Production Manager – Copper Busbar Manufacturing

About the Role

Celestix Industries is establishing a new, large-scale manufacturing campus in Falna, Rajasthan, comprising multiple factories focused on electrical components, precision metal fabrication and industrial manufacturing.

We are looking for an experienced, technically strong and hands-on Production Manager to establish and lead our new Copper Busbar Manufacturing Division.

This position requires a manufacturing professional who understands not only day-to-day production management but also the practical requirements of setting up a new manufacturing facility from the ground up.

During the initial phase, the selected candidate will be responsible for supporting factory layout, machine selection, tooling development, production process planning, equipment commissioning, operator recruitment and training, and manufacturing process standardization.

As the factory becomes operational, the Production Manager will assume responsibility for the complete copper busbar manufacturing process, including cutting, punching, drilling, CNC machining, bending, surface finishing, insulation coordination, quality inspection and production delivery.

Our manufacturing operations will focus on custom-engineered copper busbars manufactured according to customer drawings and technical specifications for applications including electrical switchgear, industrial power distribution, control panels, renewable energy equipment, energy storage systems and other electrical applications.

The most important requirements for this role are hands-on copper busbar manufacturing knowledge, strong production leadership, efficient copper material utilization, quality control and the ability to build a high-performing manufacturing operation.

This is not a desk-only Production Manager position. The selected candidate must be comfortable working directly with machine operators, supervisors, engineers, maintenance personnel and quality inspectors to resolve production issues and continuously improve manufacturing performance.

Key Responsibilities

1. Greenfield Manufacturing Plant Setup & Commissioning

As this is a new manufacturing facility, the Production Manager will play a key role in establishing the copper busbar production operation.

Responsibilities include:

• Participate in planning and establishing the copper busbar manufacturing facility.
• Review expected product ranges, manufacturing processes and production capacity requirements.
• Recommend appropriate machinery, production equipment and tooling.
• Support factory layout planning to achieve efficient material flow and minimum unnecessary handling.
• Coordinate installation and commissioning of production equipment.
• Participate in machine trials, process validation and initial production runs.
• Establish production process flows and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Identify required jigs, fixtures, dies, cutting tools and inspection equipment.
• Coordinate production readiness with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Purchase and Stores.
• Support recruitment and training of production supervisors, machine operators and technicians.
• Establish initial production reporting and performance-monitoring systems.
• Identify startup problems and coordinate corrective actions.
• Support gradual production capacity expansion as customer demand increases.

The objective is to establish a manufacturing operation that is reliable, productive, cost-efficient and capable of scaling to higher volumes.

2. Copper Busbar Manufacturing Operations

Manage end-to-end manufacturing of copper busbars according to customer drawings, approved specifications and production schedules.

Manufacturing processes may include:

• Copper bar and flat-stock cutting
• Shearing and sawing
• Blanking
• CNC punching
• Hole drilling
• Slotting
• Milling and machining
• Tapping and threading
• CNC busbar bending
• Offset and multi-plane bending
• Deburring and edge finishing
• Cleaning and surface preparation
• Plating coordination
• Busbar insulation coordination
• Marking and identification
• Final inspection and packing

The Production Manager must understand the practical manufacturing requirements of different busbar sizes, thicknesses, lengths, hole patterns and bending configurations.

Responsibilities include:

• Establish efficient manufacturing sequences for different copper busbar components.
• Ensure production follows approved drawings and work instructions.
• Select appropriate manufacturing methods according to product geometry and order quantity.
• Monitor process capability, cycle time and production output.
• Identify production bottlenecks and improve process flow.
• Coordinate between different manufacturing stages to minimize delays.
• Reduce avoidable handling, rework and material wastage.
• Ensure finished components meet customer quality and dimensional requirements.

3. CNC Busbar Cutting, Punching, Drilling & Machining

The candidate should possess strong knowledge of copper machining and metal fabrication processes.

