Plant Manager

Description:

Winona Powder Coating (WPC) is a leading provider of powder coating and e-coat finishing services to automotive light vehicle and heavy truck, building and construction product manufacturers, industrial manufacturing and equipment, marine, and agriculture/off-road manufacturers across the Midwest. Our people, our process discipline, and our commitment to quality drive our success. We take pride in providing a clean, safe, and team-oriented work environment where every employee can contribute and grow.

We are seeking an experienced Plant Manager to lead day-to-day operations at our Elkhart, IN facility. This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for production performance, safety culture, staffing, quality results, customer service execution, and equipment uptime. The Plant Manager works closely with the Vice President of Operations and cross-functional leadership team to ensure the facility meets operational and financial goals while building a strong, accountable, and positive culture.

Requirements:

Leadership & Culture

- Lead and develop production supervisors, leads, and hourly employees across all shifts.

- Build a culture focused on safety, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

- Ensure consistent and effective communication of expectations, performance, and priorities.

Safety & Environmental

- Maintain and enforce safety standards that prevent injuries and promote safe work habits.

- Ensure compliance with OSHA and company safety programs, including training and documentation.

- Promote a proactive “stop-to-fix” safety mindset.

Production & Scheduling

- Plan, schedule, and oversee all production activities to meet daily/weekly customer shipping requirements.

- Monitor throughput, staffing, and workflow to minimize delays and maximize efficiency.

- Ensure floor leadership actively directs and supports employees throughout the shift.

Quality Execution

- Partner with the Quality Manager to ensure quality standards are met and non-conformances are addressed promptly and effectively.

- Ensure work instructions, inspection criteria, and process controls are consistently followed.

Maintenance & Equipment

- Collaborate with Maintenance to ensure equipment readiness and preventative maintenance is performed.

- Support prioritization of maintenance activities to minimize unplanned downtime.

Customer Service & Communication

- Work closely with Customer Service and Scheduling to ensure on-time delivery and responsiveness to customer priorities.

- Participate in customer visits, audits, and corrective action discussions when needed.

Cost & Performance Management

- Monitor labor hours, scrap/rework, yield, material usage, and department KPIs.

Qualifications

Required

- 5+ years of leadership experience in a manufacturing service provider, preferably coating, finishing, metal processing, or similar industrial environment.

- Proven ability to lead, coach, and develop teams.

- Strong understanding of production flow, scheduling, problem solving, and daily shop-floor leadership.

- Working knowledge of safety practices, equipment operation, and manufacturing procedures.

- Proficiency with computer systems (ERP/MRP, email, Excel, etc.).

- Effective verbal and written communication skills across all levels of the organization.

Preferred

- Experience in powder coating, e-coat, pretreatment chemistry, paint line operations, or related finishing processes.

- Experience leading in a high-mix / medium-volume production environment.

- Familiarity with continuous improvement / Lean / 5S practices.

Physical Requirements

- Ability to regularly walk and stand on the production floor.

- Ability to bend, lift, and move objects up to 40 lbs as needed.

- Ability to work in a typical industrial environment (heat, noise, PPE use).

Why Join Winona Powder Coating?

- Diversified and growing business servicing automotive light vehicle and heavy truck, building and construction product manufacturers, industrial manufacturing and equipment, marine, and agriculture/off-road manufacturers across the Midwest.

- Leadership role with meaningful impact and career advancement potential.

- Team-oriented culture where every voice matters.