Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Machining

Dover Corporation - Downers Grove, IL

Full-time - Mid Level

Downers Grove, IL

10,001+ employees

Machinery Manufacturing

About the position

The Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Machining at Dover Corporation plays a crucial role in executing the manufacturing roadmap aimed at optimizing machining processes. This position reports directly to the Director of Advanced Manufacturing Machining and is responsible for ensuring the proper use of equipment, adherence to design specifications, conducting setup reviews, and implementing new control strategies. The engineer will lead initiatives to enhance operational efficiency and productivity, particularly through the application of methodologies such as SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die) and TPM (Total Productive Maintenance). The role involves collaborating with operational companies (OpCo) to drive improvements in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and to internalize spending on new capital expenditures by maximizing machine utilization. In addition to supporting the corporate strategy, the Advanced Manufacturing Engineer will lead site assessments of CNC technology and manage site improvement activities. The engineer will also be responsible for the technical development and deployment of new technologies related to machining, ensuring that new equipment purchases are specified, sourced, qualified, and transitioned into mass production effectively. This includes identifying, recommending, procuring, and installing machine shop equipment while ensuring that all equipment is maintained and calibrated properly. The role requires continuous improvement efforts, including providing recommendations for equipment upgrades and interfacing with tooling suppliers to ensure the use of appropriate tooling for production. The engineer will develop machining capabilities in-house, refine existing machining methods, and utilize lean manufacturing methodologies for process development and problem-solving. Additionally, the engineer will perform root cause analyses for non-conformances and implement corrective actions, supporting manufacturing goals related to safety, quality, efficiency, and throughput. The Advanced Manufacturing Engineer must be adept at managing multiple projects and priorities simultaneously, with travel requirements of up to 70%. This position demands strong project management skills, the ability to interact constructively across the organization, and hands-on support for new product and process launches.

Responsibilities

• Support and partner with OpCo to drive improving OEE through initiatives such as SMED, TPM, etc. for new and existing equipment.
• Work on Dover corporate strategy to drive productivity by internalizing spend (Buy2Make) on new capex and existing equipment by maximizing machine utilization.
• Lead SMED Events and Site CNC technology Assessments, and project manage site improvement activities.
• Support and partner with OpCo on the maturity journey for the Machining Excellence Playbook.
• Provide technical development and deployment for new technologies related to machining to drive productivity improvements.
• Drive and support machining strategy on productivity improvement by maximizing asset utilization.
• Assist in the evolution of the equipment and perform acceptance evaluation accordingly.
• Identify, recommend, procure, and install machine shop equipment, ensuring all equipment is thoroughly maintained and calibrated.
• Support workforce utilization, space requirements, workflow, and design layout of equipment and workspace for maximum efficiency.
• Continuously improve and provide recommendations on equipment upgrades to maximize asset utilization.
• Interface with tooling suppliers to ensure the use of proper tooling for production and develop better cutting tools for specific PM applications.
• Develop machining capability in-house while enhancing machine functionality.
• Identify, develop, and deploy new machining methods to improve quality, reduce cost, and optimize build schedule.
• Utilize lean manufacturing methodology for process development and problem-solving.
• Perform root cause analyses when non-conformances are identified and deploy corrective actions.
• Support manufacturing to achieve safety, quality, efficiency, and throughput goals, identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Apply project management skills and tools to lead and support capital equipment/improvement projects.
• Investigate equipment performance and identify problems for corrective actions and solutions.
• Write/revise User Requirement Specs, Functional Requirement, Design Specs, Qualifications, etc.
• Support Factory and Site Acceptance Tests, Machinability Studies, and validation protocols.
• Review and approve PFMEA, DFMEA, PPAPs, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to ensure compliance with manufacturing and operations standards.
• Utilize continuous improvement methodology to enhance internal processes.
• Interact constructively across the organization to identify issues and implement improvements.
• Provide hands-on support for new products and new process launches.
• Handle multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, or manufacturing engineering, industrial technology, or equivalent mix of education and experience.
• Minimum five (5) years' experience in manufacturing engineering directly working with machining processes.
• Experience setting up and operating state-of-the-art machining equipment.
• Extensive experience in machining and maintenance.
• Well-versed in standard machine shop manufacturing processes and setups.
• Strong experience with SolidWorks or another mechanical CAD system.
• Highly experienced with a variety of precision conventional and advanced metrology systems (photogrammetry, CMMs, 3D imaging).
• Strong commitment to proper safety precautions in design and practice.
• Strong understanding of Lean concepts.
• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills to interact with other departments.
• Ability to multi-task and perform in a dynamic environment.
• Strong sense of urgency, accountability, and highly objective-oriented.
• Highly organized and efficient in approaching tasks, a self-starter with the ability to problem-solve.
• Concise, and articulate communication skills - verbal, written, and listening.
• Strong team player, work ethic, and commitment to win the right way.
• Strong analytical skills, ability to think big, act small, and scale fast.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with Advanced Product Quality Planning Methodology and integrated product and process development techniques.
• Proven success managing medium and large-scale projects from concept development through successful implementation.