Manufacturing Excellence Engineer

Objective:

• Improve overall factory efficiency by proper line balancing, line layout improvement, building skills, Line Management.
• Improve Right the First Time (RFT) in terms of System Adherence and sustenance.
• Improve Quality at Source through effective implementation of Total Quality Management System (TQMS)
• Reduced SMV of permanent styles through Process Improvement, Re-Engineering, & Innovation.
• Cost Optimization
• Improve material Utilization
• Process Optimization
• Empower Vendor & Factory by providing theoretical & practical training (Lean, TQM, Six Sigma, IE Tools, Innovation).
• Upgrade Factory to L3 or L4.
• Support Vendor/Factory based in creating culture of continuous improvement in the organization.
• Introduce the latest trend in machine innovation, Ai & digitalization to improve productivity, quality and reduce cost.

Key Responsibilities:

C.I Playbook governance and deployment.

• Act as the owner & subject matter expert of the Continuous Improvement Playbook.
• Leads the roll out of C.I Standards and requirements across Partner or KAS supplier factories.
• Ensure implementation of all C.I clauses, systems, methodologies, and minimum requirements defined in playbook.
• Develop roadmaps according to factory evaluation result levels.
• Ensure alignment between factory operations & corporate sourcing strategy.
• Review, maintain, and continuously improve ME Playbook standards based on emerging industry best practices.

Factory Assessment & Evaluation:

• Conduct ME Evaluation to Partner or KAS Supplier/Factories.
• Evaluate factories using the ME Scorecard & BRAG rating methodology.
• Determine the Factory’s ME Evaluation result Levels (L1, L2, L3, & L4)
• Identify gaps & Improvement opportunities.
• Prepare comprehensive assessment reports and executive summaries.
• Work with Partner or KAS Vendor/Factory to establish corrective action plan and implementation roadmaps.
• Monitor closure of assessment findings (NCs) and sustainment actions.

Capability building and training.

• Design and Deliver ME Training Modules
• Conduct Classroom & Practical Training workshop
• Coach Factory Management teams and Industrial Engineers
• Build Lean and Continuous Improvement culture within the vendor & factory organization.
• Certify Factory ME champions & key users according to playbook standard.

Training Modules to conduct to Vendor and Factory:

• Critical Path Management
• Production Planning
• Total Quality Management System (TQMS)
• Lean & Six Sigma
• Supermarket System (Cutting to Sewing)

Industrial Engineering tools:

• Sewing: Work Measurement (PMTS: GST/GSD); Operation Bulletin; Line Balancing Chart (SMV, Takt Time, Cycle Time); Operator hour Output & Efficiency Monitoring; Sewing End-line Kanban Board; Non-Productive Time Record & Analysis; Quick Changeover; Skill Matrix; Standard Worksheet; Zero Defect Operator Program; RFT/DHU/Reject/Rework % reports; Consolidated Daily, Weekly, Monthly & Yearly Sewing Line and Overall Sewing Department Production Output, Efficiency and Quality report.
• Cutting: Marker Optimization; Cut Plan Optimization; Daily Cutting Plan System; Spreading & Cutting Control System; Consolidated Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly Output & Efficiency report for Spreading, Cutting, & Bundling & Loading Report (By Table/Team and overall).
• Finishing & Packing: Operator Hourly Target & Output report; Team Base & Department Output and Efficiency report;
• Cutting, Sewing, Finishing & Packing Consolidated Daily Production Report (DPR) summary.
• All department: Productivity Improvement; Workflow Optimization; Quality Improvement Initiatives

Continuous Improvement Project Management:

• Lead Kaizen, Lean, Six Sigma and Industrial Engineering Projects.
• Facilitate Value Stream mapping exercise.
• Conduct Root caused analysis (RCA): 5 Whys; Fishbone Diagram;
• Identify and eliminate waste across manufacturing process.
• Reduce: Cost, Lead time, Changeover, WIP, Defects and downtime.
• Improve: Productivity, Efficiency, Quality, Capacity Utilization;

Digitalization, Industry 4.0 Deployment:

• ERP Systems
• MES Solutions such as Shop Floor Management system, Warehouse Management System; Quality Management System; Asset Management System; Planning System; RFID Application or Barcode/QR Code System; Shop Floor Tracking Solutions; GSD; AI & Data Analytics Application; AI Based Bots or Robotics Application (not really humamoid).

Machine Innovation & Automation

• Identify Automation opportunity in factory.
• Benchmark Best-in-class apparel technology.
• Provide and guide factories to invest in the latest trend on Machine Innovation to improve quality, efficiency, productivity, de-skill operation and reduce cost.
• Providing Cost Benefit Analysis, RROI and Payback Period analysis to justify if the investment is ideal.

KPI Management & Reporting

• Develop and Monitor Performance Indicator such as Efficiency%, Performance %, PPH, OEE, Capacity Utilization, RFT rate, DHU rate, Rework rate, Reject rate, Zero Defect, Cost Savings, Critical Path adherence performance, NPT Rate; SMV Reduction, OTD,

Working Interface: Work closely with relevant department/team:

• External: Vendor and Factory Leaders, Functional and Operational Team
• Internal: Industrial Merch, Planning, Costing, P.E, GT,

• Strong knowledge of garment construction, material, and machines.
• Understand the end-to-end garment factory process.
• Capable of optimizing workflow.
• Garment Construction Re-Engineering.
• Project Management
• Good Interpersonal/Collaboration/Team Oriented.
• Proficient in MS Office Suite / PLM/Power-Bi
• Proficient in English; Mandarin is a plus.
• Data modeling and analytics
• GSD Practitioner is a plus
• Lean Certified or Lean Six Sigma green belt certified

• 5-10 years relevant work experience in Apparel Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, Lean Manufacturing, Costing, or Operation Excellence.
• Experience in Quality Management System.
• Experience in work measurement (PMTS), line balancing and Methods Improvement.
• Minimum 3 years leading continuous improvement program with Vendor/Factory.
• Experience in Product Re-Engineering/Design to Cost/Eco Design & Process Innovation.
• Experience in Factory Assessment and Evaluation.
• Exposure in Cost Optimization Projects
• Exposure in Project Management
• Diploma in Industrial Engineering/ Operation Management/ other Engineering Field/ Textile Engineering/Apparel Manufacturing Technology.