New Product Development Manager

Role & Responsibilities

We are looking for an experienced AGM / DGM New Product Development with strong hands-on expertise in automotive rubber extrusion hose and profile development.

The candidate will be responsible for end-to-end product development from customer requirements and product design through material selection, tooling, extrusion process development, trials, validation, APQP/PPAP and successful productionisation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead development of automotive rubber extrusion hoses and profiles including coolant, radiator, heater, fuel, air intake, turbo/intercooler, vacuum, brake/air and water hoses.
• Handle EPDM, NBR, CR, AEM, ACM, silicone and other specialty rubber materials, including multi-layer and reinforced hose constructions.
• Study customer drawings, specifications and application requirements and convert them into manufacturable products.
• Develop and optimise extrusion processes including cold/hot feed, crosshead, mandrel and multi-layer extrusion.
• Handle reinforcement processes such as braiding, spiral and textile reinforcement, along with curing, splicing, cutting, forming, bending and finishing.
• Work with tool-room and external suppliers for development of extrusion dies, mandrels, calibrators and other tooling.
• Troubleshoot extrusion and product issues including dimensional variation, die swell, porosity, air entrapment, surface defects, flow imbalance and curing-related defects.
• Work closely with R&D/Compounding teams for material and compound development and optimisation.
• Act as the technical interface with OEM/Tier-1 customers for new product development, technical reviews, trials and approvals.
• Lead product testing and validation including pressure/burst, leakage, vacuum, temperature ageing, ozone, coolant/oil resistance, compression set, adhesion and durability testing.
• Lead APQP and PPAP activities including FMEA, Control Plan, Process Flow, MSA, capability studies, SOPs/WI and PPAP documentation.
• Drive projects from concept through customer approval, SOP and mass production.
• Lead and mentor NPD engineers and technical personnel and ensure timely completion of development projects.
• Drive design-to-cost, tooling optimisation, material optimisation, development cycle-time reduction and productivity improvements.

Preferred Candidate Profile

• 15–25 years of relevant experience in rubber product development, preferably in automotive rubber components.
• Strong hands-on experience in automotive rubber extrusion hose development is essential.
• Strong knowledge of rubber materials, compounding, extrusion machinery, tooling and process parameters.
• Experience in reinforced, multi-layer and specialty automotive hoses.
• Strong knowledge of automotive rubber testing, validation and customer specifications.
• Hands-on experience with APQP, PPAP, FMEA, MSA, SPC and process capability.
• Experience working with OEM / Tier-1 customers and managing customer-facing NPD projects.
• Experience in leading and mentoring technical/NPD teams.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, project management and communication skills.

Educational Qualification

B.E./B.Tech/M.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, Polymer Engineering/Technology, Rubber Technology, Chemical Engineering or equivalent.

Industry Preference

Candidates from automotive rubber components, rubber hose manufacturing, polymer extrusion or related automotive component industries will be preferred.

Important: Candidates with strong general NPD experience but without hands-on automotive rubber extrusion hose development experience may not be suitable for this position.