Production Manager

Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan since 1955, Lumbermen’s operates in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Minnesota.  A leading distributor and manufacturer, we are driven by our mission to enrich lives by intentionally caring for all who experience us.  We are employee owned and relationship powered.

Located in Grand Rapids, MI at our Finishing Division, the person in this position would manage our team and oversee production. Day-to-day responsibilities include:

• Driving and modeling a culture of safety through supporting company programs and training employee owners on these programs
• Modeling Lumbermen’s core values
• Leading and holding a team of 20+ accountable to daily production and delivery goals
• Responsible for production scheduling and balancing customer needs with committed lead times
• Proactively planning for and assisting in maintaining staffing levels to meet customer demands
• Ensure accurate inventory levels of raw materials, coatings, and finished goods to support uninterrupted production
• Being well versed in Lean Manufacturing principles with a history of developing ways to reduce waste and improve efficiencies
  • Creating personal and team systems for execution including task accountability, standardized work, and visibility to performance
  • Leveraging talent in the operational area to deliver continuous improvement ideas
  • Tracking of operations ideas and managing projects to meet the dates expected
  • Developing cost reduction initiatives and setting team stretch goals
  • Leading and making improvements to 5S/housekeeping standards

• Ensuring proper documentation is executed including performance evaluations, accident reports, production documentation, scrap, downtime, and others
• Performing other duties as needed to drive divisional and company success

The ideal candidate for this role possesses strong interpersonal skills with the ability to lead effectively to achieve results, is analytical, a good problem solver, and is naturally detail-oriented.

This position offers a $300 annual clothing allowance to offset costs for work apparel, protective footwear, and PPE.   

• High School diploma/GED required
• 1-3 years’ leadership experience required (preferably in a manufacturing setting)
• Associate’s or bachelor’s degree preferred
• 1-3 years’ experience in a made-to-order manufacturing environment preferred

• Experience in a pre-finishing operation, including coating application, production scheduling, and quality standards
• Experience with industrial paint mixing, color matching, and batch preparation.

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
• Ability to effectively lead a team to success
• Fostering a productive and collaborative work environment that drives retention and minimizes turnover
• Commitment to driving safety and adherence to policies as a top priority
• Effectiveness in providing clarity to team in achieving production goals and company objectives
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Proficiency in Word, Excel, and Outlook

• Ability to lift up to 75 lb.
• Ability to stand for 8-10 hours/day
• Ability to operate a forklift (will train if needed)