What are the responsibilities and job description for the Estimator position at A.L.P. Lighting Components?
Company Description: A.L.P. Lighting Components is an international leader in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of lighting components and components for other technical industries. The company offers one of the most comprehensive product lines for OEMs and the aftermarket, serving a wide range of applications and customers. Through its “360° Solutions” suite of custom services, A.L.P. collaborates with customers across the entire product life cycle, from concept through production. The organization is committed to delivering superior service and product performance to every customer. Corporate headquarters are located in Niles, IL, with manufacturing and distribution facilities in Charlevoix, MI, Dickson, TN, and Monterrey, Mexico.
Role Description: The Estimator is a full-time, on-site role based in Dickson, TN. The Estimator partners with Sales, Engineering, Tooling, and Operations to develop accurate, timely, and competitive cost estimates and customer quotations for custom injection-molded, silicone, and compression-molded components. The role owns the cost build-up across material, labor, machine time, tooling, secondary operations, and packaging, and produces the quotation package that Sales delivers to the customer.
Qualifications
- Associate's degree in engineering technology, plastics technology, manufacturing, or a related field — or equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience.
- 1–3 years of experience in a manufacturing environment, preferably plastics, custom molding, or another build-to-print discipline.
- Basic CAD capabilities — able to open, navigate, measure, and interpret 2D drawings and 3D models (e.g., SolidWorks, Creo, Inventor, or equivalent viewer); able to extract features, dimensions, and tolerances needed to drive an estimate.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel in particular), and comfort learning ERP / quoting / CRM systems.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to translate technical detail into a clear, customer-ready quotation.
- Self-motivated, well-organized, and capable of managing multiple RFQs against competing deadlines.
- Demonstrated problem-solving ability and a collaborative, team-oriented working style.