Plant (Production) Manager

Reporting to:
Managing Director

Location:
AB Group Packaging, Rassau Industrial Estate, Ebbw Vale, Wales, NP23 5SE

Summary

AB Group Packaging is a high volume, customer focused Packaging manufacturing business with sites in Ebbw Vale, Wales, Blessington County Wicklow Ireland and Bilbao in Spain. We manufacture the most environmentally conscious Paper Based Packaging for carry and delivery of goods.

The job holder is responsible for the production operations at the Ebbw Vale site. Leading a team of operators, paper convertors ( machine operators paper bags) printers, and administration staff, the job holder is the senior person on site and first line of communication between the warehouse, planning, and engineering functions and production team. They will ensure that production staffing rosters are maintained to ensure that the production plan is achieved each week.

At group level, the jobholder is responsible for producing and maintaining the forward production plan across the three sites, resolving planning issues, and liaising with the sites to ensure that materials are in stock for the planned production and that the plan is flexible enough to enable sites to move on to the next job in the event of materials shortage or changing customer needs. The jobholder also contributes technical production expertise and advice to the group.

The jobholder ensures that individual and team performance at the Ebbw Vale site is actively managed so that staff are trained and developed and held accountable for the quality, safety, and quantity of their work.

Duties and Responsibilities

The key areas for which this job holder will be accountable are:

Operations

• Ensure the provision of adequate staffing and other resources to meet the daily production plan.
• Control of the production operation including meeting the daily production plan, addressing and resolving production issues (in collaboration with other Company management where appropriate), and ensuring that safe systems of work are in place and adhered to.
• Completion of all relevant production paperwork (hard copy and system based), ensuring a robust audit trail through the operation.
• Acting as first point of contact for all production queries and ensuring that queries are analysed and resolved to minimise production downtime.
• Ensure that weekend and night shift teams are fully briefed and have a plan “b” to enable them to continue production if a job has to be stopped. The jobholder will have a Company mobile so that any emergency situations on night and weekend shifts can be responded to.
• Direction and prioritisation of the work of the Engineering Team so that day to day maintenance issues are addressed and a planned preventative maintenance programme is in place.
• Notify the Managing Director of any significant issues relating to customer products in respect of quality issues and supply issues.
• Production and monitoring of relevant KPIs to continually manage performance and productivity of the production, warehouse, engineering, and printing teams.
• Oversee machine changeover processes ensuring that down time is minimised and production quality maintained. Analyse and address changeover process issues to ensure consistent performance and the reduction of machine downtime.
• Thorough investigation, reporting and resolution of all production employee accidents and near misses.

Planning

• Produce the advance production plan to meet customer requirements and maximise use of the machines available ( master plan all sites and local plan).
• Excellent communication with the materials and logistics function to ensure that the relevant materials are available to support the achievement of the production plan or that alternative production plans are in place to respond to any material shortages.
• Create and/or oversee the production plan for all three sites within NetSuite as required..
• Discuss and agree changes to the production plan to respond to any production, maintenance or material supply issues being experienced by any of the Company sites.

Continuous Improvement

• Analyse company production processes and procedures.
• Develop process improvement goals and plans that will positively impact on the production performance of the sites.
• Investigate and develop solutions for common production issues, shortfalls, and customer complaints to minimise future downtime and product waste.
• Develop and maintain a lean manufacturing culture on site ensuring that continuous improvement activity becomes the norm for teams across the business.
• Make continuous improvement part of everyone’s role

Staff Development and Performance

• Implement a performance review process on a quarterly basis for all staff on site.
• Manage the performance of individuals and the teams on site to drive the quality of work, the safety of work on site and the ability of the team to hit production targets consistently
• Carry out the regular reviews of individuals and teams across a range of defined assessment criteria, for example to include: Job Performance, Targets, Training Assessments, adherence to H&S rules, team working.
• Maintain performance review records and report progress and actions to the MD on an agreed schedule.
• Run the site Operator Training Programme to support the induction and onboarding of new Operators and Packers and the achievement of a cohort of multi skilled production staff over time.
• Ensure that all Operators have a quarterly individual Training Plans to support Company targets (strategically set by the MD) to achieve the required quotas of trained Operators on each machine.
• Ensure Trainer Operators are ‘Trained as Trainers’ and completing training plans for new and developing Operators under their charge to the standard set by the Company.
• Organise tests to assess Operators have met the standard as defined. Deal with fails and passes so that we retain skilled Operators and terminate those who do not meet the required standard.

