Head of Operations Manufacturing (Auto Components/Heavy Fabrication)

Location: Gurgaon

Industry: Automotive Components Manufacturing

Experience: 18+ Years

Qualification: B.E./B.Tech (Mechanical/Production/Industrial Engineering); MBA (Operations) preferred

Employment Type: Full-Time

About the Company:

A leading and well-established automotive component manufacturing organization is looking for an experienced Head of Operations to lead and drive manufacturing excellence across multiple production facilities. The role requires a strong leader with extensive experience in press shop, sheet metal fabrication, welding, assembly, and operational excellence, preferably within the automotive or auto-component industry.

Key Responsibilities:

1. End-to-End Manufacturing Leadership:

- Lead 3 to 5 plant operations covering:

- Sheet Metal Fabrication (laser cutting, bending, forming)

- Press Shop (mechanical & hydraulic presses, stamping, deep drawing)

- Welding (MIG, TIG, spot, projection, robotic welding)

- Trim, finishing & cutting operations

- Drive production planning and execution (daily/weekly/monthly)

- Ensure adherence to customer delivery schedules and SLAs

2. Press Shop & Tooling Excellence:

- Oversee die maintenance, tool life optimization, and SMED implementation

- Maximize press utilization and minimize downtime

- Collaborate with tool room for die development and continuous improvement

3. Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement:

- Implement and scale:

- Lean Manufacturing

- Kaizen

- TPM (Total Productive Maintenance)

- Six Sigma initiatives

- Improve OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) across plants

- Reduce cycle time, scrap, and rework

- Drive automation and digital transformation initiatives

4. Quality Management:

- Ensure compliance with ISO / IATF standards

- Lead Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and corrective actions

- Strengthen in-process and final inspection systems

- Improve First Pass Yield (FPY) and reduce customer complaints

5. Production Planning & Supply Chain Coordination:

- Partner with PPC (Production Planning & Control) for capacity planning

- Ensure availability of raw materials (CRCA sheets, coils, consumables)

- Optimize inventory and reduce working capital

6. Cost Optimization & Profitability:

- Monitor and reduce:

- Conversion costs

- Energy consumption

- Tooling and maintenance costs

- Improve plant-level profitability and operational efficiency

7. Leadership & Workforce Management:

- Lead cross-functional teams including:

- Plant heads / production managers

- Engineers and supervisors

- Shop floor workforce

- Build a high-performance, accountability-driven culture

- Drive skill development (press operations, welding certifications)

8. Maintenance & Reliability:

- Implement preventive & predictive maintenance systems

- Reduce breakdowns and improve machine uptime

- Ensure availability of critical spares

9. Safety, Health & Environment (EHS):

- Ensure full compliance with safety standards and regulations

- Drive a zero-accident culture

- Monitor high-risk operations (press shop & welding zones)

10. Customer & NPD (New Product Development) Support:

- Support APQP & PPAP processes

- Collaborate with customers on new product trials and ramp-ups

- Manage escalation related to delivery and quality issues

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

- On-Time Delivery (OTD)

- OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)

- First Pass Yield (FPY)

- Scrap & Rework %

- Press uptime & tool life

- Cost per unit / conversion cost

- Safety Incident Frequency Rate

Qualifications & Experience:

- Bachelors Degree in Mechanical / Production / Industrial Engineering

- 18+ years of experience in manufacturing, with strong exposure to:

- Press shop operations

- Sheet metal fabrication

- Welding & assembly

Skills & Competencies:

- Deep expertise in stamping, dies, and press tools

- Strong understanding of fabrication and welding technologies

- Proven leadership in multi-plant manufacturing environments

- Data-driven decision-making and problem-solving ability

- Experience with ERP systems (SAP / Oracle or similar)

- Strong stakeholder and OEM management capability

Preferred Industry Background:

- Automotive / Auto Components (Highly Preferred)

- Heavy Engineering / Industrial Manufacturing