Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Location: Shoreview, Minnesota
Reports To: Director of Operations
Salary: $130-$150k annually + Annual Bonus

Position Summary

Binks is seeking a high-impact Manufacturing Engineering Manager to lead manufacturing engineering, process excellence, automation, and new product industrialization at our Shoreview, Minnesota Center of Excellence.

This role is a critical leadership position supporting Binks' transformation journey as we integrate multiple product lines, simplify operations, accelerate innovation, and establish world-class manufacturing capabilities across industrial finishing, powder coating, liquid paint application, electrostatic systems, sealant and adhesive dispensing, and engineered systems.

The Manufacturing Engineering Manager will lead a team of Manufacturing, Process, and Industrial Engineers while driving operational excellence, manufacturing standardization, productivity improvements, capital deployment, and technology advancement. The successful candidate will bring experience from leading industrial and finishing solutions manufacturers with high-mix industrial manufacturing and finishing solutions environments.

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Engineering Leadership

• Lead and develop a high-performing Manufacturing Engineering organization supporting machining, assembly, fabrication, finishing, testing, and engineered systems production.
• Establish engineering standards, work instructions, labor standards, routings, process controls, and manufacturing governance.
• Support integration of acquired businesses, product transfers, and footprint optimization initiatives.
• Drive manufacturing readiness and scalability to support future growth.
• Serve as a key leader in operational transformation and value creation initiatives.

Process Engineering & Finishing Technology Excellence

Provide technical leadership across core Binks manufacturing technologies including:

• Liquid paint application systems
• Powder coating systems
• Electrostatic finishing equipment
• Precision fluid handling systems
• Sealant and adhesive dispensing systems
• Electromechanical assembly operations
• Fabrication and machining processes
• Test and validation systems

Responsibilities include:

• Improving cost, first-pass yield, throughput, and process capability.
• Developing robust control plans and process validation standards.
• Reducing process variation and manufacturing defects.
• Establishing best-in-class manufacturing processes benchmarked against leading finishing industry manufacturers.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on:

• Safety
• Quality
• Delivery
• Productivity
• Cost
• Inventory
• Lead Time Reduction

Deploy Lean and Six Sigma methodologies including:

• Standard Work
• Visual Management
• 5S
• Kaizen
• Value Stream Mapping
• SMED
• Root Cause Analysis
• Error Proofing (Poka-Yoke)
• Daily Management Systems
• TPM and OEE Improvement

Additional responsibilities:

• Build and manage annual productivity pipelines.
• Drive labor efficiency and capacity optimization.
• Improve manufacturing flow and plant layout.
• Eliminate waste and non-value-added activities.
• Support EBITDA expansion through measurable operational improvements.

New Product Introduction (NPI) & Value Engineering

Partner closely with Product Management, Engineering, Marketing, and Operations to:

• Industrialize new product introductions.
• Implement Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA).
• Lead manufacturing readiness reviews.
• Develop scalable manufacturing processes.
• Support APQP, PFMEA, Control Plans, and validation activities where appropriate.
• Drive Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VA/VE) initiatives to improve margins and competitiveness.
• Ensure engineering resources are aligned to innovation projects with strong business cases and growth potential.

Automation, Capital & Technology Deployment

• Develop multi-year capital investment roadmaps.
• Identify automation opportunities that improve safety, quality, productivity, and scalability.
• Lead equipment selection, installation, commissioning, and startup.
• Evaluate robotics, vision systems, automated assembly, and digital manufacturing technologies.
• Support factory layout redesign and manufacturing cell optimization.
• Build financial business cases and ROI analyses for capital investments.

High-Mix / Low-Volume Manufacturing Strategy

Develop manufacturing systems capable of supporting:

• Configure-to-Order (CTO)
• Make-to-Order (MTO)

Focus areas include:

• Manufacturing flexibility
• Capacity planning
• Rapid response manufacturing
• Setup reduction
• Resource utilization
• Flow optimization

The successful candidate will understand the unique challenges of engineered industrial equipment manufacturing where product customization, low-volume complexity, and customer responsiveness are critical competitive advantages.

Quality & Compliance

Partner with Quality leadership to:

• Improve process capability and process stability.
• Drive corrective and preventive action systems.
• Support ISO 9001/ ATEX/FM Global compliance and continuous improvement.
• Reduce COPQ and manufacturing defects.
• Improve supplier and internal quality performance.
• Ensure manufacturing standards are consistently deployed across operations.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, coach, and develop Manufacturing Engineers, Process Engineers, Industrial Engineers, and Technicians.
• Build technical capability across the organization.
• Establish succession planning and talent development strategies.
• Foster a culture aligned with The Binks Way: 
  • Bold
  • Innovative
  • Nimble
  • Knowledgeable
  • Sustainable
• Promote accountability, ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Key Performance Indicators

Success in this role will be measured through:

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related discipline.
• 5+ years of Manufacturing Engineering experience.
• 2+ years leading engineering or technical teams.
• Experience in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environments.
• Strong Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement experience.
• Proven success leading productivity and cost-reduction initiatives.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems and manufacturing execution processes.
• Strong project management and cross-functional leadership skills.

Preferred

• Experience in industrial finishing, fluid handling, dispensing, coating, automation, pumps, spray equipment, or industrial process equipment manufacturing.
• Experience with companies such as Graco, Wagner, Nordson, Eaton, Parker Hannifin, Eaton, or similar industrial and automotive manufacturers.
• MBA or advanced technical degree.
• Knowledge of design for manufacturing, and structured NPI processes.

Why Join Binks

Binks is transforming a 130+ year industry leader into the premier global finishing and fluid-handling solutions company. This role offers the opportunity to lead engineering excellence at our flagship Shoreview Center of Excellence, directly influencing productivity, innovation, customer satisfaction, and enterprise value creation while shaping the future of industrial finishing technology.