OB DESCRIPTION – IN-PROCESS QUALITY & PRODUCTION ENGINEER
Department: Production & Quality
Function: Automotive Sheet Metal Parts
Reporting To: Plant Head / Quality Head
Employment Type: Full-Time
1. Job Purpose
The In-Process Quality & Production Engineer will be responsible for day-to-day production as well as in-process quality control of automotive sheet metal components manufactured through power presses, hand presses and related operations.
The main objective of this position is to achieve the daily production plan with the required quality, minimum rejection, controlled downtime, proper manpower utilization and safe working practices.
The engineer will have ownership of the production line from raw material/strip issuance to finished component transfer to the next process.
2. PRODUCTION RESPONSIBILITIESA. Daily Production Planning & Execution
- Review daily production plan and customer priorities.
- Plan machines, dies/tools, material and manpower accordingly.
- Ensure production starts on time.
- Allocate jobs to power presses / hand presses according to capacity.
- Monitor hourly production against target.
- Ensure maximum utilization of machines and manpower.
- Identify reasons for production shortfall and take immediate action.
- Coordinate with PPC/Stores for raw material availability.
- Coordinate with Tool Room/Maintenance for breakdowns and tool problems.
- Ensure planned quantity is completed as per schedule.
- Report pending production with clear reason and recovery plan.
3. MACHINE & PRESS SHOP CONTROL
Responsible for proper production control of:
- Power Press operations
- Hand Press operations
- Blanking
- Piercing/Punching
- Bending
- Forming
- Notching
- Cutting
- Coining/Embossing
- Progressive/compound operations, wherever applicable
- Spot welding or secondary operations, wherever applicable
Ensure the correct:
- Machine is selected.
- Tool/die is installed.
- Material grade and thickness are used.
- Strip/blank size is used.
- Process sequence is followed.
- Machine settings are maintained.
4. FIRST-PIECE APPROVAL
No bulk production should start without an approved first piece.
Before production starts, verify:
- Part number
- Latest drawing/revision
- Raw material grade
- Material thickness
- Strip/blank dimensions
- Tool/die number
- Critical dimensions
- Hole diameter and location
- Bend dimensions and angles
- Form/profile
- Burr condition
- Surface condition
- Visual appearance
- Go/No-Go gauge, wherever applicable
First-piece approval must be properly recorded.
5. IN-PROCESS QUALITY CONTROL
Conduct regular patrol inspection during production.
Check parts at defined frequency for:
- Critical dimensions
- Hole size/location
- Bend angle
- Height/depth
- Profile/form
- Flatness
- Burr
- Cracks
- Deformation
- Dent/press marks
- Scratches
- Tool marks
- Wrong punching
- Missing operation
- Double operation
- Material mix-up
- Surface defects
Do not depend only on final inspection to identify defects.
Quality must be controlled during production.
6. MEASURING INSTRUMENTS & GAUGES
The engineer should be able to correctly use:
- Vernier Caliper
- Micrometer
- Height Gauge
- Depth Gauge
- Radius Gauge
- Feeler Gauge
- Go/No-Go Gauge
- Angle/Bevel Protractor
- Profile/Checking Fixtures
- Other applicable inspection gauges
Ensure only calibrated instruments and gauges are used.
7. TOOL & DIE CONDITION MONITORING
Monitor tool/die condition during production for:
- Excessive burr
- Punch wear
- Die wear
- Misalignment
- Improper clearance
- Spring failure
- Guide/pillar problems
- Component sticking
- Improper feeding
- Dimensional variation
- Repeated tool-related defects
Immediately inform Tool Room / Maintenance when abnormalities are found.
Do not continue production with a defective tool simply to achieve quantity.
8. REJECTION & REWORK CONTROL
Maintain daily rejection and rework records.
Identify rejection by:
- Part
- Machine
- Operation
- Operator
- Tool
- Defect type
Analyse recurring rejection using:
- Pareto Analysis
- 5 Why Analysis
- Fishbone Analysis
- Root Cause Analysis
Work with Production, Quality and Tool Room to eliminate recurring problems.
The objective should be:
“Do not repeatedly sort defects — remove the reason the defect is being produced.”
9. NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT CONTROL
Whenever a quality problem is found:
- STOP – Stop/hold the affected operation when necessary.
- SEGREGATE – Separate suspected material immediately.
- IDENTIFY – Clearly mark OK, Rework, Hold and Rejected material.
- INFORM – Inform Quality Head / Plant Head.
- TRACE – Identify quantity produced since the last OK inspection.
- CONTAIN – Inspect/contain suspected production.
- CORRECT – Correct machine/tool/process condition.
- VERIFY – Approve a fresh piece before restarting.
- RECORD – Document the problem and corrective action.
10. PRODUCTIVITY & CYCLE-TIME IMPROVEMENT
The engineer will continuously work to improve productivity by:
- Monitoring actual cycle time against standard cycle time.
- Reducing unnecessary machine stoppages.
- Reducing tool-change/setup time.
- Improving operator utilization.
- Improving machine loading.
- Identifying bottleneck operations.
- Reducing material movement.
- Improving workplace layout.
- Reducing rejection and rework.
- Suggesting simple jigs, fixtures and poka-yoke.
- Supporting Kaizen activities.
Improvement in productivity should never compromise product quality or operator safety.
11. MANPOWER MANAGEMENT
- Allocate operators according to production requirements.
- Give clear daily targets.
- Monitor operator performance.
- Ensure operators follow approved process.
