Production Manager - Refinery

Responsibilities

Production Management

• Manage the day-to-day operation of the edible oil refinery to achieve agreed production volumes, quality specifications and cost targets.

• Develop and implement production plans in line with raw material availability, customer requirements and business objectives.

Ensure efficient operation of all refining processes, including

• Degumming

• Neutralization / chemical refining

• Washing

• Drying

• Bleaching

• Filtration

• Deodorization

• Final oil handling and storage

• Monitor plant performance, production rates, downtime and process efficiency.

• Identify and eliminate production bottlenecks and operational losses.

• Ensure effective shift management, production discipline and adherence to standard operating procedures.

• Drive continuous improvement in plant utilization and overall equipment effectiveness.

Canola Oil – Chemical Refining

• Provide technical and operational leadership in the chemical refining of canola oil .

• Optimize caustic dosing, acid conditioning, separation, washing and drying processes to achieve maximum oil recovery and consistent quality.

• Monitor the effect of raw-material quality on refining performance and yield.

• Control soap stock, neutral oil losses and other process losses.

• Optimize operating parameters to achieve the required FFA, moisture, phosphorus, colour and other product specifications.

• Identify opportunities to improve refining efficiency, while maintaining product quality and food safety.

Yield and Oil Loss Control

• Take overall responsibility for oil yield and process-loss management .

• Establish and monitor yield targets for the refinery.

• Analyze daily and monthly oil balances and investigate deviations from expected yield.

• Identify sources of neutral oil loss throughout the refining process.

• Monitor losses through soap stock, wash water, filtration, bleaching earth, deodorization and process drainage.

• Implement corrective actions to reduce oil losses and improve overall recovery.

• Develop reliable production and mass-balance reporting systems.

Maintenance Management

• Work closely with the Maintenance Manager to ensure maximum plant availability and reliability.

• Develop and implement effective preventative and planned maintenance programmes.

• Identify critical equipment and establish appropriate maintenance strategies.

• Monitor breakdowns, recurring failures and equipment-related production losses.

• Participate in root-cause analysis of major equipment failures.

• Ensure maintenance activities are properly planned around production requirements.

• Support the identification and replacement of obsolete, unreliable or undersized equipment.

• Ensure critical spares and replacement components are identified and available.

• Monitor maintenance-related downtime and drive continuous reduction in unplanned stoppages.

Capacity Improvement and Plant Optimization

• Identify opportunities to increase refinery throughput and improve plant utilization.

• Lead or support projects aimed at increasing production capacity.

• Identify process bottlenecks and develop practical engineering solutions.

• Optimize equipment utilization, process flow, residence times and operating parameters.

• Evaluate debottlenecking opportunities involving pumps, heat exchangers, boilers, separators, filters, vacuum systems and other critical refinery equipment.

• Participate in capital projects, equipment upgrades and process modifications.

• Measure and report on the production benefits achieved from improvement projects.

• Drive continuous improvement in plant efficiency, energy consumption and operating costs.

Quality Management

• Ensure all refined oil produced meets defined customer, company and statutory quality specifications.

• Work closely with the Quality Assurance department to maintain consistent product quality.

• Monitor critical quality parameters throughout the refining process.

• Ensure effective process controls are in place to prevent quality deviations.

• Investigate production-related quality complaints and implement corrective and preventative actions.

• Maintain process discipline and ensure operators understand the relationship between operating conditions and final product quality.

• Promote a strong quality-at-source culture throughout the production department.

FSSC 22000 and ISO Compliance

• Ensure production activities comply with FSSC 22000, ISO and applicable food-safety and quality-management requirements.

• Maintain compliance with documented procedures, work instructions and operational controls.

• Ensure effective implementation of HACCP and relevant prerequisite programs within the production environment.

• Participate in internal and external audits.

• Ensure audit findings and non-conformances are addressed within agreed timeframes.

• Maintain accurate production records and traceability documentation.

• Promote food safety, hygiene, allergen control, contamination prevention and good manufacturing practices.

• Ensure employees receive appropriate training in food safety, quality and operational requirements.

Health, Safety and Environmental Management

• Ensure production activities are conducted in accordance with company SHEQ policies and statutory requirements.

• Promote a strong safety culture throughout the refinery.

• Ensure operators follow safe operating procedures, permit systems and lock-out/tag-out requirements.

• Investigate incidents and near misses and implement corrective actions.

• Control chemical handling risks associated with caustic soda, acids, bleaching earth and other refinery chemicals.

• Monitor environmental impacts, including effluent, waste, emissions and chemical losses.

People Management

• Lead, motivate and develop the production team.

• Set clear performance expectations and monitor individual and team performance.

• Ensure operators are appropriately trained and competent.

• Identify training and development requirements.

• Promote accountability, discipline and effective communication.

• Develop a culture of continuous improvement and problem solving.

• Ensure effective communication between shifts and departments.

Performance Monitoring and Reporting

Maintain and report key production performance indicators, including

• Production volume – tons/day and tons/month

• Refinery capacity utilization

• Oil yield and recovery

• Neutral oil losses

• Soap stock losses

• Downtime and production availability

• OEE

• Product quality compliance

• Chemical consumption

• Bleaching earth consumption

• Energy consumption

• Maintenance-related downtime

• Production cost per ton

• Waste and effluent generation

• Customer quality complaints

• Prepare regular production reports for management and provide recommendations for improving plant performance.

Health and Safety

• Participate in safety forums and attend relevant training/programmes

• Report all safety incidents to the relevant people

• Comply with safety policies and procedures

• Wear protective clothing (where applicable) at all times

Employee management and development

• Ensure overall compliance to relevant procedures and policies

• Ensure that all team members have clearly defined job profiles

• Regular goal reviews are completed to assess achievement of results

• Support, coaching and mentoring is continuously provided to ensure that objectives are met

• Appropriate allocation of resources to meet operational demands

• Ensure adequate succession planning to meet ongoing and anticipated business requirements

Requirements

Qualification and Experience

• Relevant tertiary qualifications in Edible oil refining, Food Technology, Production Management, or a related discipline.

• Minimum 5–10 years' experience in edible oil processing/refining, preferably in a management or senior supervisory position.

• Proven experience in chemical refining of canola oi