Mechanical Engineer-Production at a Rreputable Company - Mechanical Engineer-Production

Job Description


The Mechanical Engineer will be responsible for driving the technical, engineering and operational transformation of the factory into a world-class production facility.
The role will lead the assessment, redesign, mechanisation, automation, installation, commissioning and optimisation of production systems and equipment to improve capacity, quality, efficiency, turnaround time, safety, cost-effectiveness and profitability.
The successful candidate will be expected to go beyond routine maintenance and production support and take ownership of the upgrading Project, from identifying current gaps through to implementation and achievement of defined production standards.


Key Responsibilities

Factory Upgrade & Engineering Transformation


Take overall technical leadership of the upgrading project and develop a clear roadmap for transforming the factory into a leading regional production facility.
Conduct a comprehensive assessment of the existing factory infrastructure, machinery, production processes, workflows, utilities and equipment.
Identify production bottlenecks, obsolete equipment, manual processes, capacity limitations, safety risks and opportunities for mechanisation and automation.
Develop and implement a phased factory modernisation and mechanisation plan.
Recommend appropriate machinery, equipment and technologies for out of home, fabrication, finishing, cutting, routing, welding, bending, assembly and related production processes.
Lead the technical evaluation, specification, procurement, installation and commissioning of new machinery and production equipment.
Review factory layout and recommend an efficient production flow that minimises unnecessary movement, material wastage and production downtime.
Introduce engineering solutions that increase production capacity while reducing production costs.


Production Engineering


Develop efficient production processes and workflows for production operations.
Establish production standards, machine utilisation targets, production capacities and acceptable turnaround times.
Analyse production data to identify inefficiencies and implement corrective measures.
Introduce lean manufacturing principles, process optimisation and continuous improvement initiatives.
Reduce material wastage, rework, rejects, downtime and avoidable production costs.
Work closely with Production, Operations, Procurement, Finance and Sales teams to ensure production capability aligns with commercial requirements.
Develop systems for accurate measurement of machine productivity, labour productivity and overall equipment effectiveness.


Machinery, Maintenance & Reliability


Establish a preventive and predictive maintenance programme for all factory machinery and equipment.
Develop equipment maintenance schedules, maintenance standards and machine history records.
Identify recurring equipment failures and implement root-cause solutions.
Ensure critical production equipment has appropriate maintenance plans, spare parts and technical support.
Monitor machine downtime and develop strategies for reducing production interruptions.
Assess whether repair, replacement, refurbishment or upgrading provides the best commercial outcome.


Automation & Technology


Identify opportunities to automate repetitive, labour-intensive and error-prone production processes.
Research and recommend modern technologies applicable to signage manufacturing and digital printing.
Explore the use of CNC routers, laser cutting, 3D printing, automated cutting and finishing equipment, digital printing technologies and other relevant production technologies.
Lead implementation of appropriate Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) and production management technologies.
Continuously benchmark the factory against leading regional and international production facilities.


Quality & Production Standards


Develop and implement engineering and production quality standards.
Establish quality-control checkpoints throughout the production process.
Reduce defects, rework, customer complaints and production inconsistencies.
Work with relevant teams to ensure products meet agreed technical specifications and customer requirements.
Introduce standard operating procedures for machinery and key production processes.


Factory Infrastructure & Utilities


Assess the adequacy of electrical, mechanical, compressed air, ventilation, lighting, drainage and other factory infrastructure required to support future production capacity.
Recommend upgrades to factory infrastructure in line with projected production requirements.
Ensure machinery installations are technically sound and appropriately integrated into the factory environment.
Work with contractors and service providers on engineering projects and ensure work is delivered according to specifications.


Project Management


Develop project plans, budgets, timelines and implementation milestones for factory improvement projects.
Manage technical contractors, machinery suppliers, consultants and installation teams.
Monitor project expenditure against approved budgets.
Ensure projects are completed within agreed timelines, specifications and budgets.
Prepare regular progress reports highlighting achievements, delays, risks, costs and required management decisions.
Ensure proper commissioning, testing, handover and documentation of completed projects.


