Department: NPD - Engineering - Supply Chain

Location: Vasai

Reporting To: Head - NPD - Operations - Supply Chain

Role Purpose:

The Manager - Senior Manager - Packaging Development & NPD will be responsible for developing, standardizing, qualifying and industrializing packaging solutions for company electronics and EMS products. The role will work closely with NPD, R&D, Engineering, Quality, Procurement, SCM, Production and customers to ensure that packaging is technically robust, commercially competitive, production-ready and suitable for domestic as well as export requirements. The position will also own packaging vendor development, packaging cost optimization, material standardization, artwork control, packaging quality and continuous improvement.

1. Packaging Development & NPD:

- Lead packaging development for new electronic products from concept through mass production.

- Develop primary, secondary and tertiary packaging solutions based on product requirements.

- Select appropriate packaging materials considering product protection, drop/shock protection, ESD requirements where applicable, moisture protection, transportation conditions, storage requirements, cost, sustainability and manufacturability.

- Develop packaging specifications, drawings, BOMs and material standards.

- Coordinate packaging trials, prototype development and pilot production.

- Conduct packaging validation and qualification before mass production.

- Ensure packaging is compatible with production, assembly and logistics processes.

- Work with NPD teams to freeze packaging specifications within project timelines.

2. Electronics - EMS Packaging:

- Develop packaging solutions for speakers and audio products, consumer electronics, automotive electronics, PCBA - electronic assemblies, smart meters and IoT devices, EV charging products, cameras and connected devices, accessories and electronic components.

- Evaluate packaging requirements based on product size, weight, fragility, surface finish, electronics sensitivity and transportation risk.

3. Packaging Cost Optimization:

- Establish target packaging costs for new products.

- Identify opportunities for cost reduction without compromising product protection.

- Conduct VA/VE initiatives for packaging.

- Standardize packaging materials across product families.

- Optimize carton dimensions, material thickness and packing density.

- Reduce packaging wastage and transportation costs.

- Develop alternate materials and alternate vendors.

- Track packaging cost savings and productivity improvements.

4. Vendor Development & Management:

- Identify and develop packaging suppliers across India.

- Evaluate suppliers on quality, capacity, cost, delivery, technical capability and responsiveness.

- Conduct supplier development activities and audits.

- Develop alternate sources for critical packaging materials.

- Negotiate technical specifications and commercial requirements with suppliers in coordination with Procurement.

- Establish vendor performance metrics and improvement plans.

5. Packaging Quality:

- Define packaging quality standards and acceptance criteria.

- Work with Quality teams to establish incoming and process inspection standards.

- Resolve packaging-related quality issues with suppliers.

- Conduct root-cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions.

- Support supplier quality improvement.

- Establish packaging validation protocols.

- Ensure packaging consistently meets approved specifications.

6. Artwork & Documentation Control:

- Manage packaging artwork development and approval.

- Coordinate with Design, Marketing, Customer and NPD teams for packaging artwork.

- Ensure correct product information, regulatory markings, barcodes, labels, customer branding, safety markings and country-of-origin information.

- Maintain controlled versions of packaging artwork and specifications.

7. Packaging Testing & Validation:

- Define and coordinate appropriate packaging tests, including drop testing, vibration testing, compression testing, transit simulation, moisture/environmental testing, stackability testing and packaging integrity testing, where applicable.

- Work with internal or external laboratories where required.

8. Supply Chain & Inventory:

- Work with SCM and Procurement to ensure availability of packaging materials.

- Establish appropriate packaging material inventory norms.

- Support packaging material forecasting for NPD and mass production.

- Identify slow-moving and obsolete packaging materials.

- Reduce packaging inventory through standardization and better planning.

- Support third-party manufacturing units with packaging specifications and supply requirements.

9. Continuous Improvement:

- Drive packaging material reduction, cost reduction, material standardization, packaging cube optimization, reduction in transit damage, reduction in packaging wastage, supplier localization, sustainable packaging and process simplification.

- Use Kaizen, VA/VE, RCA and Lean principles wherever applicable.

Key Deliverables / KPIs:

- NPD: packaging development completed within NPD timelines; first-time-right packaging approval; packaging readiness before SOP.

- Cost: packaging cost reduction; annualized packaging savings; material standardization savings; logistics/cube optimization.

- Quality: packaging-related customer complaints; transit damage; supplier quality PPM; packaging rejection rate.

- Supply Chain: packaging material availability; inventory levels; obsolete packaging reduction; alternate vendor development.

- Vendor Management: qualified alternate suppliers; vendor performance; supplier development actions closed.

- Productivity: packaging development lead time; packing efficiency; material consumption reduction.

- Sustainability: reduction in plastic usage; recyclable/recycled material adoption; reduction in packaging material consumption.

Candidate Profile:

- Education: Diploma - Degree in Packaging Technology, Printing Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Production Engineering, Materials or a related discipline. A formal qualification in Packaging Technology is an advantage.

- Experience: 8-15+ years of relevant experience in Packaging Development, Packaging NPD, Electronics - Consumer Electronics - Automotive - FMCG - Pharma packaging, Vendor Development, Procurement and Packaging Quality.

- Experience with electronics or EMS manufacturing will be strongly preferred.

Technical Competencies:

- Corrugated boxes - CFB; cartons; paperboard; PET - HDPE - plastic packaging; flexible packaging; labels; adhesives; foams - protective materials; trays and inserts; EPE - EPP - EPS where applicable; pallets and transportation packaging; packaging specifications and drawings; packaging testing; artwork management; vendor qualification; costing and value engineering; packaging BOMs; inventory management.

- Experience with SAP - ERP systems is desirable.

Behavioural Competencies:

- Strong ownership and accountability; problem-solving mindset; commercial orientation; vendor negotiation skills; cross-functional collaboration; strong attention to detail; ability to work under NPD timelines; data-driven decision making; continuous improvement mindset; strong communication and stakeholder management; ability to independently manage multiple projects.

Key Interfaces:

- Internal: MD - CEO, NPD, R&D, Engineering, Product Management, Procurement, SCM, Quality, Production, Finance, Sales - Customer teams, Warehouse & Logistics.

- External: Packaging vendors, tooling suppliers, testing laboratories, third-party manufacturers and customers.

Authority & Ownership:

- The role will be responsible for recommending and driving decisions related to packaging specifications, packaging material selection, packaging standardization, packaging vendor qualification, packaging trials and validation, packaging cost optimization and packaging quality improvement.

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