Hot Mill Operations Manager

Hot Mill Operations Manager
Jupiter Aluminum Corporation
Hammond, Indiana
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Job Description

Job Summary:

The Hot Mill Manager will direct the hot mill production process as well as evaluate quality, downtime, and performance. This role involves managing a team of operators and ensuring that all equipment is maintained, calibrated, and operating efficiently to meet production targets. Strong leadership and communication skills to effectively manage their team and collaborate with other departments within the plant.

Key Responsibilities:
- Oversee the day-to-day operations of the aluminum hot mill, including production, quality control, maintenance, and safety.

- Ensure that production targets are met while maintaining high levels of quality.

- Control all KPI's for production.

- Develop and implement production plans, schedules, and budgets.

- Monitor and analyze production data to identify areas for improvement and implement process improvements as needed.

- Manage a team of supervisors, operators, and maintenance personnel, providing leadership, coaching, and development opportunities.

- Ensure compliance with safety regulations and company policies.

- Collaborate with other departments, such as engineering, maintenance, and quality control, to ensure efficient operation of the mill.

- Manage relationships with vendors and suppliers, negotiating contracts and resolving issues as needed.

Technical Competencies:

- Quality issues: Belled edges can occur when the sprays are not being disbursed uniformly across the sheet. Holes in the slab can occur when the belts age. This can cause water to get into the slab creating a pinhole. Buckles can occur if water isn't disbursed uniformly to the middle. A buckle will prevent the sheet from being flat and tension leveled.

- Equipment failures: If the sheet coming out of stand 2 hits the shear, the line will not start. A blockage in the gasser will cause the incoming to overflow and the outgoing to be insufficient. If this occurs, the plug must be pulled, and the caster must shut down.

- Process optimization: You may need to optimize the hot rolling process to improve quality, reduce waste, or increase throughput. This could involve adjusting roll settings, lubrication, or cooling parameters.

- Product development: You may need to work with customers to develop new products that meet their specific requirements. This could involve testing different alloys, thicknesses, or surface finishes to achieve the desired properties.

- Safety concerns: Moving molten metal out of the launder and into the sow molds can cause splatter. We have covers on the sow molds to slow down the splatter, but the risk is still there. The slabs coming out of the Hot Mill are 800 degrees, when it becomes a coil, it cools to 500 degrees and the operator must wear a high-heat resistant glove to band the coil.

Behavioral Competencies:

Leadership: Provide clear direction and guidance to your team, inspire and motivate them, and create a positive work environment. You should be able to lead by example, communicate effectively, and build strong relationships with your employees and other stakeholders.

- Problem-solving: Analyze data, identify problems, and develop and implement solutions. You should be able to think creatively and critically and be able to make decisions quickly and effectively.

- Continuous improvement: Identify opportunities for improvement, develop and execute improvement plans, and monitor and measure the results.

- Safety focus: Knowledgeable about safety regulations and best practices and should be able to promote a culture of safety throughout the organization.

- Customer focus: Strong focus on meeting customer needs and expectations. You should be able to understand customer requirements and work with your team to deliver high-quality products and services that meet or exceed those requirements.

- Collaboration: Build strong relationships, communicate effectively, and work together to achieve common goals.

Emotional intelligence: Demonstrating emotional intelligence and empathy in managing and leading the team and building strong working relationships with stakeholders.

Requirements:

- Bachelor's degree in engineering, metallurgy, or a related field.
- Several years of experience in aluminum hot rolling operations, with a proven track record of success.
- Strong leadership and management skills, with the ability to motivate and develop a team.
- Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to identify and address production issues.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with other departments and stakeholders.
- Knowledge of safety regulations and best practices.
- Knowledge of industry standards and best practices for aluminum cold rolling operations.
- Familiarity with production planning and scheduling software.
- Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
- Flexibility to work in rotating shifts, weekends, and holidays as needed.

By choice, we are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, or protected veteran status.

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