Assistant Manager - Supplier Qualiity (Forging, Machining & Die Casting)

Supplier Quality - Asst Manager will drive exceptional product quality and continuous improvement across the external supplier base for mechanical commodities. Serving as the internal and external Subject Matter Expert will lead supplier onboarding, ensure First Time Right parts for New Product Introductions and oversee robust Process & System audits.

Key Responsibilities

1.Commodity Expertise & Technical Leadership

· Act as the technical expert for casting (High Pressure, Low Pressure, Gravity Die Casting), open/closed die forging, and complex CNC machining processes.

· Collaborate with Engineering on Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design/Process FMEA exercises to proactively mitigate manufacturing risks.

· Review part design, dimensional tolerances, and geometric dimensioning & tolerancing (GD&T) to ensure manufacturability and compliance with global standards.

· Process Standardization: Define quality parameters, review engineering drawings, and establish clear measurement/inspection standards for machined and fabricated parts

2. Supplier Evaluation & Development

· Supplier selection, capability assessments, and facility audits for new and existing suppliers.

· Execute and monitor the Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) framework and Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) for all new / existing parts.

· Develop and execute performance improvement plans for underperforming suppliers through training in Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.

3. Quality Control & Issue Resolution

· Manage the Non-Conformance Material Report (NCMR) process and lead root cause analysis (RCA) and Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) implementations at supplier sites.

· Establish measurement system analysis (MSA) and ensure testing protocols (CMM, Heat treatment process , Non-destructive test (NDT) , Die penetration test , Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI), Ultrasonic Testing (UT), Micro-hardness testing, Grain size analysis

· Conduct on-site verification of corrective actions during critical quality failures

4. Operational & Supplier Governance

• Daily Performance Monitoring: Track supplier Parts Per Million (PPM), Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ), and On-Time Delivery (OTD) for the designated commodity portfolio.

• Supplier Risk Management: Maintain a dynamic "Supplier Risk Matrix" categorizing vendors by financial health, capacity constraints, tooling life, and quality history.

• Escalation Management: Serve as the final point of escalation for chronic supplier quality issues, issuing formal Supplier Quality Alerts and placing vendors on "Quality Hold" or "Controlled Shipping" when necessary.

5. Deep-Dive Process Control (Commodity-Specific)

• Die Casting: Validate thermal management systems, shot-sleeve parameters, molten metal degassing practices, die-coat applications, and porosity controls (X-ray/CT scan reviews).

• Forging: Oversee billet heating temperature profiles, grain flow orientation verification, die wear tracking, and post-forge heat treatment lines (Annealing, Quetching & Tempering).

• Machining: Review CNC fixture repeatability, tool wear compensation protocols, coolant concentration management, and coordinate measuring machine (CMM) programming alignments.

• Metallurgy: Strong understanding of microstructural analysis, defect identification (e.g., shrinkage porosity, cold shuts, forging laps, decarburization).

6. Painting & Surface Finishing (Liquid & Powder Coating)

• Chemical Pre-treatment: Audit the supplier’s multi-stage pre-treatment line
  
• Electrodeposition (CED/E-Coat)
  
• Powder & Liquid Application
  
• Coating Testing & Validation
  

Requirements