Responsibilities include:

• Supervise copper cutting, punching, drilling and CNC machining operations.
• Determine suitable manufacturing methods for different busbar drawings.
• Coordinate machine setup and cutting-tool selection.
• Monitor hole positioning, slot dimensions, edge quality and dimensional accuracy.
• Understand the effect of tooling selection and machine parameters on copper processing.
• Coordinate production programs and tooling requirements for CNC equipment.
• Reduce burr formation, tool breakage, dimensional deviations and unnecessary scrap.
• Monitor production cycle times and machine utilization.
• Ensure availability of suitable punches, dies, cutting tools and fixtures.
• Coordinate corrective action when machining problems occur.

Practical experience with CNC copper busbar processing machines, punching machines, drilling equipment or precision metalworking machinery will be highly valuable.

4. Copper Busbar Bending & Forming

Manage bending and forming operations for different copper busbar geometries.

The candidate should understand:

• Copper grades and material temper
• Busbar width and thickness
• Bend angle and bend radius
• Springback
• Punch and die selection
• Bend sequencing
• Multi-plane bends
• Offset bends
• Material deformation
• Dimensional tolerances
• Hole-to-bend relationships
• Flatness and alignment

Responsibilities include:

• Establish bending processes according to customer drawings.
• Select suitable machines, bending tools and fixtures.
• Monitor bending accuracy and repeatability.
• Ensure correct bend radius and dimensional requirements.
• Identify cracks, distortion, twisting and other bending defects.
• Coordinate adjustments to bending programs and tooling.
• Minimize bending-related scrap and rework.
• Ensure consistency across production batches.

5. Copper Material Utilization, Yield & Scrap Control

This is one of the most important responsibilities of the Production Manager.

Copper is a high-value raw material, and even small improvements in material utilization can create significant cost savings.

The Production Manager will be responsible for:

• Planning copper consumption according to approved BOMs and work orders.
• Optimizing raw material cutting lengths.
• Reducing unnecessary copper offcuts.
• Identifying opportunities to reuse suitable copper remnants.
• Monitoring material yield by product, process and production order.
• Tracking scrap generation and rejection quantities.
• Maintaining proper identification and segregation of reusable offcuts and scrap.
• Ensuring accurate weighing and recording of copper scrap.
• Coordinating material reconciliation with Stores and Accounts.
• Investigating abnormal copper consumption and material losses.
• Developing practical methods to improve copper utilization.
• Monitoring process losses and implementing corrective action.
• Establishing measurable copper yield and scrap reduction targets.

The candidate should understand how to calculate material utilization and identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising finished product quality.

6. Copper Material Knowledge & Traceability

• Understand commonly used copper grades in electrical busbar manufacturing.
• Verify material grade, dimensions and other specifications against approved requirements.
• Coordinate review of incoming copper material certificates.
• Ensure correct copper stock is used for each manufacturing order.
• Prevent material-grade mixing and identification errors.
• Maintain traceability from raw material to finished components according to customer requirements.
• Coordinate with Quality and Stores regarding material identification and inspection.
• Monitor copper surface condition and handling damage.
• Ensure material is stored and handled to prevent unnecessary contamination or damage.

Familiarity with C11000 / ETP copper, high-conductivity copper and customer-specific material requirements will be an advantage.

7. Production Planning & Manufacturing Scheduling

• Prepare daily, weekly and monthly production plans.
• Translate customer orders and work orders into practical manufacturing schedules.
• Plan production capacity based on machine availability, manpower and tooling.
• Coordinate raw material availability with Planning, Purchase and Stores.
• Establish production priorities according to delivery commitments.
• Allocate jobs across manufacturing operations.
• Monitor work-in-progress (WIP).
• Identify delays and production bottlenecks.
• Coordinate corrective actions to achieve delivery targets.
• Maintain accurate production records in ERP or approved reporting systems.
• Improve production lead times through effective scheduling and coordination.

8. Manpower Management & Shop Floor Leadership

• Lead production supervisors, CNC machine operators, technicians and helpers.
• Establish manpower requirements for each production process.
• Allocate employees according to production requirements and technical skills.
• Monitor daily production performance and individual productivity.
• Train operators in approved manufacturing procedures.
• Establish operator skill matrices and training requirements.
• Coordinate workforce recruitment with HR.
• Maintain shop-floor discipline and accountability.
• Develop capable supervisors and production team leaders.
• Resolve production-related manpower issues.
• Ensure operators follow approved SOPs and quality requirements.

The candidate should demonstrate strong leadership through direct shop-floor involvement.

