Vice President of Manufacturing

National Cart Company | Vice President of Manufacturing

Seeking a VP-Manufacturing who thrives in a high-mix, rapid-changeover, prototype-to-production environment and moves fluidly from factory-floor problem-solving to capital strategy and beyond.

National Cart Company (NCC) has been designing, manufacturing, and distributing high-quality material handling products and storage equipment, including utility carts, racks, store fixtures, and custom solutions designed for retail, fulfillment, warehouse, food service, industrial markets and national e-commerce for over 30 years. Family-owned and operated since 1979, NCC leverages advanced manufacturing capabilities alongside its customer‑centric approach and proven agility to meet customer demand in a high mix, discrete manufacturing environment.

• ENSURE MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE – Own end‑to‑end manufacturing operations across three locations, including fabrication, welding, wire forming, tube bending, powder coating, assembly, and distribution functions. Drive world‑class safety, quality, delivery and cost performance through refined KPIs and accountability systems. Improve throughput, labor productivity, OEE, inventory turns and on‑time delivery. Ensure scalability of repeatable manufacturing workflows that support growth through lean and continuous improvement initiatives.
• LEAD HIGH‑MIX PRODUCTION & MULTI‑SITE OPERATIONS – Lead a highly responsive manufacturing environment that serves diverse customer requirements and requires short lead times and frequent product changeovers. Optimize production systems for high‑mix, low‑to‑medium volume manufacturing while balancing customer responsiveness with operational efficiency. Develop agile planning and scheduling processes that support rapid shifts in demand. Ensure flawless executive for strategic customers with demanding service expectations.
• DRIVE STRATEGIC GROWTH + CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT – Build a manufacturing organization to support growth, automation and continued market expansion. Develop and execute manufacturing strategy aligned with company growth objectives. Partner closely with ownership on capital planning and equipment investments to achieve facility optimization initiatives. Ensure manufacturability of new product introductions while identifying opportunities to expand capacity, improve flexibility, and enhance NCC’s competitive advantage.
• LEAD + MENTOR A HIGH PERFORMING TEAM – Lead, mentor, and develop 4‑5 a team of senior operation professionals with oversight for 250+ team members three locations and three shifts. Foster a culture that promotes a culture of safety, ownership, collaboration, continuous improvement and operational discipline. Collaborate closely with plant leadership and HR leadership to create a best‑in‑class workforce planning model that delivers effective training, management, retention and meaningful career progression.
• PROVIDE COLLABORATIVE + ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP – Serve as key member of executive leadership team, contributing to company strategy, long‑term business planning and risk mitigation. Ensure that manufacturing serves as a strategic business partner across the company, partnering closely with supply chain to improve supplier performance, material flow, and inventory management and collaborating closely with engineering to improve product design, manufacturability, and production readiness.

• You excel in a fast‑paced environment and bring a passion for growing privately held, family‑owned business. You enjoy being part of a senior team and understand the challenges of scaling entrepreneurial businesses. You consider yourself to be a student of lean manufacturing and a people‑first leader.
• You have gained 10‑12+ years of progressive manufacturing and operations leadership or senior‑level production experience, including a minimum of 5 years in a high‑mix, low/medium volume or fast‑changeover environment. You bring a demonstrated record of success in growing people, products and processes. Exposure to lean philosophies and continuous improvement methodologies…