Production Supervisor

Position Summary

The Production Supervisor is responsible for leading daily manufacturing operations to ensure the safe, efficient, and high-quality production of finished units. This position provides direct supervision of production Team Leaders and hourly employees while coordinating closely with Quality, Engineering, Material Handling, Logistics, Maintenance, and Production Planning to achieve daily, weekly, and monthly production objectives.

The Production Supervisor is accountable for maintaining a safe work environment, driving employee engagement, achieving production schedules, ensuring adherence to standard work, and continuously improving Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Morale (SQDCM). This role serves as the frontline manufacturing leader responsible for executing the production plan while developing employees and supporting operational excellence.

Essential Responsibilities

• Provide daily leadership and direction for assigned production areas and manufacturing personnel.
• Ensure production goals are achieved while maintaining safety, quality, and productivity standards.
• Lead daily startup meetings to communicate safety topics, production priorities, staffing plans, quality concerns, and operational expectations.
• Monitor production performance throughout the shift and take immediate action to address barriers impacting output.
• Ensure employees follow standardized work instructions, operating procedures, and established manufacturing processes.
• Maintain compliance with all company safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Promote a culture of safety by identifying and correcting unsafe conditions and behaviors.
• Manage manpower assignments and adjust resources as necessary to support changing production requirements.
• Coordinate with Production Planning to ensure schedule adherence and resource availability.
• Monitor daily production attainment and communicate performance against targets.
• Work closely with Material Handling and Supply Chain to address parts shortages and material flow issues.
• Coordinate with Maintenance to minimize equipment downtime and support production needs.
• Partner with Quality to address defects, containment actions, and corrective-action implementation.
• Collaborate with Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering to improve processes, reduce waste, and increase throughput.
• Ensure production documentation, labor records, and required operational metrics are accurately maintained.
• Drive accountability for attendance, productivity, quality, and safety expectations.
• Coach and develop Team Leaders and production employees.
• Conduct employee training, qualification verification, and cross-training activities.
• Support employee performance reviews, development plans, and succession planning.
• Monitor and reduce production defects, rework, scrap, and customer-impacting quality issues.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective-action activities related to safety, quality, delivery, and productivity concerns.
• Maintain strong 5S and visual-management standards throughout assigned production areas.
• Support continuous-improvement initiatives focused on productivity, labor efficiency, safety, quality, and cost reduction.
• Escalate issues that may impact customer deliveries, production schedules, safety, or quality performance.
• Provide regular production updates to manufacturing leadership.
• Support implementation of new products, engineering changes, process improvements, and operational initiatives.
• Maintain accurate visibility of production status, work-in-process (WIP), and schedule performance.
• Drive employee engagement and foster a positive, team-oriented work environment.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The Production Supervisor will be accountable for performance in the following areas:

• Safety Performance
• Recordable and Near-Miss Reduction
• Daily Production Attainment
• Weekly Production Schedule Achievement
• On-Time Delivery Performance
• Labor Efficiency
• Units Produced per Shift
• First-Pass Yield (FPY)
• Defects per Unit (DPU)
• Rework Hours
• Scrap and Waste Reduction
• Downtime Performance
• Productivity Improvement
• Attendance Performance
• Overtime Management
• Employee Training and Certification Completion
• Corrective-Action Closure
• 5S Audit Performance
• Employee Retention and Development
• Overall SQDCM Performance

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Associate or bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Engineering, Operations Management, Business, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of manufacturing experience, preferably in automotive, heavy equipment, specialty vehicles, industrial equipment, or a similar assembly environment.
• Previous leadership experience as a Team Leader, Supervisor, or equivalent manufacturing leadership role preferred.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing operations, production systems, and workflow management.
• Experience managing hourly manufacturing employees.
• Ability to read and interpret work instructions, production schedules, engineering drawings, and manufacturing documentation.
• Strong understanding of Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Morale (SQDCM) principles.
• Strong problem-solving and root-cause-analysis skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple competing demands in a fast-paced environment.
• Effective communication, coaching, and leadership skills.
• Basic proficiency in Microsoft Office and manufacturing reporting systems.

Preferred Experience

• Lean Manufacturing experience.
• Continuous Improvement and Kaizen participation.
• Root Cause Analysis, 5 Why, Fishbone, or structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Manufacturing assembly operations experience.
• Experience working in a high-mix, low-volume production environment.
• Experience leading production teams responsible for daily output targets.
• Knowledge of labor planning, line balancing, and productivity improvement techniques.
• Experience supporting new product launches or production ramp-up activities.

Leadership Expectations

The Production Supervisor is expected to:

• Maintain a strong presence on the manufacturing floor.
• Lead by example in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Morale.
• Hold employees accountable while providing coaching, development, and support.
• Establish clear daily priorities and communicate expectations effectively.
• Develop Team Leaders and hourly employees to improve organizational capability.
• Foster teamwork, engagement, and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Escalate issues quickly before they impact customer deliveries or operational performance.
• Promote open communication across Production, Quality, Engineering, Material Handling, Logistics, Planning, and Maintenance.
• Maintain a strong sense of urgency while never compromising safety or quality.
• Create a positive and respectful work environment focused on accountability and results.

Reporting Relationship

Reports To: Production Manager / Director of Manufacturing

Direct Reports:

• Production Team Leader(s)
• Production Associates
• Utility Operators
• Production Technicians
• Other assigned manufacturing personnel

Overall Role Objective

The Production Supervisor is ultimately responsible for ensuring manufacturing operations are executed safely, efficiently, and consistently while meeting production schedules, quality standards, labor targets, and customer delivery requirements. This position drives frontline execution, employee development, operational performance, and continuous improvement efforts to support world-class manufacturing performance

REQUIREMENTS

Terberg Taylor Americas Manufacturing, headquartered in Columbus, Mississippi, is a family-owned manufacturing company dedicated to producing industry-leading terminal tractors and specialty vehicles for the transportation and logistics sectors. As part of the internationally recognized Terberg Group, we combine global expertise with a local commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction. Our employees are the foundation of our success, and we foster a workplace culture centered on safety, collaboration, accountability, and professional growth. We are proud to offer rewarding career opportunities for individuals who are passionate about manufacturing excellence and making a meaningful impact on our customers' operations.