Production Engineer

JOB PURPOSE

The Production Engineer is responsible for planning, supervising, and ensuring quality of all manufacturing activities related to engineering goods, jigs, fixtures, tooling, and associated job-work. The role requires hands-on technical expertise in welding, drilling, and machining operations, with dual responsibility of overseeing both in-house shop floor operations and supplier/vendor end quality checks to ensure conformance to drawings, standards, and delivery schedules.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Production Planning & Shop Floor Management

• Plan daily/weekly production schedules in coordination with the Production Manager and ensure targets are met on time.
• Allocate manpower, machines, and material resources effectively across welding, drilling, and machining workstations.
• Monitor work-in-progress (WIP) at each stage and maintain production flow without bottlenecks.
• Prepare and update production records, job cards, process sheets, and shift reports.
• Coordinate with the stores/purchase team for timely availability of raw materials, consumables, and bought-out items.
• Ensure proper machine utilization, minimize idle time, and report breakdowns to the maintenance team immediately.
• Handle job-work orders — issue raw material to job-workers, follow up on completion, and inspect returned components.

B. Jigs, Fixtures & Tooling

• Study and interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, assembly drawings, and component specifications for jig and fixture fabrication.
• Participate in the design review and manufacturing of new jigs and fixtures as per production requirements.
• Ensure jigs and fixtures are maintained, calibrated, and stored properly; initiate repair/replacement when needed.
• Track fixture registers, tool life records, and tooling inventory.
• Coordinate with the design/drawing team to resolve dimensional or fit-up issues during production.

C. Welding Operations

• Oversee welding operations including MIG, TIG, Arc/SMAW, and spot welding as applicable.
• Verify welder qualifications, correct electrode/wire selection, gas settings, and preheat/interpass temperature compliance.
• Inspect weld quality against weld procedure specifications (WPS) and acceptance criteria — check for porosity, undercut, cracks, distortion, and incomplete fusion.
• Ensure proper fit-up dimensions and joint preparation before welding commences.
• Maintain welding consumable records, ensure proper storage/baking of electrodes, and monitor gas cylinder inventory.
• Coordinate NDE/NDT inspections (visual, dye penetrant, ultrasonic) as required and document results.

D. Machining & Drilling Operations

• Supervise machining operations on lathe, milling, drilling, boring, surface grinding, CNC/VMC machines as applicable.
• Review machining process plans, cutting parameters (speed, feed, depth of cut), and tooling selections.
• Ensure correct setup of components — fixtures, vice, job clamping — before machining starts.
• Perform and oversee in-process dimensional checks using vernier callipers, micrometers, bore gauges, height gauges, and CMM (if available).
• Monitor drill bit, cutter, and insert conditions; ensure timely replacement to avoid tool breakage or dimensional deviation.
• Review first-piece inspection reports before approving batch production runs.

E. In-House Quality Inspection

• Conduct first-piece, in-process, and final inspection of manufactured components against engineering drawings and acceptance criteria.
• Maintain dimensional inspection records, non-conformance reports (NCRs), and rejection logs.
• Identify root cause of rejections and implement corrective actions (CAPA) at the process level.
• Ensure calibrated measuring instruments are used and maintain instrument calibration records.
• Approve or reject finished goods before dispatch; raise Material Review Board (MRB) for borderline cases.
• Coordinate with the quality department for customer-specific inspection requirements and witness testing.

F. Supplier & Vendor End Inspection

• Visit supplier/sub-contractor facilities to perform pre-dispatch inspection of outsourced components, sub-assemblies, and job-work.
• Verify supplier manufacturing processes, machine capability, and compliance with drawings and specs during vendor visits.
• Carry out dimensional checks, weld quality checks, surface finish verification, and hardness/coating checks at vendor premises.
• Issue Supplier Inspection Reports (SIR) and raise NCRs for deviations found at vendor end.
• Coordinate with procurement for timely resolution of supplier quality issues, deviations, and concessions.
• Evaluate and provide feedback for vendor rating/performance based on inspection outcomes.
• Maintain records of approved vendors, inspection history, and corrective actions issued to suppliers.

G. Documentation & Compliance

• Prepare and maintain process sheets, inspection reports, production reports, NCR logs, and CAPA records.
• Ensure all operations comply with applicable standards (IS, BS, ASME, AWS, ISO 9001 or as applicable).
• Support internal and external quality audits by maintaining updated shop floor documentation.
• Follow and enforce safety rules — PPE usage, machine guarding, housekeeping (5S), and HSSE compliance on the shop floor.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

CriteriaDetailsEducationB.E. / B.Tech – Mechanical / Production / Manufacturing Engineering. Diploma (DME) with strong relevant experience may be considered.Experience2–5 years in a manufacturing / fabrication / machining shop environment. Experience in jig & fixture manufacturing preferred.Technical KnowledgeEngineering drawings & GD&T, welding processes (MIG/TIG/Arc), machining operations (lathe/milling/drilling/CNC), inspection instruments, ISO 9001 quality systems.Software SkillsAutoCAD (drawing reading), MS Excel (reports/tracking), ERP system (Tally / SAP / Odoo – if applicable).CertificationsWelding Inspector (CSWIP / AWS CWI) or QC Inspector certification preferred but not mandatory.Soft SkillsAttention to detail, problem-solving, team supervision, vendor communication, ability to work under deadline pressure.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

KPITargetOn-Time Delivery (In-house production)≥ 95% of jobs completed on scheduleIn-House Rejection Rate≤ [X]% per monthSupplier NCR Resolution Time≤ [X] working days per NCRFirst-Piece Approval Rate≥ 90% accepted on first inspectionRework / Repair CostReduce by [X]% quarter-on-quarterCalibration Compliance100% instruments calibrated on time5S / Safety Score≥ [X]% on monthly audit