving Safety, Quality, Delivery, Productivity, and Morale (SQDPM) while developing employees and continuously improving our processes through Lean Manufacturing principles.

This is not a desk job. We're looking for a leader who enjoys coaching employees, solving production issues, eliminating waste, and creating a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

What You'll Do

• Lead and develop production teams on a high-speed manufacturing floor
• Drive daily SQDPM performance
• Conduct shift start-up meetings and communicate production goals
• Monitor safety, quality, productivity, and downtime throughout the shift
• Coach operators, material handlers, quality technicians, and lead personnel
• Support employee onboarding and training using standardized work
• Ensure compliance with OSHA requirements and all company safety policies
• Enforce PPE, LOTO awareness, machine guarding, and safe work practices
• Verify product quality through standardized inspection methods
• Ensure defects are identified, contained, and corrected immediately
• Support Stop-Call-Wait procedures when quality issues occur
• Coordinate closely with Quality, Maintenance, and Scheduling
• Analyze production losses and implement corrective actions
• Perform root cause investigations using structured problem-solving methods
• Lead shift communication and pass-down meetings
• Maintain production documentation and performance metrics
• Drive attendance, accountability, and employee engagement

Lean Manufacturing Responsibilities

We believe supervisors should improve the process—not simply manage it.

You'll be expected to:

• Eliminate waste using Lean Manufacturing principles
• Support continuous improvement activities
• Identify bottlenecks and improve process flow
• Reduce downtime through proactive leadership
• Standardize best practices
• Support TPM (Total Productive Maintenance)
• Participate in Kaizen events
• Drive 5S workplace organization
• Use visual management tools
• Coach standardized work
• Support mistake-proofing (Poka-Yoke)
• Reduce scrap and improve first-pass yield
• Promote problem solving at the operator level

Daily Responsibilities

• Monitor production output versus plan
• Verify staffing levels
• Assign work based on priorities
• Coordinate machine changeovers
• Support production startups
• Respond to equipment issues
• Escalate maintenance concerns appropriately
• Track downtime and production losses
• Monitor labor efficiency
• Maintain shift communication boards
• Review production reports
• Conduct employee coaching and development
• Complete performance documentation when necessary

Safety Responsibilities

Safety is our first priority.

Responsibilities include:

• Promote a zero-incident culture
• Conduct daily safety observations
• Identify and eliminate hazards
• Ensure machine guarding compliance
• Reinforce safe forklift operations
• Support incident investigations
• Promote near-miss reporting
• Lead safety discussions during shift meetings
• Ensure OSHA compliance

Quality Responsibilities

Our customers expect every cup to meet specification.

Responsibilities include:

• Support quality inspections throughout production
• Verify standardized work is followed
• Contain nonconforming product immediately
• Partner with Quality Technicians
• Monitor cup defects including:
• • Side seam defects
  • Bottom leaks
  • Top curl issues
  • Print defects
  • Registration issues
  • Ink transfer
  • Material defects
• Drive corrective actions
• Ensure product traceability

Leadership Expectations

Successful supervisors at Clark Cup:

• Lead by example
• Hold employees accountable while treating them with respect
• Coach rather than simply direct
• Build strong teams
• Communicate effectively across all departments
• Stay calm under pressure
• Make decisions using facts and data
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement
• Develop future leaders

Qualifications

Preferred qualifications include:

• 3–5 years of manufacturing leadership experience
• Experience supervising hourly production employees
• Lean Manufacturing experience
• Continuous Improvement experience
• High-speed manufacturing experience preferred
• Experience with KPIs and production metrics
• Strong communication and leadership skills
• Root cause analysis experience
• Microsoft Office proficiency
• Ability to work in a fast-paced manufacturing environment

Preferred experience with:

• Paper converting
• Packaging manufacturing
• Flexographic printing
• Food service packaging
• TPM
• 5S
• Kaizen
• Standardized Work
• Visual Management

Performance Metrics

Success in this role will be measured by:

• Safety performance
• Product quality
• Production attainment
• Downtime reduction
• Scrap reduction
• Employee training completion
• Attendance management
• Labor efficiency
• Continuous improvement implementation
• Employee engagement

Why Clark Cup?

At Clark Cup, we believe great manufacturing starts with great people. We invest in our employees, embrace continuous improvement, and empower our leaders to make a difference every day.

If you're passionate about building teams, improving processes, and leading from the front, we'd love to hear from you.

Join us and help build the future of American manufacturing—one cup at a time.