Plant Head ( Rubber Stopper Manufacturing Plant)

JOB PROFILE – PLANT HEAD

Rubber Stopper Manufacturing Plant

Position Details

Position

Plant Head – Rubber Stopper Manufacturing

Function

Plant Operations / Manufacturing

Reporting To

Managing Director / COO / Business Head

Location

To be specified

Team Size

Production, Quality, Engineering/Maintenance, EHS, Warehouse \& Utilities

Industry

Rubber / Pharmaceutical Primary Packaging / Medical \& Elastomer Products

Role Purpose

The Plant Head will have overall responsibility for safe, compliant, efficient and profitable operation of the rubber stopper manufacturing plant. The role will lead production, quality, engineering and maintenance, EHS, utilities, warehouse and related support functions to achieve customer, quality, cost, delivery and productivity goals. The Plant Head will establish strong operational discipline, drive continuous improvement and build a high-performance plant culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end plant operations and deliver agreed targets for Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, Productivity and People.

• Develop and execute the annual operating plan, production plan, capacity plan, manpower plan and plant budget.

• Lead rubber stopper manufacturing operations including compounding/mixing, rubber processing, forming/moulding, vulcanization/curing, washing/coating or treatment, inspection, sorting and packing, as applicable to the plant.

• Ensure production schedules are achieved with optimum utilization of manpower, machines, moulds, utilities and raw materials.

• Drive OEE improvement, cycle-time reduction, yield improvement, scrap/rejection reduction and overall equipment productivity.

• Ensure robust control of critical process parameters and adherence to approved Standard Operating Procedures, work instructions and process specifications.

• Lead quality performance and ensure compliance with customer specifications and applicable pharmaceutical/medical-device quality requirements, where relevant.

• Work closely with Quality/QA to manage deviations, CAPA, change control, complaints, audits, investigations and risk-management actions.

• Ensure preventive, predictive and breakdown maintenance systems are effective and plant equipment availability is maximized.

• Own plant utilities and infrastructure reliability, including compressed air, HVAC, chilled water, steam/hot water, electrical systems, water systems and other utilities as applicable.

• Maintain high standards of EHS, statutory compliance, emergency preparedness, environmental management and safe working practices.

• Lead cost-control initiatives covering material consumption, energy, manpower, consumables, maintenance and manufacturing overheads.

• Establish visual management, daily management systems, KPI reviews and structured problem-solving using Lean/TPM/Kaizen/Six Sigma principles.

• Develop and mentor functional heads, supervisors and operators; strengthen succession planning, training and performance management.

• Coordinate with Procurement, Supply Chain, Sales/Business, R\&D/Technical and Finance teams to ensure smooth customer and business execution.

• Manage new product introduction, process transfer, equipment commissioning, capacity expansion and plant improvement projects as required.

• Ensure adequate documentation, traceability, housekeeping and 5S/Good Manufacturing Practices appropriate to the product and regulatory environment.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Production plan adherence and on-time delivery

• OEE / machine utilization / capacity utilization

• Yield, rejection, scrap and rework levels

• Customer complaints and quality performance

• Cost per unit and manufacturing conversion cost

• Raw-material and process consumption versus standards

• Energy and utility consumption

• Machine downtime and maintenance effectiveness

• Safety incidents, near misses and EHS compliance

• Audit observations, CAPA closure and compliance status

• Manpower productivity, absenteeism and training effectiveness

• Continuous-improvement savings and productivity gains

Candidate Profile / Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Polymer, Rubber Technology, Production, Industrial Engineering or a related discipline.

• Typically 15–25 years of relevant manufacturing experience, with at least 5–8 years in a senior plant/operations leadership role.

• Strong experience in rubber, elastomer, rubber moulding, pharmaceutical closures/stoppers, medical rubber components or a closely related process industry.

• Experience managing a multi-functional manufacturing plant with production, quality, engineering/maintenance, EHS and supply-chain interfaces.

• Experience with high-volume, precision and quality-critical manufacturing is strongly preferred.

• Experience in regulated manufacturing environments such as pharmaceutical primary packaging or medical products will be an advantage.

• Proven track record in improving OEE, productivity, yield, quality, cost and delivery performance.

• Hands-on experience in Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Six Sigma, Kaizen, root-cause analysis and structured problem solving.

Technical / Functional Competencies

• Rubber compounding and processing fundamentals

• Compression / injection / transfer moulding and vulcanization processes, as applicable

• Mould management, process validation and process capability

• Statistical Process Control (SPC), MSA, FMEA and root-cause analysis

• Quality systems, CAPA, deviation and change-control processes

• Preventive/predictive maintenance and reliability engineering

• Plant utilities, EHS and statutory compliance

• Production planning, capacity planning and inventory control

• ERP/MES-based production reporting and KPI management

• Budgeting, cost management and operational excellence

Leadership Competencies

• Strong ownership and accountability

• Data-driven decision making

• Pe