Industrial Automation Lead

About Us

Creative Metal Products (CMP), founded in 1995, is a privately held, growth-oriented company known for delivering innovative, high-quality fabricated products. We specialize in light- to medium-thickness metal components, assemblies, and finished products serving industries such as electronics, lighting/energy, industrial equipment, electrical enclosures, material handling, medical, safety, and military. At CMP, we pride ourselves on our commitment to craftsmanship, safety, and continuous improvement, making us Your American Fabrication Partner.

The Industrial Automation Lead is the go-to expert for robotic welding and weld-cell automation at CMP. This role is responsible for programming, setting up, operating, and maintaining robotic welding and automated systems used in metal fabrication, with a primary focus on steel and aluminum weldments.

You will drive quality, production efficiency, and equipment reliability by combining hands-on welding skills with advanced knowledge of robot programming, welding automation, controls, and metalworking processes. This position is highly collaborative and very hands-on on the shop floor

Primary Responsibilities

- Lead the development and execution of an automation strategy centered on robotic welding to strengthen margins, reduce waste, and improve overall efficiency.

- Analyze parts, part families, and weld processes to identify high-impact opportunities for robotic welding and weld-cell automation using existing and future equipment.

- Lead or participate in vendor analysis and selection for collaborative and traditional weld robots, working with the leadership team to justify investments and build business cases.

- Train, coach, and apply lean tools within the industrial welding department, including scoreboards, 5S, Kaizen, Six Sigma, and cellular manufacturing, with a strong emphasis on automated and robotic weld cells.

- Learn and support existing press brake tending automation (Fanuc robot) and incorporate lessons learned into welding automation.

- Learn existing laser welding techniques, parts, and processes to identify where robotic welding can be applied or optimized.

Detailed Responsibities:

Setup and Operation

- Configure robotic welding cells and automated systems for production runs (steel and aluminum).

- Set up fixtures, tooling, and robotic weld programs according to engineering specifications, print requirements, and work orders.

- Be heavily involved in fixturing design, trials, and improvement specifically for robotic welding (access, torch angles, repeatability, clamping).

- Build and maintain weld fixtures, verifying functionality and repeatability as intended for robotic applications.

- Verify proper alignment and calibration of weld cells, fixturing, and peripheral devices (positioners, manipulators, feeders) to ensure consistent robotic weld performance.

Programming and Optimization

- Develop, modify, and optimize robotic welding programs to improve quality, cycle time, and throughput, preferably using MotoSim for Yaskawa/Motoman robots and other OEM tools where applicable.

- Create and maintain standard program templates and best-practice libraries for common weld joints, part families, and repeat products.

- Collaborate with engineers during new product introduction to design parts and weldments that are robot-friendly and suitable for future automation.

- Adjust weld and motion parameters to achieve consistent penetration, bead appearance, dimensional tolerances, and heat input while complying with Weld Process Specifications.

- Perform regular backups of all robot programs, configurations, and weld parameters, and help implement version control/standardization across weld cells.

Maintenance and Troubleshooting

- Perform preventive maintenance and basic repairs on robotic welding systems, including torches, cables, wire feeders, and safety devices.

- Diagnose and correct faults in sensors, controllers, wire feeders, or PLC interfaces, with a focus on minimizing downtime in robotic welding operations.

- Work with maintenance and engineering to schedule and document robot and cell maintenance, upgrades, and improvements.

- Maintain clean, organized, and safe work areas following company safety policies, including robotic cell safety and lockout/tagout procedures.

Quality and Documentation

- Inspect welds using visual, mechanical, and NDT methods to ensure compliance with AWS or company welding standards and customer requirements.

- Establish or support weld procedures and parameter windows specific to robotic welding applications.

- Maintain accurate logs of setups, robot programs, maintenance, and parameter changes for traceability and continuous improvement.

- Read and interpret welding symbols, blueprints, and GD&T to ensure robotic welds meet design intent.

Collaboration and Training

- Work closely with fabrication, welding, engineering, and supervision to plan and schedule robotic welding jobs and resolve production issues.

- Train and mentor welders and operators on robotic welding basics, safe operation, setup, touching up points, and simple program edits.

- Serve as the internal champion and subject matter expert for robotic welding and welding automation, helping to drive cultural adoption of automation across the plant.

Reporting Structure

- Reports dotted line to both the Director of Engineering & Operations Strategy and the Production Manager, with collaboration across the leadership team, including the President & CEO.

- Direct reports include robotic welding operators.

Benefits:

- 401(k)

- 401(k) matching

- Dental insurance

- Employee assistance program

- Employee discount

- Health insurance

- Health savings account

- Life insurance

- Paid time off

- Parental leave

- Referral program

- Retirement plan

- Tuition reimbursement

- Vision insurance

Work Location: In person