Stamping Team Leader - ITW

Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE: ITW) is a global Fortune 200 diversified manufacturing company that delivers specialized expertise, innovative thinking, and value-added products to meet critical customer needs in a variety of industries.   ITW, with approximately 14.1 billion dollars in global revenues, operates 7 major segments with businesses in 57 countries that employ approximately 45,000 women and men. These talented individuals, many of whom have specialized engineering or scientific expertise, contribute to our global leadership in innovation. We are proud of our broad portfolio of more than 16,000 active patents. 

StampTech Fasteners TM Division Description:

The ITW StampTech Fastener Division serves the major OEMs and Tier suppliers in the North American automotive market.  The division supplies stamped metal fasteners and engineered fastener assemblies that leverage our deep-draw stamping technologies.  The annual revenue for the division is approximately $160M.  Locations include Gallatin, TN, Lexington, KY & Naugatuck, CT.  

The Division drives profitability by leveraging its innovative solutions and application engineering.  In addition to ITW’s industry leading research and development capabilities, StampTech Fasteners TM enhances our customers’ competitive advantage by maintaining advanced engineering and manufacturing facilities in North America, exchanging product, process, and benchmarking information with sister units worldwide and continually improving processes, material, and designs to ensure every product provides value and meets customer expectations.

This position will be responsible for daily production and continuous improvement activities for our metal stamping operation located in Lexington, Kentucky. This role will lead a team of highly skilled stamping press operators and toolmakers, specializing in progressive and multi-slide stamping production. The Stamping Team Leader will ensure products are produced safely, efficiently, on time, and in compliance with our customers’ expectations.

Key Responsibilities

• Understands, follows, and enforces all established safety, health, and Company policies, procedures, and recognized practices. Actively engages in safety improvement projects.
• Lead a team of highly skilled press operators and toolmakers; lead shift meetings and communicate team priorities.   
• Troubleshoot and resolve machine related production issues.
• Diagnose and improve tool design and functionality with support from tooling design engineer.
• Train and support operators with all production-related tasks.
• Provide coverage as needed during employee absences.
• Conduct department training sessions as directed by manager.
• Track and manage steel, tooling inventory, and department consumables. Collaborate with department manager on purchasing responsibilities.  
• Address and resolve ERP related production issues.
• Collaborate with department manager on departmental work instructions and controlled documents.
• Initiate and lead continuous improvement projects.
• Oversee PPAP production and support the quality department with part layouts and tasks related to PPAP submissions.
• Ensure stamping operations are meeting customer quality expectations.     
• All other duties as assigned by manager.

• 5 years in a production role with leadership experience
• Progressive metal stamping experience required. Tool and die experience preferred.
• Experience in automotive manufacturing processes, requirements, and techniques.
• Must possess excellent organizational skills. 
• Intermediate computer proficiency in MS Office suite of products with ability to learn ERP systems applicable to production operations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills required.
• Ability to plan, organize, and implement with attention to detail. 
• Strong interpersonal skills, relationship building, engagement with an ability to motivate and influence others.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essentials functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk; use hands to fingers, handle, or feel, talk, or hear; and smell. The employee frequently is required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to sit and stoop or crouch. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 45 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to moving mechanical parts and vibration. The employee is frequently exposed to fumes or airborne particles. The employee could be exposed to extreme heat and risk of electrical shock. The noise level in the work environment is usually loud.
• Safety toed with slip resistant shoes, safety glasses and earplugs are required on the plant floor

ITW Culture & Leadership Expectations:

• Exemplify and embody the ITW Leadership expectations  
• Able to thrive and collaborate in a decentralized and entrepreneurial culture 
• Able to take a high level of accountability and ownership for personal and company performance
• Able to communicate both verbal and written with clarity and simplicity
• Exemplifies a strategic-thinking approach and process to product management
• Able to make decisions and use critical thinking and analytical approaches when weighing options

ITW is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. 

ITW is an equal opportunity employer. We value our colleagues’ unique perspectives, experiences and ideas and create workplaces where everyone can develop their careers and perform to their full potential. 

As an equal employment opportunity employer, ITW is committed to equal employment opportunity and fair treatment for employees, beginning with the hiring process and continuing through all aspects of the employment relationship. 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.