Senior Process Engineer

About TPI

TPI Composites is a global provider of structural composites products and has 50 years of experience in the design, development, prototyping and serial production of advanced lightweight composite structures.

We specialize in molding lightweight composite products for the Automotive and Wind Energy industries. TPI Automotive also provides a full range of services that complement our customers’ extensive vehicle engineering capability.

Our Automotive business customer base includes new entrants and established OEMs in the passenger vehicle, commercial vehicle, and transit bus segments.

We have established our Automotive business unit as a leader in composite solutions, providing our customers with lightweight structures and components that perform better than their metallic alternatives.

The composites we manufacture make the vehicles more efficient through weight reduction, improved corrosion resistance, and thermal management.

Position Summary

Develop and implement optimal, cost-effective manufacturing processes and methods in accordance with product specifications and quality standards;

recommend and implement improvements to production processes, methods, and controls; coordinate manufacturing launch for new or revised composite products.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Refine and troubleshoot our processes for molding, trimming, assembling, and finishing composite parts working with our production staff.
• Prepare and maintain clear work instructions and accurate bills of materials.
• Implement the manufacturing launch of new / revised products.
• Recommends build and design changes to improve quality and reduce cost.
• Leads approved design and or manufacturing approved changes driven by internal and customer needs.
• Works directly with customer engineering and quality to support design and improvement projects.
• Influence others based on sound engineering and data to revise methods and design to drive quality and cost initiatives.
• Design and manage procurement of required fixtures and jigs to produce product safely and ensure repeatable quality.
• Proven experience driving root cause corrective actions to drive to zero defect production.
• Collaborate and mentor other engineers and associates in the design and manufacturing process.
• Work with production associates to understand process, identify opportunities to improves, and communicate proper methods and techniques.
• Ability to utilize Solid Works to interpret 3-D models and drawings. Ability to design fixtures and jigs in Solid Works.
• Takes a leadership position in ensuring the QMS systems are being followed and adhered to all required quality standards including IATF16949, ISO9001, and customer specific requirements.
• Program our Eastman CNC cutter to optimize our material patterns.
• Consult with our tooling engineers on the design of molds, jigs and fixtures.
• Collaborate with our sourcing team and our composites lab to qualify new materials.

Education / Skills / Experience

• degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering or Engineering Technology required.
• Minimum 5 years related experience required (composites experience preferred).
• Experience with Kaizen and Lean Manufacturing techniques preferred. Experience with AutoCAD, SolidWorks, or similar programs.
• Experience with ISO 9001 / IATF16949 quality standards and / or quality methods desired.
• Ability to organize and manage multiple projects with a focus on safety, quality, cost, and attention to detail.
• Effective interpersonal & communication skills for working with co-workers, vendors and customers.
• Ability to adapt and apply problem solving skills.
• A bias for action, and the drive to succeed as a team player in our fast-paced setting.
• Ability to be on the factory floor for long periods of time, potentially working across multiple shifts.

Physical Skills and Abilities

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Ability to be on the factory floor for long periods of time, potentially working across shifts at times.

Work Environment

The work environment includes a balance of time in both an office setting and manufacturing setting. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions required by this role.

The following conditions may be present.

• The manufacturing floor requires use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) including eye hearing, respirator, and skin protection.
• Accessing work environments may include use of stairs, staging, and ladders.
• The composite manufacturing environment is subject to varying levels of temperature, humidity, dust, and smells.

Benefits include health, dental, vision, STD / LTD, EAP, Life, PTO, 401k.