Safety, Compliance & Risk Management


Ensure all machinery and production processes comply with applicable occupational health and safety requirements.
Identify and mitigate mechanical, operational and production-related risks.
Ensure appropriate machine guarding, emergency systems and safety controls are in place.
Participate in factory safety inspections, risk assessments and incident investigations.
Promote a strong culture of engineering discipline, safety and accountability.


Team Development


Train and develop production and technical teams on proper machine operation, maintenance and production practices.
Build technical capability within the factory to reduce dependence on external technicians.
Develop competency standards for technical and production personnel.
Promote a culture of continuous improvement, innovation and problem-solving.
Mentor supervisors and technical personnel on equipment reliability and production efficiency.


Key Performance Indicators

Performance will be measured against, among others:


Factory upgrade: Achievement of approved factory transformation roadmap and milestones.
Production Capacity: Increase in production capacity across various functions.
Machine Utilisation: Improved utilisation and availability of critical machinery.
Downtime: Reduction in unplanned machine downtime.
Productivity: Improvement in output per machine and per employee.
Turnaround Time: Reduction in production lead times.
Quality: Reduction in defects, rework, rejects and customer complaints.
Material Efficiency: Reduction in material wastage and production losses.
Cost Efficiency: Reduction in production and maintenance costs.
Automation: Successful implementation of identified automation and mechanisation initiatives.
Project Delivery: Projects delivered within approved scope, timelines and budgets.
Maintenance: Improved preventive maintenance compliance and equipment reliability.
Safety: Reduction of machinery-related incidents and compliance with safety requirements.
Regional Benchmarking: Demonstrable progress towards achieving a factory capable of competing with leading production facilities in East and Central Africa.


Strategic Deliverables

Within the first 3 - 6 months, the Engineer is expected to:


Complete a comprehensive factory engineering and production audit.
Develop a Factory Upgrade Master Plan.
Map the existing production process and identify bottlenecks.
Develop a proposed future-state factory layout.
Identify priority machinery and equipment for acquisition, replacement or upgrading.
Develop a phased mechanisation and automation plan.
Establish preventive maintenance systems and machine-performance reporting.
Identify immediate cost-saving and productivity-improvement opportunities.


Within 6 - 12 months, the Engineer should demonstrate measurable improvement in:


Production capacity;
Machine utilisation;
Production turnaround time;
Equipment reliability;
Material utilisation;
Product quality;
Factory productivity; and
Overall production cost.


The long-term objective is to establish the factory as a high-capacity, technologically advanced and commercially efficient production centre capable of serving the East and Central African market.

Qualifications & Experience


Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering or a related field.
Professional registration with the relevant engineering regulatory body will be an advantage.
At least 7 years' relevant experience in manufacturing, industrial production, factory engineering or a similar environment.
Demonstrable experience in factory setup, refurbishment, mechanisation, automation or production optimisation.
Experience working with manufacturing machinery, fabrication equipment, CNC equipment, digital printing or related production technologies is highly desirable.
Strong project management and contractor-management experience.
Proficiency in CAD/CAM and relevant engineering/design software.
Experience in lean manufacturing, process improvement or continuous improvement methodologies will be an advantage.


Core Competencies


Engineering and technical problem-solving
Factory transformation and project management
Manufacturing and production optimisation
Mechanical design and equipment selection
Automation and mechanisation
CAD/CAM proficiency
Cost and resource optimisation
Data-driven decision-making
Innovation and continuous improvement
Leadership and team development
Strong commercial awareness
Health, safety and risk management


Key Success Profile


The ideal candidate should be a hands-on engineer, project leader and manufacturing innovator, rather than an engineer focused solely on maintenance.
They should be able to look at the existing factory, identify what is limiting its growth, develop the technical solution, justify the investment commercially, implement the solution and measure the resulting improvement.
The Engineer will therefore be expected to demonstrate initiative, ownership and the ability to challenge existing production methods, while continuously identifying opportunities to make the factory more automated, productive, efficient and competitive.