Estimation Engineer

KC Jones Plating Company is seeking an Estimating Engineer to support new business development, customer quoting, and manufacturing engineering activities across our electroplating operations.

The Estimating Engineer will be responsible for reviewing customer drawings, specifications, volumes, and technical requirements to develop accurate and competitive manufacturing estimates. This position will work closely with Sales, Engineering, Operations, Quality, Purchasing, and Tooling to determine the most effective manufacturing and plating process for new and existing programs.

The ideal candidate combines strong mechanical and manufacturing knowledge with the ability to analyze part geometry, surface area, plating specifications, production rates, tooling requirements, material consumption, and overall manufacturing costs.

Estimating Engineer

Location:

Michigan

Company: KC Jones Plating Company

Department:
Engineering / Sales

Employment Type:

Full-Time

KC Jones Plating Company is seeking an Estimating Engineer to support new business development, customer quoting, and manufacturing engineering activities across our electroplating operations.

The Estimating Engineer will be responsible for reviewing customer drawings, specifications, volumes, and technical requirements to develop accurate and competitive manufacturing estimates. This position will work closely with Sales, Engineering, Operations, Quality, Purchasing, and Tooling to determine the most effective manufacturing and plating process for new and existing programs.

The ideal candidate combines strong mechanical and manufacturing knowledge with the ability to analyze part geometry, surface area, plating specifications, production rates, tooling requirements, material consumption, and overall manufacturing costs.

• Review customer RFQs, engineering drawings, CAD files, specifications, and annual volume requirements.
• Develop detailed cost estimates for electroplating and related manufacturing operations.
• Interpret customer and industry plating specifications, including coating type, thickness, coverage requirements, masking requirements, and testing requirements.
• Determine the appropriate plating process and manufacturing sequence for each opportunity.
• Calculate part
  surface area
  and determine coating material requirements based on plating thickness and specification.
• Estimate consumption and cost of metals including nickel, zinc, tin, silver, copper, and other plating materials.
• Determine whether parts should be processed using
  rack, barrel, reel-to-reel, or other automated plating methods
  .
• Evaluate rack density, parts per load, barrel load size, cycle time, line capacity, and expected production throughput.
• Estimate tooling, rack, masking, fixture, and other program-specific capital requirements.
• Develop labor estimates based on expected production methods, cycle times, handling requirements, inspection, packaging, and secondary operations.
• Incorporate chemical, metal, energy, wastewater treatment, packaging, freight, outside processing, and other manufacturing costs into estimates.
• Evaluate opportunities for automation and process improvements that reduce cost and improve production efficiency.
• Work with Operations and Engineering to validate production assumptions before quotations are finalized.
• Partner with Sales to develop competitive pricing while maintaining required margins.
• Identify technical or commercial risks during the quoting process and communicate them before program award.
• Participate in customer technical discussions regarding manufacturability, plating requirements, tooling, and process capabilities.
• Support new program launches by transferring quoting assumptions and process requirements to Engineering and Operations.
• Review awarded programs against actual production performance and use actual results to continuously improve estimating models.
• Maintain estimating databases, historical production information, material costs, labor rates, tooling costs, and manufacturing assumptions.
• Support value engineering and cost-reduction initiatives for existing programs.

Candidates should have experience or familiarity with several of the following:

• Manufacturing cost estimating
• Engineering drawings and GD&T
• CAD models and surface-area calculations
• Electroplating or metal finishing
• Rack and barrel plating
• Automated manufacturing equipment
• Tooling and fixture design
• Production cycle-time analysis
• Labor and machine-rate calculations
• Metal and raw-material costing
• Manufacturing capacity analysis
• Quality and inspection requirements
• Automotive and industrial manufacturing specifications

Knowledge of electroplating processes such as zinc, zinc-nickel, electroless nickel, nickel, tin, silver, copper, and related finishes is highly desirable.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field preferred.
• Relevant manufacturing estimating or…