Production Executive - Roto Moulding at KENYA / Rwanda

Role & responsibilities

Role :

The Production Engineer will be responsible for planning, supervising, and optimizing the production of rotationally moulded water tanks and other roto-moulded products, as well as injection-moulded plastic household and industrial products. The role requires hands-on expertise in plastic processing, machine settings, moulds, production planning, quality control, troubleshooting, and manpower management.

Rotational moulding involves controlling material, moulds, heating, rotation and cooling cycles to consistently produce hollow products such as water tanks, while injection-moulding responsibilities typically include machine setup, mould changeovers, parameter optimization, defect reduction and cycle-time improvement.

Key Responsibilities

1. Production Planning & Execution

• Plan and execute daily, weekly, and monthly production schedules as per sales forecasts and production requirements.
• Ensure achievement of production targets in terms of quantity, quality, efficiency, and delivery timelines.
• Optimize utilization of manpower, machines, moulds, raw materials, and utilities.
• Coordinate with PPC, stores, maintenance, quality, and dispatch departments for smooth production operations.
• Monitor production output and take corrective action to minimize downtime and losses.

2. Roto Moulding Operations

• Supervise the complete manufacturing process of plastic water tanks and other roto-moulded products.
• Ensure proper selection and control of LLDPE/HDPE materials, masterbatch, additives, and reprocessed material, as per approved specifications.
• Monitor and optimize:
• Material loading and dosing
• Mould preparation and closing
• Heating cycles and temperature
• Rotation speed and cycle parameters
• Cooling cycles
• Demoulding and finishing operations
• Ensure uniform wall thickness, proper product strength, surface finish, and dimensional accuracy.
• Identify and rectify process defects such as warpage, bubbles, pinholes, uneven wall thickness, under-cooking, over-cooking, and deformation.
• Coordinate with maintenance/toolroom teams for proper upkeep and repair of moulds and machines.

3. Injection Moulding Operations

• Set and optimize injection moulding parameters for different products and materials.
• Supervise mould installation, machine setup, start-up, changeovers, and production trials.
• Monitor parameters such as temperature, pressure, injection speed, holding pressure, cooling time, and cycle time.
• Troubleshoot common moulding defects including:
• Short shots
• Flash
• Sink marks
• Warpage
• Burn marks
• Flow marks
• Shrinkage and dimensional variations
• Improve cycle times and machine efficiency while maintaining product quality.
• Ensure proper use and control of virgin and regrind material. These responsibilities are consistent with current plastics production and injection-moulding roles, including machine setup, parameter optimization, mould maintenance, defect troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, and production efficiency improvement. (LinkedIn)

4. Quality Control & Process Improvement

• Ensure all products conform to approved technical and quality specifications.
• Coordinate with the Quality department for first-piece approval, in-process inspections, and corrective actions.
• Monitor rejection, scrap, rework, and wastage levels and implement measures to reduce them.
• Conduct root-cause analysis for recurring production and quality issues.
• Implement Kaizen, 5S, Lean Manufacturing, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures and process parameters for different products.

5. Machine, Mould & Maintenance Coordination

• Coordinate preventive maintenance of roto moulding and injection moulding machines.
• Monitor mould condition and coordinate repairs, polishing, modification, and preventive maintenance.
• Minimize machine and mould downtime through effective troubleshooting and maintenance planning.
• Work closely with the maintenance team on mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, and temperature-control issues.
• Maintain records of machine breakdowns, downtime, maintenance, and corrective actions.

6. Manpower Management

• Supervise machine operators, helpers, supervisors, and shop-floor staff.
• Allocate manpower based on production plans and machine requirements.
• Train production operators on machine operation, process parameters, quality standards, safety, and troubleshooting.
• Monitor employee productivity and ensure discipline and adherence to SOPs.

7. Safety & Compliance

• Ensure strict compliance with factory safety standards and safe operating procedures.
• Conduct regular safety briefings and identify potential production hazards.
• Ensure proper use of PPE and safe handling of hot moulds, machinery, raw materials, and finished products.
• Maintain good housekeeping and 5S standards throughout the production area.

8. Reporting & Documentation

• Prepare and submit daily production reports.
• Monitor and report:
• Production output
• Machine efficiency
• Downtime
• Rejections and wastage
• Material consumption
• Manpower utilization
• Maintain production records, machine parameter sheets, mould history, and maintenance coordination records.
• Provide regular production and improvement reports to the Plant/Production Manager.

Preferred candidate profile

Education:

• Diploma / Degree in Plastics Engineering, Polymer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Production Engineering.
• Candidates with CIPET qualifications such as DPT / PGD-PPT will be preferred.

Experience:

• 5-10 years of relevant experience in a plastic manufacturing environment.
• Strong hands-on experience in Rotational Moulding of Water Tanks / Large Plastic Products.
• Experience in Injection Moulding of Household, Consumer, or Industrial Plastic Products.
• Experience with LLDPE, HDPE, PP and other commonly used plastic raw materials.
• Prior experience in Africa or other international manufacturing environments will be an advantage.

Key Skills Required

• Rotational / Roto Moulding
• Plastic Water Tank Manufacturing
• Injection Moulding Process
• Machine Parameter Setting
• Mould & Tooling Knowledge
• Production Planning & Control
• Process Optimization
• Troubleshooting of Moulding Defects
• Preventive Maintenance Coordination
• Quality Control
• Lean Manufacturing / 5S / Kaizen
• Team Handling and Training
• Production Reporting and MS Excel

Salary :

• Net taxfree savings in the range of Rs 100,000 - Rs 110,000 per month + Food + Accommodation + Transport + Visa/Ticket