Head of Operations For Manufacturing Auto Components

Head of Operations Manufacturing/ VP Operation / COO (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

Please apply or share resume at [email removed]