Key Responsibilities:
1. Production Planning and Execution
- Prepare and execute monthly and daily production plans aligned with sales orders and export schedules.
- Ensure optimum utilization of kilns, machines, molds, and manpower.
- Coordinate with PPC, Stores, Maintenance, Quality, and Dispatch for smooth material flow.
- Achieve production targets for yield, throughput, and on-time delivery.
2. Process Control Across the Porcelain Line
- Oversee all stages: raw material and body preparation (ball milling, slip, spray drying), forming (casting, pressing, jiggering), drying, bisque firing, glazing, glost firing, decoration and decal firing, sorting, and packing.
- Monitor critical parameters such as slip density and viscosity, moisture, firing curves, kiln atmosphere, and glaze application.
- Drive reduction in breakage, warpage, pinholes, crawling, and other defects.
3. Quality and Yield Improvement
- Work with QA/QC to meet customer and export quality standards.
- Lead root cause analysis and corrective and preventive actions for rejections.
- Improve first-quality (A-grade) yield and reduce rework.
4. Cost Control and Efficiency
- Control manufacturing cost per piece: fuel and gas consumption, power, raw materials, packing, and manpower.
- Track and improve OEE, kiln efficiency, and energy consumption.
- Prepare and manage the production budget and report on variances.
5. Maintenance and Equipment Management
- Ensure preventive and predictive maintenance of kilns, presses, mills, casting machines, and utilities.
- Plan capacity additions, new machinery, debottlenecking, and modernization projects.
6. People Management
- Lead, mentor, and develop production managers and supervisors.
- Plan manpower, shift rosters, skill development, and succession.
- Maintain discipline and handle industrial relations and contractor management.
7. Safety, Health, Environment, and Compliance
- Ensure compliance with the Factories Act, GPCB (pollution control) norms, labor laws, and statutory audits.
- Promote safe working practices, with particular attention to silica dust control, kiln and gas safety, and PPE usage.
- Maintain a zero-accident culture and drive 5S and housekeeping.
8. Continuous Improvement and New Product Development
- Implement Lean, Kaizen, TPM, and Six Sigma initiatives.
- Support R&D and design teams in trials and commercialization of new shapes, bodies, glazes, and decorations.
9. Reporting and Governance
- Submit daily, weekly, and monthly MIS on production, yield, downtime, cost and manpower.
- Participate in management reviews and ISO/system audits.
Qualifications and Experience:
- Education: B.E./B.Tech in Ceramics / Diploma or degree in Ceramic Technology.
- Experience: 15 to 20 years in ceramic, porcelain, bone china or tableware manufacturing, with at least 5 years in a senior production leadership role (manager/sr. manager/AGM).
- Experience in a high-volume, export-oriented plant is preferred.
Skills and Competencies:
- Deep technical knowledge of porcelain body, glaze, and firing technology
- Strong leadership and people management
- Production planning, cost control, and MIS skills
- Lean, TPM and Six Sigma exposure
- Problem solving and decision making
- Knowledge of safety and statutory compliance
- Good communication in English, Hindi, and Gujarati (preferred)
- Working knowledge of ERP/SAP and MS Excel
Job Requirements: Production Planning, Production Execution, Machine Utilization, Manpower Utilization, Material Flow Management, Process Control, Slip Density Monitoring, Defect Reduction, Breakage Reduction, Root Cause Analysis, Cost Control, Manufacturing Cost Control, Gas Consumption Control, Power Consumption Control, Production Budget Management, Preventive Maintenance, Capacity Planning, Skill Development, Succession Planning, Discipline Maintenance, Industrial Relations, Contractor Management, Safety Compliance, Monthly Reporting, Downtime Reporting, ISO Audits, English Communication, ERP, MS Excel