Manufacturing Engineer

Company Overview
Power Systems & Controls Inc. is a leading American manufacturer specializing in power quality products and enclosure solutions. With a rich history dating back to 1965, we serve the United States Government and industrial clients worldwide, delivering innovative power products and custom enclosures to meet diverse needs.

Job Overview
We are seeking a dynamic Manufacturing Engineer to join our team and drive manufacturing excellence. In this role, you will be instrumental in optimizing production processes, enhancing quality, and implementing continuous improvement initiatives across our manufacturing facilities. Your expertise will help ensure efficient operations, innovative tooling solutions, and the integration of advanced automation technologies to support our growth and commitment to quality.

Core Responsibilites

Create and modify production Work Orders and Routers (operational steps) within our ERP (Global Shop) system, optimizing sequences for manufacturing efficiency, quality, and cost.

Lead Design for Manufacturability (DFM) activities with the Engineering design team, translating engineering blueprints into achievable, cost-effective CNC setups, fabrication processes, welding processes, and manufacturing workflows.

Apply knowledge of sheet metal products, material specifications, and industrial coating requirements to develop effective manufacturing processes and ensure products meet customer and engineering requirements.

Partner with CNC programmers, operators, welders, fabrication personnel, and maintenance teams to troubleshoot setup challenges, part variations, equipment issues, welding requirements, and tooling bottlenecks directly on the production floor.

Support manufacturing processes involving mechanical and automated machinery, including CNC equipment, automated production systems, material handling equipment, and associated mechanical systems.

Develop manufacturing processes for GTAW (TIG) and GMAW (MIG) welding, including joint preparation, fit-up requirements, welding sequence, access, tolerances, and post-weld considerations.

Define and document welding preparation requirements for parts produced from fiber laser and plasma cutting processes, including edge condition, removal of dross/slag, deburring, beveling, cleaning, joint fit-up, and preparation for subsequent welding operations.

Work with fabrication and welding personnel to establish efficient workflows from fiber laser or plasma cutting through forming, fit-up, welding, finishing, and final inspection.

Evaluate cut-part quality from fiber laser and plasma processes and identify opportunities to improve cut quality, dimensional accuracy, heat-affected areas, dross/slag, and downstream welding preparation.

Define cutting tool specifications, fixture requirements, material callouts, fabrication methods, welding requirements, and process parameters, documenting standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure consistent quality and repeatability.

Develop and optimize manufacturing processes for metal fabrication, including forming, cutting, bending, welding, assembly, and related secondary operations.

Evaluate industrial coating processes and requirements, including surface preparation, coating specifications, application methods, curing requirements, and quality considerations, when applicable to production processes.

Adjust legacy production routers and Work Orders when product designs, materials, equipment, processes, or customer requirements change.

Analyze job cycle times, scrap rates, material utilization, tooling wear, equipment performance, welding defects, and production downtime to continuously optimize manufacturing processes and lower per-part manufacturing costs.

Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Production, Maintenance, Purchasing, and Supply Chain to resolve manufacturing issues and improve overall production performance.

Identify opportunities to improve automation, equipment utilization, material flow, welding processes, and manufacturing processes through continuous improvement initiatives.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering.

Minimum of 5 years of experience creating routers/work orders and supporting precision CNC machining and/or manufacturing operations.

Hands-on experience with sheet metal products and manufacturing processes, including fabrication, machining, forming, bending, cutting, welding, or related operations.

Working knowledge of GTAW (TIG) and GMAW (MIG) welding processes, including weld preparation, joint fit-up, welding sequence, and fabrication requirements.

Experience preparing fiber laser- and plasma-cut components for welding, including deburring, dross/slag removal, edge preparation, beveling, cleaning, fit-up, and dimensional verification.

Working knowledge of mechanical and automated machinery, including the ability to understand equipment operation, mechanical systems, automation, and manufacturing equipment capabilities.

Experience working within an ERP system in a manufacturing environment, preferably Global Shop or a comparable manufacturing ERP.

Strong ability to read, interpret, and apply geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) symbols and requirements on complex engineering prints.

Solid working knowledge of raw materials, cutting inserts, feed and speed parameters, tooling, machine capabilities, and machine-shop work-holding techniques.

Understanding of industrial coating processes and specifications, including the relationship between material selection, surface preparation, coating application, curing, and finished-product requirements.

Ability to troubleshoot manufacturing problems and communicate effectively with engineers, machinists, fabricators, welders, operators, maintenance personnel, and other cross-functional teams.

Strong technical documentation, problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

Proficiency with 3D CAD modeling software such as SolidWorks or Autodesk Inventor to modify or design manufacturing fixtures, tooling, and equipment components.

Background in automated CNC programming (e.g., Mastercam, Esprit) or direct G-code/M-code troubleshooting experience.

Experience with fiber laser and plasma cutting equipment, including understanding of cut quality, material thickness capabilities, nesting, heat-affected zones, dross/slag, and downstream fabrication requirements.

Experience with automated machinery, robotics, PLC-controlled equipment, or automated material handling systems.

Experience with sheet metal processing equipment, including shears, press brakes, punches, fiber lasers, plasma cutters, forming equipment, or related metal-processing machinery.

Experience with GTAW (TIG) and GMAW (MIG) welding, including welding preparation, joint design, fit-up, fixtures, weld sequencing, and troubleshooting.

Experience developing processes from laser/plasma cutting through fabrication, welding, finishing, and final inspection.

Experience with metal fabrication processes, including welding, forming, bending, cutting, assembly, and secondary finishing operations.

Knowledge of industrial coating systems, surface preparation, powder coating, liquid coatings, or other industrial finishing processes.

Familiarity with Lean manufacturing concepts, specifically in reducing setup times (SMED methodology), improving material flow, reducing scrap, and increasing equipment utilization.

Experience performing process capability studies, cycle-time analysis, root-cause analysis, and continuous improvement projects.

Familiarity with manufacturing quality systems, inspection methods, and process control techniques.

Join us to be part of a forward-thinking team dedicated to innovation in power solutions! We value proactive problem solvers who thrive on continuous improvement and are eager to make a tangible impact on our manufacturing excellence.

Pay: $60,000.00 - $75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

Experience:

• CNC machining: 5 years (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Henrico, VA 23228 (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $60,000 - $75,000