Production Engineer – Sheet Metal Fabrication

Position Production Engineer – Sheet Metal Fabrication
Location Minnesota, USA
Function Manufacturing / Production Engineering
Reporting To Manufacturing or Operations leadership, to be confirmed
Experience 5–8 years preferred; strong candidates with relevant depth may be considered
Position Summary
The Production Engineer will support the safe, repeatable, and efficient manufacture of sheet-metal components
and assemblies. The role connects product design with shop-floor execution by improving manufacturability,
developing production methods, resolving fabrication issues, and strengthening quality, cost, and delivery
performance. The engineer will work closely with design engineering, production, quality, supply chain, and
fabrication partners.
Key Responsibilities
 Review sheet-metal parts and assemblies for manufacturability, fabrication feasibility, tolerance capability,
access, assembly sequence, and cost.
 Provide DFM feedback to design teams covering material selection, bend radii, bend reliefs, hole-to-edge and
hole-to-bend distances, weld access, fasteners, hardware, and finish requirements.
 Develop and maintain manufacturing process plans, routings, work instructions, tooling requirements,
inspection points, and standard work for fabricated products.
 Support laser cutting or punching, bending/forming, welding, grinding, hardware insertion, finishing, assembly,
and final inspection processes.
 Collaborate with operators and supervisors to resolve manufacturing constraints, drawing interpretation
issues, nonconformances, rework, and production bottlenecks.
 Drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions using structured methods such as 5 Why, fishbone, Pareto
analysis, and 8D, as appropriate.
 Participate in prototype, first-article, pilot-build, and production-readiness reviews; capture lessons learned
and update manufacturing documentation.
 Estimate cycle times, labor content, tooling needs, material utilization, and fabrication cost to support planning
and continuous improvement.
 Improve flow, workstation layout, material movement, changeover, ergonomics, and work-cell performance
using Lean manufacturing principles.
 Partner with Quality on control plans, inspection methods, dimensional verification, weld quality, finish quality,
and disposition of nonconforming material.
GRADIAN THERMAL SOLUTIONS | JOB DESCRIPTION
Production Engineer – Sheet Metal Fabrication | Minnesota
 Coordinate technical topics with external sheet-metal suppliers and fabricators, including manufacturability,
capability, quality, and corrective actions.
 Promote compliance with applicable safety practices, company procedures, customer requirements, and
controlled engineering documentation.
Required Qualifications
 Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Production, Industrial Engineering, or a closely related
discipline.
 Hands-on production engineering experience in sheet-metal fabrication or fabricated mechanical assemblies.
 Practical knowledge of sheet-metal design and manufacturing, including blank development, bends, forming,
welding, fastening, and finishing.
 Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, dimensions, tolerances, weld symbols, bills of material, and
manufacturing specifications.
 Experience creating process plans, routings, work instructions, shop-floor documentation, and production-
readiness deliverables.
 Working knowledge of DFM, root-cause analysis, corrective action, and Lean manufacturing techniques.
 Ability to communicate effectively with design engineers, operators, quality teams, suppliers, and operations
leadership.
 Proficiency with standard office tools and exposure to ERP/MRP and engineering document-control
environments.
Preferred Qualifications
 Experience with HVAC, thermal-management, electrical enclosure, industrial equipment, or similar fabricated
products.
 Experience with 3D CAD and drawing review. SolidWorks or an equivalent mechanical CAD system is
preferred.
 Knowledge of GD&T principles, tolerance stack-up, weldments, fixtures, jigs, and first-article inspection.
 Exposure to CNC laser or turret punching, press brakes, MIG/TIG welding, powder coating, plating, and
assembly processes.
 Experience applying PFMEA, control plans, standard work, time studies, line balancing, and value-stream
improvement.
 Familiarity with supplier development, make-versus-buy analysis, should-cost thinking, and fabrication
quotation review.
 Experience supporting new-product introduction, engineering changes, configuration control, and low-to-
medium-volume/high-mix manufacturing.
Technical Competency Areas
Competency Expected Application
Sheet-Metal DFM Assess geometry, materials, bend and weld features,
tolerances, joining, finishing, and production risk.
Process Engineering Translate design intent into practical routing, work
instructions, tooling, inspection, and standard work.
Problem Solving Contain issues, identify root cause, implement
corrective action, and verify effectiveness.
Production Improvement Improve safety, quality, flow, cycle time, changeover,
material use, and operator effectiveness.
GRADIAN THERMAL SOLUTIONS | JOB DESCRIPTION
Production Engineer – Sheet Metal Fabrication | Minnesota
Cross-functional Execution Coordinate design, production, quality, supply chain,
and external fabrication partners.
Documentation & Change Control Maintain accurate manufacturing documents and
implement approved engineering changes.
Success Measures
 Production issues are resolved quickly, systematically, and with documented corrective action.
 New and changed designs enter production with clear processes, tooling, quality controls, and operator
instructions.
 Rework, scrap, avoidable fabrication cost, and recurring defects are reduced through visible improvement
actions.
 Production flow, cycle-time adherence, first-pass quality, on-time completion, and engineering
responsiveness improve.
 Design and manufacturing teams receive timely, evidence-based DFM feedback before release or during
change review.
Behavioral Expectations
 Shop-floor oriented and comfortable working directly with operators and production leadership.
 Practical, data-driven, and willing to challenge designs or processes constructively.
 Creates ownership across functions rather than handing problems from one team to another.
 Balances urgency with safety, quality, documentation, and disciplined change control.
 Communicates clearly in a fast-moving, customer-focused engineering environment.
Working Conditions
The role is expected to spend meaningful time in a manufacturing environment and may require use of prescribed
personal protective equipment. Occasional supplier or partner visits may be required. Specific work schedule,
travel expectations, physical requirements, and employment terms should be confirmed by Gradian Thermal
Solutions during recruitment.
Candidate Screening Focus
 Ask the candidate to explain one sheet-metal part or assembly they improved for manufacturability.
 Validate direct exposure to cutting/punching, bending, welding, fastening, finishing, and inspection.
 Review a real example of a process plan, work instruction, PFMEA, control plan, or corrective action they
owned.
 Test their ability to identify likely fabrication risks from a drawing and propose practical design changes.
 Confirm that their experience is hands-on production engineering, not limited to CAD modeling or project
coordination.
Equal Opportunity Statement
Gradian Thermal Solutions is committed to a respectful and inclusive workplace. Employment decisions should be
based on job-related qualifications, experience, and business requirements, consistent with applicable law and
company policy.
Note: This draft has been tailored to the stated requirement for a Minnesota-based production engineer with sheet-metal
fabrication and DFM experience. Final reporting line, employment type, experience range, travel, physical demands,
compensation, and benefits should be validated before external posting.