What are the responsibilities and job description for the Die Manager – MDF Door Skin Manufacturing position at STEVES AND SONS INC?
Position Summary
The Die Manager is responsible for the full lifecycle ownership of MDF door skin dies, including design integrity, performance, maintenance, and continuous improvement. This role ensures dies consistently produce high-quality skins while supporting press efficiency, uptime, and cost control. This position bridges Engineering, Operations, and Maintenance to ensure dies are designed correctly, maintained proactively, and aligned with production and product requirements.
Key Responsibilities
Die Design & Engineering Ownership
- Lead the design, development, and validation of MDF door skin dies (profiles, depths, and specifications)
- Ensure dies meet product requirements, press capabilities, and quality standards
- Partner with Engineering and Product Development on new designs and design changes
- Ability to read and understand die CAD drawings and documents.
- Maintain technical documentation, drawings, and specifications for all dies
- Works with die manufactures on repairs, replacements, multiples and new designs.
Die Performance & Optimization
- Monitor die performance across all presses (cycle time, defects, consistency)
- Identify opportunities to improve flow, release, and durability
- Standardize best-performing die designs and eliminate variation
- Drive improvements that reduce rejects, rework, and press inefficiencies
Maintenance & Lifecycle Management
- Establish and enforce preventive maintenance and cleaning schedules for all dies
- Define wear limits, inspection standards, and rebuild criteria
- Coordinate die repairs, refurbishments, and replacements
- Maintain full lifecycle tracking (usage hours, repairs, performance history)
Care, Handling & Storage Standards
- Implement standards for die handling, cleaning, storage, and transport
- Maintain current status log for each die,
- Ensure proper procedures are followed to prevent damage and extend die life
- Train operations and maintenance teams on correct die care practices
Cross-Functional Coordination
- Work closely with Operations to align die availability with production schedules
- Partner with Maintenance to ensure timely service and minimal downtime
- Collaborate with Purchasing and vendors on die fabrication and repair services
Cost & Asset Management
- Manage die-related capital and repair budgets
- Evaluate cost vs. performance for rebuild vs. replacement decisions
- Evaluate need for additional die SKU’s based on Volume/Market shifts
- Optimize die utilization across plants and presses