About the Role
Celestix Industries is looking for a technically competent and hands-on Production Engineer / Fabrication Supervisor to manage daily manufacturing activities in our sheet metal fabrication shop.
The candidate must have practical experience in sheet metal fabrication, CNC laser cutting, CNC press brake bending, laser welding, MIG/MAG welding, TIG welding, press machines, press tools and dies, and general fabrication operations.
This is a hands-on production engineering and shop floor management role requiring the ability to supervise machines, operators, welders and fabrication processes directly on the production floor.
The person will be responsible for production planning, production control, manpower management, machine utilization, material coordination, quality control, productivity, safety and 5S practices to ensure efficient shop-floor operations.
The ideal candidate should have strong leadership skills, practical problem-solving ability and the capability to achieve production targets while maintaining quality standards and customer delivery commitments.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage day-to-day sheet metal fabrication, sheet metal production and manufacturing operations.
- Have practical knowledge of sheet metal cutting, bending, forming, punching, welding, grinding, deburring and assembly.
- Read and interpret engineering drawings, fabrication drawings, dimensions, tolerances and manufacturing specifications.
- Understand sheet metal materials, thicknesses, grades, bend allowances, bend deductions and fabrication sequences.
- Plan manufacturing processes according to product requirements and production priorities.
The position requires practical knowledge of sheet metal manufacturing processes and the ability to coordinate fabrication activities according to drawings, quality requirements and production schedules.
2. CNC Laser Cutting & Press Brake Bending
- Have hands-on knowledge of CNC fiber laser cutting machines, sheet metal laser cutting and nesting processes.
- Understand laser cutting parameters, material selection, cutting quality, burr formation and material utilization.
- Operate or supervise CNC press brake machines used for sheet metal bending.
- Understand CNC bending programs, tooling selection, punch and die selection, bend angles, back-gauge settings and springback correction.
- Troubleshoot common laser cutting and sheet metal bending problems.
- Coordinate machine maintenance and ensure optimum machine utilization.
The candidate should be comfortable working with CNC laser cutting, fiber laser machines, press brakes and CNC bending processes to maintain dimensional accuracy and production efficiency.
3. Laser Welding, MIG/MAG & TIG Welding
- Have practical knowledge of laser welding machines and their applications in sheet metal fabrication.
- Understand welding parameters, joint preparation, fit-up, distortion control and weld quality.
- Possess knowledge of MIG/MAG welding, TIG welding and arc welding (SMAW), as applicable to production requirements.
- Understand welding symbols, weld sizes, joint types and fabrication drawings.
- Inspect weld quality and coordinate rectification of welding defects.
- Ensure proper use of welding fixtures, jigs and safety equipment.
The role requires the ability to supervise welding operations, identify welding defects and maintain consistent fabrication quality across applicable joining processes.
- Have knowledge of mechanical power presses, hydraulic presses and pneumatic presses, as applicable.
- Understand press machine capacity, tonnage requirements, stroke, shut height and operating safety.
- Possess practical knowledge of press tools, dies, punches, die clearances and tool setting.
- Understand blanking, piercing, punching, bending and forming operations.
- Coordinate tool changeovers, first-piece inspection and production trials.
- Identify tool wear, tool damage and process-related defects.
- Coordinate with the tool room for preventive maintenance and troubleshooting.
Practical knowledge of press machines, press tooling and sheet metal forming operations is essential for supporting safe and consistent production.
5. Production Planning, Control & Shop Floor Management
- Prepare daily production plans and production schedules based on customer requirements and delivery commitments.
- Allocate jobs and responsibilities to operators, welders, helpers and other shop-floor employees.
- Monitor hourly and daily production against targets.
- Ensure optimum utilization of manpower, machines, materials and manufacturing methods (4M).
- Monitor work-in-progress (WIP), production bottlenecks, rejection rates, cycle times and machine downtime.
- Coordinate with Purchase, Stores, Quality, Maintenance and Dispatch departments.
The Production Engineer should be capable of managing production planning, production control, production scheduling and shop floor operations while maintaining visibility of manufacturing output, capacity and delivery requirements.
6. Manpower Management & Production Supervision
- Supervise and guide operators, welders, machine operators, helpers and contract workers.
- Allocate manpower according to skill levels and production requirements.
- Monitor attendance, discipline, productivity and work allocation.
- Train employees in standard operating procedures (SOPs), quality requirements and safe working practices.
- Develop a culture of accountability, teamwork and continuous improvement.
The candidate should have practical manpower management, operator supervision, work allocation and shop floor management experience.
The role requires active involvement with production employees rather than managing the workshop only through reports.
7. Quality Control & Process Improvement
- Ensure products are manufactured according to approved engineering drawings and specifications.
- Perform or coordinate first-piece inspection and in-process inspection.
