Production Engineer/Manager

Unique Personnel boasts over 50 years (established in 1970) of personnel and staffing experience, so it's not surprising that even though our main focus has been providing on South African Staffing Solutions, we now recruit internationally for over 5000 clients

Duties & Responsibilities

Purpose of the Role;

The Production Engineer is responsible for optimizing and overseeing the manufacturing processes within the door and furniture production plant. The role ensures efficient use of machinery, materials, and manpower to deliver high-quality products, while driving process improvements, reducing waste, and maintaining safety and compliance standards.

Key Responsibilities

Plan, coordinate, and monitor daily production activities across door and furniture lines.

Improve and standardize woodworking and assembly processes to maximize efficiency.

Develop and maintain machine setups for cutting, edging, drilling, pressing, and finishing operations.

Troubleshoot production issues related to CNC machines, woodworking equipment, and assembly lines.

Collaborate with the design team to ensure new door/furniture designs are production-ready and cost-effective.

Implement lean manufacturing practices to reduce waste in timber, board, hardware, and finishes.

Ensure strict quality control in surface finishing (lacquer, veneer, paint) and assembly processes.

Support maintenance teams in ensuring machines (CNC, edge-banders, presses, saws) operate at peak efficiency.

Train production staff on technical procedures, equipment usage, and safety standards.

Monitor material usage, reject rates, and implement corrective actions to improve yield.

Ensure adherence to health, safety, and environmental regulations within the plant.

KPIs

Supervise production:  (supervision, management and reporting of 20 employees)

Quality:  (Strict ISO compliance with yearly audits)

Manufacturing:  (Wooden doors)

Implementation:  (Collaborative and reporting focused)

Production efficiency and output vs. target.

Material yield (waste reduction on timber, board, and finishes).

Machine downtime reduction.

Quality reject rate (doors/furniture passing QC first time).

On-time delivery performance.

Cost savings from process improvements.

Safety compliance and incident reduction.

Desired Experience & Qualification

Qualifications & Experience

Matric + Diploma/Certificate in Mechanical, Industrial, or Production Engineering (or equivalent).

3–5 years’ experience in a woodworking, door, or furniture manufacturing environment, advantageous but not necessary.

Hands-on experience with CNC machinery, woodworking processes, and assembly lines, advantageous but not necessary.

Knowledge of raw materials (timber, board, veneers, laminates, hardware) and their applications.

Familiarity with ISO quality standards and health & safety regulations.

Skills & Competencies

Strong technical knowledge of woodworking machinery, CNC equipment, and assembly processes.

Experience in lean manufacturing and process optimization within furniture/wood products.

Understanding of finishing techniques (spraying, lacquering, veneering, laminating).

Ability to interpret technical drawings and translate them into production processes.

Knowledge of quality control systems in manufacturing.

Strong problem-solving, analytical, and process improvement skills.

Competence in ERP/MRP systems for production scheduling and material control.