- Train operators on critical quality points.
- Maintain discipline on the shop floor.
- Prevent idle manpower.
- Identify skill gaps and recommend training.
- Develop multi-skilled operators wherever practical.
- Ensure production pressure does not lead to bypassing quality checks.
12. RAW MATERIAL & SCRAP CONTROL
Ensure:
- Correct material grade is issued.
- Correct thickness is used.
- Material identification and traceability are maintained.
- FIFO is followed where applicable.
- Different material grades/thicknesses are not mixed.
- Scrap is properly segregated.
- Excessive scrap is investigated.
- Strip/blank utilization is monitored.
- Reusable material is properly identified.
The engineer should continuously look for opportunities to improve material yield without affecting product quality.
13. 5S, SAFETY & SHOP-FLOOR DISCIPLINE
Ensure:
- Machines and surrounding areas remain clean.
- Tools and gauges have defined locations.
- Material is properly identified.
- WIP is not lying unnecessarily on the floor.
- OK / Hold / Rework / Rejected material is physically segregated.
- Operators use required PPE.
- Machine guards and safety devices are used.
- Unsafe practices are immediately stopped.
- Oil leakage and unsafe conditions are reported.
- Good 5S is maintained throughout the press shop.
Production targets must never be achieved by bypassing machine or operator safety.
14. QUALITY SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
For automotive components, the engineer should understand and support:
- ISO 9001
- IATF 16949
- Control Plan
- PFMEA
- Process Flow
- Work Instructions
- Inspection Standards
- Traceability
- Corrective Action
- Poka-Yoke
- 5S
- Kaizen
Support internal, customer and certification audits as required.
15. DOCUMENTATION & REPORTING
Maintain/update:
- Daily Production Report
- Hourly Production Monitoring
- First-Piece Approval Report
- In-Process Inspection Report
- Rejection/Rework Report
- Machine Downtime Report
- Tool Breakdown Report
- Material/Scrap Report
- Corrective Action Report
- Process Audit Records
- Shift Handover/Pending Action Report
Records should reflect the actual shop-floor situation and should not be completed only for audit purposes.
16. DAILY MANAGEMENT REPORT
At the end of the day/shift, report:
AreaDaily ReportingProductionPlan vs ActualProductivityTarget vs AchievementRejectionQty & %ReworkQty & ReasonMachine DowntimeMinutes & ReasonTool BreakdownTool & IssueQuality IssueDefect & ActionMaterial IssueShortage / Wrong MaterialManpowerAvailable vs RequiredSafetyAny Incident / Unsafe ConditionPending ProductionQty & Recovery Plan
Any serious quality, safety, machine or delivery issue must be escalated immediately rather than waiting for the daily report.
17. KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)KPIExpected PerformanceProduction Plan Achievement≥ 95%First-Piece Approval100%In-Process Inspection Compliance100%Customer Line Rejection due to Process EscapeTarget ZeroInternal RejectionContinuous ReductionReworkContinuous ReductionRepeat DefectsContinuous ReductionMachine DowntimeContinuous ReductionProductivityContinuous ImprovementMaterial/Scrap ControlWithin Defined TargetCorrective Action ClosureOn TimeQuality Records100% Complete5SAs per Company StandardSafety Compliance100%18. QUALIFICATION & EXPERIENCE
Education: Diploma / B.Tech / BE in Mechanical / Production / Automobile Engineering or equivalent.
Preferred Experience: 2–5 years in automotive sheet metal / press shop / sheet metal component manufacturing.
Candidate should preferably have hands-on knowledge of:
- Power presses
- Sheet metal manufacturing
- Press tools & dies
- Engineering drawings
- Tolerances
- Vernier & Micrometer
- Gauges and fixtures
- First-piece inspection
- In-process inspection
- Production planning
- Manpower handling
- Rejection analysis
- Root-cause analysis
- 5S & Kaizen
19. REQUIRED BEHAVIOUR & SKILLS
The candidate should be:
- Strongly shop-floor oriented.
- Technically sound in sheet metal processes.
- Quality conscious.
- Production and target oriented.
- Able to manage operators firmly and professionally.
- Able to identify problems quickly.
- Capable of taking decisions on the shop floor.
- Disciplined about records and follow-ups.
- Good at coordination between Production, Quality, Stores and Tool Room.
- Able to work under production pressure without compromising quality.
- Focused on preventing problems rather than repeatedly firefighting them.
- Willing to take ownership instead of blaming operators, machines or other departments.
20. AUTHORITY
The In-Process Quality & Production Engineer is authorized to:
- Stop a machine/process for serious quality or safety concerns.
- Hold suspected material/WIP.
- Reject non-conforming components as per defined procedure.
- Demand segregation or 100% inspection where necessary.
- Request tool correction.
- Reallocate manpower/machines according to the approved production priority.
- Escalate repeated operator/process violations.
- Prevent defective material from moving to the next operation.
21. CORE OWNERSHIP OF THE POSITION
The engineer is responsible for balancing five important objectives every day:
QUALITY + PRODUCTION + DELIVERY + COST + SAFETY
The position should not work only as a Quality Inspector or only as a Production Supervisor.
The person must take ownership of the complete press-shop process:
Plan → Set Up → First Piece → Produce → Inspect → Control → Improve → Report
Main expectation:
“Produce the right quantity, at the right quality, at the right time, with minimum rejection, minimum downtime and safe working conditions.”
Pay: ₹15,000.00 - ₹18,000.00 per month
Work Location: In person