- Understand the use of vernier calipers, micrometers, height gauges, angle gauges and other measuring instruments.
- Coordinate with the Quality department for inspection, rejection analysis and corrective actions.
- Identify root causes of defects through root cause analysis and implement corrective and preventive actions.
- Reduce rejection, rework, material wastage and production losses.
- Maintain process parameters, inspection records and production documentation.
The role requires strong attention to dimensional accuracy, fabrication quality, rejection reduction and manufacturing process control.
8. 5S, Lean Manufacturing & Safety
- Implement and maintain 5S practices: Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain.
- Maintain clean, organized and safe shop-floor conditions.
- Ensure proper storage and identification of raw materials, WIP, tools, dies and finished goods.
- Promote material traceability and proper material handling.
- Follow EHS requirements and ensure compliance with machine safety procedures.
- Ensure appropriate PPE usage, machine guarding and safe handling of sheet metal.
- Participate in productivity improvement, waste reduction, Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement activities.
The Production Engineer should actively maintain workplace organization, manufacturing safety and practical process improvements across fabrication operations.
9. Machine Maintenance, Utilization & Production Reporting
- Ensure routine machine inspections and preventive maintenance.
- Coordinate with Maintenance personnel to minimize machine breakdowns.
- Maintain production reports, downtime records, rejection reports and shift-wise output.
- Monitor machine utilization, manpower productivity and material consumption.
- Ensure the availability of tools, consumables, fixtures and production documents.
The candidate should be comfortable maintaining production records and monitoring machine performance, output, downtime and manufacturing efficiency.
Essential Technical Skills
The candidate must possess practical working knowledge of:
- Sheet Metal Fabrication: Cutting, bending, forming, punching, welding, deburring and assembly.
- CNC Laser Cutting: CNC fiber laser machines, nesting, cutting parameters and material utilization.
- CNC Press Brake & Bending: Sheet metal bending, tooling selection, bend angles, back-gauge settings and springback correction.
- Laser Welding: Welding parameters, joint preparation, fit-up and weld quality.
- MIG/MAG, TIG & Arc Welding: Understanding of conventional welding processes and fabrication applications.
- Press Machines: Mechanical power presses and relevant hydraulic or pneumatic press machinery.
- Press Tools & Dies: Punches, dies, tool setting, die clearance and tooling maintenance.
- Engineering Drawings: Drawing interpretation, tolerances and basic Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).
- Dimensional Inspection: Measuring instruments, first-piece inspection and in-process inspection.
- Production Planning & Control: Daily planning, production scheduling, target monitoring and WIP control.
- Shop Floor Management: Manpower allocation, production supervision, operator management and coordination.
- Manufacturing Improvement: 5S, productivity improvement, waste reduction and manufacturing safety.
Preferred Additional Skills
The following knowledge and experience will be an advantage:
- Knowledge of AutoCAD for reading or reviewing 2D engineering drawings.
- Basic knowledge of SolidWorks or other 3D CAD software.
- Familiarity with ERP systems and production reporting.
- Knowledge of ISO 9001 quality management systems.
- Experience with jigs, fixtures and welding fixtures.
- Understanding of Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), cycle time, rejection analysis and root cause analysis.
- Knowledge of Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing and Poka-Yoke.
These are preferred additional capabilities rather than mandatory requirements.
Candidate Profile
We are looking for candidates who have:
- Diploma / B.E. / B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering.
- 3–5 years of relevant experience in sheet metal fabrication or industrial manufacturing.
- Strong practical and hands-on manufacturing knowledge.
- Ability to lead a shop-floor team and coordinate across departments.
- Good communication, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
- Ability to work under production deadlines and customer delivery commitments.
- A disciplined, proactive, safety-conscious and quality-oriented approach.
Candidates with experience as a Production Engineer, Sheet Metal Production Engineer, Fabrication Supervisor or Shop Floor Supervisor in a relevant manufacturing environment may be suitable.
What We Are Looking For
We are specifically looking for someone who understands how sheet metal products are manufactured and can independently supervise day-to-day production activities.
A suitable candidate should be comfortable:
- Understanding fabrication drawings and manufacturing requirements.
- Coordinating CNC laser cutting and nesting operations.
- Supervising CNC press brake bending and tooling setups.
- Monitoring laser welding and conventional welding processes.
- Working with press machines, press tools and dies.
- Planning and allocating daily production activities.
- Managing operators, welders, helpers and other shop-floor employees.
- Ensuring dimensional accuracy and manufacturing quality.
- Identifying production bottlenecks, downtime and quality problems.
- Coordinating maintenance, production reporting and continuous improvement.
This is a practical manufacturing role requiring direct shop-floor involvement, not a desk-only production engineering position.
Candidates with proven experience in sheet metal fabrication, CNC laser cutting, production planning, press brake bending, welding, and shop floor management are encouraged to apply.