9. Quality Assurance & Manufacturing Quality Control

Ensure copper busbars meet approved customer drawings, manufacturing specifications and quality requirements.

Critical quality characteristics include:

• Material grade and identification
• Length, width and thickness
• Hole diameter and positioning
• Slot dimensions
• Bend angles
• Bend radius
• Flatness and parallelism
• Twisting and alignment
• Surface finish
• Burr and edge condition
• Contact surface quality
• Plating quality, where applicable
• Insulation condition, where applicable
• Product identification and traceability

Responsibilities include:

• Establish first-piece and in-process inspection procedures.
• Coordinate with Quality to implement inspection plans.
• Ensure appropriate measuring instruments and inspection fixtures are available.
• Monitor rejection, rework and production defects.
• Identify root causes of manufacturing quality problems.
• Coordinate corrective and preventive actions.
• Maintain consistency across production batches.
• Support customer inspections and manufacturing audits.
• Prevent repeated defects through process standardization and operator training.

10. Copper Plating, Surface Finishing & Insulation Coordination

Some copper busbars may require specialized finishing or insulation according to customer specifications.

These may include:

• Bare copper finishing
• Tin plating
• Silver plating
• Nickel plating
• Selective plating
• Surface masking
• Protective insulation

Responsibilities include:

• Coordinate surface preparation and finishing requirements.
• Ensure appropriate cleaning and deburring before finishing.
• Coordinate plating or insulation processes with approved internal teams or external vendors.
• Monitor product handling to prevent scratches, dents and contamination.
• Coordinate inspection of finished and plated surfaces.
• Ensure components are handled and packed according to specified requirements.

Direct hands-on plating or insulation process management experience is beneficial but is not mandatory where these processes are performed by specialist teams or external vendors.

11. Machine Utilization, Tooling & Maintenance Coordination

• Monitor machine utilization, downtime and productivity.
• Coordinate preventive maintenance activities with the Maintenance team.
• Ensure availability of cutting tools, punches, dies and production consumables.
• Identify equipment issues that affect cycle time and product quality.
• Coordinate tooling replacement and maintenance.
• Reduce machine setup and changeover time.
• Monitor production equipment performance.
• Support equipment upgrades and automation improvements.
• Maintain production continuity through effective coordination with Maintenance and Engineering.

12. Production Cost Control & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor manufacturing costs and process efficiency.
• Identify opportunities to reduce copper material wastage.
• Reduce rejection, rework and unnecessary handling.
• Improve machine utilization and operator productivity.
• Reduce production cycle times.
• Improve tooling life and process consistency.
• Implement suitable Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen improvements.
• Monitor production cost per unit or kilogram where applicable.
• Support automation and process-improvement initiatives.
• Develop measurable cost reduction and productivity improvement plans.

The Production Manager must continuously identify opportunities to manufacture copper busbars more efficiently while maintaining quality.

13. New Product Development & Manufacturing Engineering Coordination

• Review new customer drawings and specifications.
• Assess manufacturing feasibility and process requirements.
• Identify suitable machines, tools and fixtures.
• Coordinate prototype and sample production.
• Support trial production and first-piece inspection.
• Estimate manufacturing cycle times and material requirements.
• Work with Engineering and Quality to resolve technical issues.
• Recommend practical improvements to manufacturing methods.
• Support successful transfer of new products into regular production.

14. Production Reporting & KPI Management

Prepare accurate daily, weekly and monthly production reports covering:

• Planned versus actual production output
• Raw copper consumption
• Copper material yield
• Scrap generation
• Rejection and rework
• Work-in-progress
• Machine utilization
• Downtime
• Manpower productivity
• Cycle time
• Production lead time
• Manufacturing costs
• On-time delivery performance
• Pending work orders
• Production bottlenecks

The candidate should be capable of presenting manufacturing performance clearly to management and recommending corrective actions based on data.

15. Safety, 5S & Manufacturing Discipline

• Ensure safe operation of cutting, punching, bending and machining equipment.
• Follow approved machine safety and guarding procedures.
• Ensure safe handling of heavy copper bars and fabricated components.
• Maintain appropriate material storage and movement procedures.
• Enforce PPE requirements.
• Maintain clean and organized production areas.
• Implement 5S standards.
• Identify unsafe work practices and coordinate corrective action.
• Support applicable EHS requirements.
• Maintain discipline in following approved manufacturing procedures.

