Injection Molding Process Engineer

M&M Industries Co.,Ltd - Phoenix, AZ

Full-time - Mid Level

Phoenix, AZ

Machinery Manufacturing

About the position

The Injection Molding Process Engineer at M & M Industries, Inc. plays a crucial role in the development of new products while ensuring that the company meets its goals for quality, cost, and delivery. Reporting directly to the Plant Manager and with a dotted line to the Production Manager, this position is responsible for supporting various areas in achieving objectives related to Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, and Associate Engagement. The engineer will establish continuous improvement initiatives through effective processing skills, troubleshooting, and adherence to company systems and procedures. A key aspect of this role is to enforce all company policies and procedures while fostering a safety-first culture within the workplace. The engineer will maintain a clean and organized work area, emphasizing safety, quality, and productivity. Additionally, they will create and drive training and development opportunities for Process Technicians, ensuring that the team is well-equipped to meet production demands. The Injection Molding Process Engineer will also support the engineering team with part design, tool design, prototyping, and mold sampling/approval. They will lead the dimensional reconciliation process through Master Mold setup, Design of Experiments (DOE), and confirmation runs. Developing process specifications to ensure the quality output of molded products is essential, as is optimizing processes using data acquisition software and end-product performance testing. Interaction with customers, suppliers, and internal resources is a vital part of the role, as is the implementation of process and quality improvements through lean and continuous improvement methods. The engineer will focus on reducing cycle time, scrap, and downtime while improving Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). Troubleshooting materials and processing issues will also be part of their responsibilities. Working closely with Production and Maintenance, the engineer will analyze and plan workforce utilization, space requirements, workflow, and equipment layout to maximize efficiency. Collaboration with the Tooling Manager is necessary to ensure optimized processing and care of the tools, as well as working with mold vendors to streamline the onboarding of new tools and enhance ease of use in the process. The engineer will apply statistical methods to estimate manufacturing capabilities, improve current processes, and develop tools and standards to support shop floor autonomy. Leading cross-functional team activities to identify top issues, plan and implement corrective actions, and track and validate effectiveness will also be part of their duties. Finally, the engineer will create Work Instructions for molding best practices.

Responsibilities

• Develop new products in a timely manner, achieving company goals for quality, cost, and delivery.
• Support assigned areas in meeting objectives for Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, and Associate Engagement.
• Establish continuous improvement through processing skills, troubleshooting, and company systems/procedures.
• Enforce all company policies and procedures while promoting a safety-first culture.
• Maintain a clean and organized work area with emphasis on safety, quality, and productivity.
• Create and drive training/development opportunities for Process Technicians.
• Support Engineering with part design, tool design, prototyping, mold sampling/approval.
• Lead the dimensional reconciliation process via Master Mold setup, DOE's, and confirmation runs.
• Develop process specifications to ensure quality output of molded products.
• Optimize processes using data acquisition software and end-product performance testing.
• Interact with customers, suppliers, and internal resources.
• Implement process and quality improvements through lean and continuous improvement methods focused on cycle-time, scrap, and downtime reduction, while improving OEE.
• Troubleshoot materials and processing issues.
• Analyze and plan workforce utilization, space requirements, workflow, and layout of equipment for maximum efficiency.
• Work with Tooling Manager to assure optimized processing and care of the tools.
• Collaborate with mold vendors to streamline onboarding of new tools and ease of use in process.
• Apply statistical methods to estimate manufacturing capabilities to meet future requirements, improve current processes, and develop tools and standards to support shop floor autonomy.
• Lead cross-functional team activities to identify top issues, plan and implement appropriate corrective actions, and track and validate effectiveness.
• Create Work Instructions for Molding best practices.

Requirements

• Ability to inspire and cultivate a team by establishing trust and being engaged on the floor to assist with challenges.
• Proven ability to analyze data and trends, prepare written correspondence and presentations.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint & Outlook).
• Very strong written and verbal communication, interpersonal, and motivational skills.
• Thorough understanding of scientific molding concepts.
• Program robots and assist with development of end of arm tooling.
• High School Diploma - Required.
• BS Degree in Mechanical Engineering or Plastic Processing - Preferred.
• RJG Master Molder or equivalent - Required.
• Six Sigma Green or Black Belt - Preferred.
• Application experience with lean tools like Value Stream Mapping, Kanban system design and implementation, Total Predictive Maintenance - Required.
• Minimum of Five (5) years' application experience with structured problem-solving techniques/tools - Required.
• Minimum of Five (5) years' experience in injection molding engineering/processing role with direct responsibility for injection molding process - Required.
• Minimum of Three (3) years' experience with direct and/or indirect leadership of process technicians - Required.