Personnel

• Lead the recruitment of new team members to ensure that the agreed staffing levels for the site are proactively maintained.
• Lead the structured induction of staff once they have completed initial induction briefings and monitor induction to ensure that training is happening, and new employees are being supported to settle quickly into their roles.
• Attendance management for all production staff, including the management of holiday and other forms of staff leave in line with the rules set out in the Employee Handbook and the strict requirements of Company Time & Attendance systems. This includes the regular auditing of employee time keeping and attendance and the management and clearing of exceptions in the Company’s Time and Attendance system.
• First point of contact for performance management for all staff on site.
• Maintain and enhance communication systems between the production team and other site functions including the distribution and sign off of all Company comms to employees.
• Plan and allocate colleague breaks in order to ensure minimal disruption to the operation.
• Ensure lead time and cost targets are met by monitoring labour costs and machine efficiency.

Technical & Quality

• Technical lead in the new product design meetings to ensure that the customer design can be efficiently produced with the machines available on site.
• Provide technical production insight and advice across the group.
• Identify technical and quality issues in the production and printing operations and resolve all such issues and develop solutions to avoid recurrence.
• Oversee the commissioning of new production machines on the site to meet the agreed installation and commissioning plan.
• Operate within the requirement standards for the various site certifications including ISO 9000, SFC, PFC, and Primark Ethical Audit, BRC and new standards as introduced – Measurement and Control of Carbon Emissions.
• Lead the audits on site and the follow up and resolution of audit queries.
• Ensure that the site is ‘audit ready’ at all times and that the Company processes and procedures that are audited are regularly reviewed and kept active at all times.

Health & Safety

• Drive the health and safety culture on the site to ensure that employees are well briefed and well aware of the required safety rules and protocols.
• Ensure compliance with all health and safety rules and protocols across all the shifts and ensure the investigation and outcome of all health and safety investigations.
• Undertake regular floor walks and health and safety audits to ensure that current standards are being maintained and any new issues are addressed in a timely manner.
• Complete all risk assessments for the site on an annual basis and conduct spot checks to ensure compliance.
• Ensure that fire drills are carried out in line with site requirements.
• Oversee all accident reporting and near misses and ensure compliance with legal reporting requirements.
• Chairs the site Works Communication Committee in the identification and resolution of health and safety issues, quality issues, work environment issues, and the communication of new policies and procedures that arise on site.

Facilities

• Ensure the maintenance of a healthy and safe working environment for the entire team and compliance with any site health procedures to ensure Covid and other health protection measures are maintained.
• Run the annual calendar of facilities actions including PAT testing and other legal requirements.

Qualifications / Experience

Essential

• At least 5 years’ experience in a fast paced, quality focused production environment.
• Demonstrable ability to get good results from production and other site teams

• Proven ability to work efficiently and effectively in a fast-moving environment.
• Computer Literate with experience of Email, Basic MS Office, Production systems as used on the floor.
• Good experience with NetSuite or another recognised manufacturing ERP Scheme.

Desirable

• Experience in packaging or other light goods production.

Skills / Abilities

Essential:

• Able to manage effectively the work of direct reports.
• Excellent customer focus
• Working to tight production deadlines
• Strong planning skills
• Worked using computerised ERP systems and a knowledge of Netsuite system beneficial but not essential.
• Strong internal and customer communication skills
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• Ability to liaise clearly with other staff members and customers.
• Practical approach and application.
• Committed to producing solid results.

Desirable:

• Self-starter with the ability to work on own initiative
• An individual who can contribute to the wider team and Company innovation.
• Candidates who met the specification and are immediately available.

This job description is intended as a summary of the primary responsibilities and qualifications for this position. The job description is not intended as inclusive of all duties an individual in this position might be asked to perform or that may be required to do either now or in the future.