16. Factory Expansion & Production Capacity Development

As customer demand increases, the Production Manager will support expansion of the copper busbar manufacturing operation.

Responsibilities include:

• Identify future production capacity requirements.
• Evaluate bottlenecks and equipment constraints.
• Recommend additional machinery and tooling.
• Support production line expansion.
• Develop additional operators and supervisors.
• Improve factory layout and material flow.
• Support automation and process standardization.
• Ensure manufacturing systems can accommodate increased product variety and production volumes.

Required Experience

• 7–12 years of manufacturing experience, preferably in copper busbar manufacturing, copper fabrication, precision metalworking or related electrical component manufacturing.
• At least 3 years in a production management or manufacturing leadership role.
• Practical understanding of cutting, punching, drilling, bending and machining operations.
• Experience managing shop-floor employees, production schedules and manufacturing output.
• Knowledge of production planning, material utilization and scrap reduction.
• Experience with machine setup, tooling, inspection and quality control.
• Ability to manage production costs, manpower and equipment utilization.
• Strong problem-solving and technical coordination skills.
• Experience using Excel, ERP or manufacturing reporting systems.

Direct copper busbar manufacturing experience is strongly preferred.

Preferred Industry Experience

Candidates from the following industries will be considered:

• Copper busbar manufacturing
• Copper fabrication
• Electrical component manufacturing
• Precision metal fabrication
• Switchgear component manufacturing
• Power distribution equipment manufacturing
• Electrical conductor manufacturing
• CNC metalworking
• Related non-ferrous metal manufacturing

Candidates whose experience is limited to installing or assembling busbars inside electrical panels, without practical component manufacturing knowledge, may not be suitable.

Qualifications

• Diploma / B.E. / B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, Production Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering or a related discipline.
• Electrical Engineering candidates with strong practical copper busbar manufacturing experience may also be considered.
• Demonstrated manufacturing expertise and production leadership are more important than the exact academic specialization.

Preferred Technical Skills

• Copper Busbar Manufacturing
• CNC Busbar Processing
• Copper Cutting and Bending
• CNC Punching and Drilling
• Copper Machining
• Tooling and Fixture Development
• Production Planning and Control
• Material Utilization and Yield Improvement
• Scrap Reduction
• Shop Floor Management
• Manufacturing Quality Control
• Machine Utilization
• ERP / MRP
• Lean Manufacturing
• 5S and Kaizen
• Greenfield Plant Setup

Ideal Candidate

We are looking for someone who can independently establish and operate a copper busbar manufacturing facility.

For example, when provided with a customer drawing for a custom copper busbar, the candidate should be capable of:

• Reviewing the drawing and understanding the required manufacturing operations.
• Selecting suitable raw copper stock.
• Determining the most efficient cutting, punching, drilling, machining and bending sequence.
• Identifying machinery and tooling requirements.
• Planning production capacity and manpower.
• Developing efficient manufacturing processes to reduce copper wastage.
• Establishing appropriate inspection and quality checks.
• Monitoring daily production and resolving technical problems.
• Ensuring the finished busbar meets customer specifications.
• Maintaining accurate production, material consumption and scrap records.

The ideal candidate combines manufacturing expertise, strong production management, material cost awareness, shop-floor leadership and the ability to establish a new production operation.

We are looking for a Production Manager who takes ownership of manufacturing results and continuously improves productivity, quality and cost performance.

What Success Looks Like

A successful Production Manager will help establish a copper busbar manufacturing operation where:

• Production equipment is installed and commissioned successfully.
• Manufacturing processes are stable and standardized.
• Operators and supervisors are properly trained.
• Production targets are consistently achieved.
• Copper material utilization is optimized.
• Scrap, rejection and rework are minimized.
• Manufacturing quality is maintained.
• Equipment downtime is controlled.
• Production costs remain competitive.
• Customer delivery commitments are achieved.
• Production capacity can expand as customer demand increases.

This position offers the opportunity to establish and lead a new copper busbar manufacturing division at Celestix Industries' growing industrial campus.