Auomated Forge Manager Search

Automated Forge Manager Search

We were tasked with finding a Forge Manager for a FULLY AUTOMATED forging operation. This person needed to be degreed, have prior experience managing a high volume closed die forge operation in a union environment, be a good communicator with a collaborative leadership style, have P&L experience, know how to utilize a variety of continuous improvement tools and have experience leading Kaizen events.

We began, by combing through the United States' forging industry, where we have identified over 400 operations.

First, we searched the union hammer forge shops within the state
Next we expanded the search to union hammer forge shops in the neighboring states and then the rest of the United States
Then we searched all of the union closed die press shops, beginning in the state, then spread to the neighboring states and the rest of the United States
Finally, we searched the remaining union forge shops in the U.S. –Open Die shops, Ring Rollers, Radial Forgers, Upsetters, etc.

Each forge operation has a different organizational structure, with different job titles and varying responsibilities. As we combed through the leaders from the various union forge operations across the country, some of the type of candidates we targeted included:

Forge Managers
Forge Superintendents
Forge Supervisors
Operations Managers
Manufacturing Managers
Production Managers
Area Managers
Plant Managers

We ultimately identified 160 prospective candidates who we believed might be qualified across the U.S. forging industry and placed them on our call plan. Our initial criteria were degreed individuals who’ve held Sr. level leadership positions at union forge operations with good business systems.

Below is the criteria we considered when evaluating the candidates we spoke with:

Must have Forging Experience
Prefer experience in a Closed Die Hammer or Press Shop
Must be proficient with Microsoft Office
Must have a collaborative leadership style. Prefer Servant Leadership profile
Need to be metrics driven Manager (KPI’s, OEE, etc.)
Must fit in our salary range
Must have experience in continuous improvement and development of people
Must have previous experience using continuous improvement tools such as Lean, TPS, 6-S, Six Sigma, etc.,
Must have experience leading Kaizen events
Must have experience developing Standard Work
Must have experience with quality systems and standards like ISO 9001
Must be a hands on Manager that gets out on the shop floor
Must be able to communicate well with shop floor team members as well as management
Must not have history of job hopping
Must have prior managing/supervising experience
Must be willing to work 50+ hrs per week
Must fit with company culture
Must have prior union experience and be willing/comfortable managing in a union environment
Must be able/willing to relocate
Must have Bachelor degree
Must have prior P & L experience

As we began evaluating the 160 people who had previous leadership experience in union forge departments across the country, there were a few key factors we identified:

Many of the leadership in the forging industry aren't degreed
Many forge shops are still operating in the past, so they simply don't produce Forge Managers who've developed the skills we required
Many people working in the forging industry who met our requirements are nearing retirement and therefore had little to no interest in relocating to begin working for a new employer

Despite learning a majority of the people in the forging industry did not meet our requirements, out of the 160 people we spoke with:

9 candidates were submitted
7 candidates were phone interviewed
2 candidates were brought for onsite interviews

In 3 months we identified, attracted, thoroughly screened and successfully hired a Automated Forge Manager from the forging industry, and we ended up finding this Manager locally which saved the company relocation expenses!

Begin your search for the ideal candidate today. Laminin Corp can help you find the most qualified employee for the position with our streamlined recruitment process. CONTACT US to learn more!