Production Manager

When Alfred Fain founded a small Rhode Island tire store in 1924, at the time no one could have predicted how Teknor Apex would become an international custom compo under sought out by companies around the world. After a nearly hundred‑year journey that’s carried us through acquisitions and expansion, we now have nine U.S. locations, as well as operations in Belgium, Singapore, Germany, and China.

Throughout this global expansion Teknor has remained a privately held company, and today Fain’s grandson sits at the helm, maintaining the family’s tradition of fostering deep employee and customer relationships. These relationships are what allow us—together—to deliver customized compound solutions and help our customer’s create better products.

“Manufacturing is a team sport, and we work together to achieve our goals.” ~Jon Fain

The Production Manager is responsible for overseeing the planning, coordination, and execution of manufacturing operations, including staff, equipment, materials, and processes involved in production, curing, and final product output. This role ensures the effective allocation and management of resources to achieve safety, quality, and production targets.

• Promote safety awareness and monitor safety programs and trends. Ensure that safety meetings are conducted, investigate and countermeasure all safety problems, and report results. Develop plans for improvements and maintain compliance with all environmental regulations.
• Ensure fair and consistent practices, recommend promotions, salary increases, demotions, and transfers.
• Manage Production Department staff. Select and develop personnel and identify training needs. Counsel and motivate the team and maintain a clean, safe, working environment.
• Review, analyze, and monitor daily and monthly production results and trends according to man, machine, material methods measured against plant goals. Develop resolutions through corrective prevention.
• Direct and lead all departmental activities consistent within plant goals, i.e., safety, production, waste, scrap, and employee relations. Counteract adverse trends, obtain and deploy resources as necessary, and maintain lowest costs for production.
• Educate and train team in standard practices, process capability, and downgrade defect analysis. Promote a high level of good housekeeping.
• Audit SOP compliance, establish plans, and control points for achieving production requirements, communicate objectives to the team. Interact and coordinate activities with support departments, maintenance, technical support, and customer service department. Direct resources to improve and correct deficiencies and initiate countermeasures.
• Submit monthly reports documenting results vs. monthly budget expectations.
• Assume budget responsibilities of $5,000,000 to $20,000,000 with no sales revenue responsibilities.
• Work requires the application of a variety of procedures, policies, and/or precedents used in combination.
• Model positive leadership behaviors that align with our Core Values and build relationships and collaboration across the shift, other shifts, and cross‑functionally.
• Actively audit safe conditions and safe behaviors every shift while on the floor—uphold safety rules and policies and proactively address safety hazards and unsafe behaviors.
• Actively model setting high Safety standards (LOTO, proper PPE, no earbuds or phones on production floor, long sleeve shirts, dust masks, etc.).
• Coach and drive 6S principles and improvements across the department and plant.
• Drive Safety, Quality, Yield, and Productivity Continuous Improvement and lead projects.
• Coach, mentor & develop team to successfully operate their assigned production lines.
• Ensure any needed training is completed on time and strong cross‑training to standard/work procedures is actively ongoing.
• Be accessible to employees to create an open‑door and team‑oriented culture.
• Participate in meetings as needed and be responsive to e‑mail & phone communications.
• Be active in your own personal leadership development and attend scheduled leadership & management trainings.
• Passionately drive continuous…