Plant Manager

Company Description

If you're looking for a special place to build or grow your career, you've found it. Whether you're an experienced professional, a recent graduate, or somewhere in between, MAT Holdings is where you can apply your skills, learn new ones, and make a real impact. With more than 14,000 employees across 12 countries and over 40 locations worldwide, MAT offers exciting opportunities in engineering, marketing, sales, supply chain, operations, HR, finance, and more.

Headquartered in Long Grove, IL, our global footprint includes 2.1 million square feet of U.S. distribution and manufacturing space and 40+ factories across three continents. At MAT, we don’t just make things happen—we ensure it happens with excellence. From engineering and logistics to marketing and customer service, we maintain consistent expertise across the entire supply chain. Join us and be part of a team where your creativity and contributions help shape the future of global manufacturing.

• Medical, dental, vision, and disability insurance after 60 days of employment
• Paid Time Off (PTO), including paid vacation, sick days, and paid holidays
• 401k Retirement Plan + Company Match
• Career Advancement Program, training and development
• Wellness Programs, including fitness reimbursements and mental health support
• Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Voluntary Life / AD&D, Employer Provided Life/AD&D
• and More

The Plant Manager is responsible for keeping production on schedule and ensuring raw materials are efficiently converted into chain link fencing, horse & field fence, and barbed wire. The role requires a hands‑on leader who works closely with production crews, solves problems quickly, and keeps operations running smoothly. The Plant Manager collaborates with the site Operations Manager to ensure raw material storage, finished goods, and space constraints are transparent and within thresholds.

Continuous communication with teams about quality metrics and integrating feedback into operational practices is essential for ongoing improvement.

• Supervise daily production to meet order schedules, quality standards, and safety requirements
• Supervise on‑site or remote hourly personnel to ensure appropriate staffing of the facility
• Work to drive a safety and quality‑focused production business while driving operational excellence by maintaining high OEE
• Manage the onsite functional teams of repairs and maintenance, tool and die, production, warehouse, quality, and other supporting personnel in Gastonia, NC
• Work side by side with operators to troubleshoot issues
• Manage, report, document, and plan production performance, continuous improvement activities, action plans, strategic plans, and employee utilization
• Propose, justify, and implement capital expenditures for sustaining, growing, or improving the current operation at Gastonia, NC
• Coordinate cross‑training and knowledge sharing with the sister plant in Vietnam
• Build solutions for operational‑related challenges at the site
• Assist the VP/GM with special projects (e.g., M&A operation reviews, establishing new production lines)
• Supervise traffic personnel to ensure product ships on time in full (OTIF)
• Work with purchasing to ensure market‑competitive cost structure on purchases, services, and materials
• Supervise quality personnel to ensure incoming raw material and foster good production to MAT standards
• Meet customer on time to fill (OTIF) requirements
• Ensure the factory operates at the budgeted cost level and appropriate adjustments are made to the cost structure as time changes

• Set daily production priorities and communicate clearly with crews
• Train and coach operators to meet safety, quality, and performance expectations
• Promote accountability, teamwork, and a safe work environment
• Develop and empower employees to grow and assume more significant roles and responsibilities, and for succession planning via the Next Level program
• Communicate the plant performance and results to the team, utilizing and updating visual communications on the plant floor
• Assist in the recruitment and retention of personnel…