Sr. Value Engineer/Analyst (VEP)

Objective of the Position: Supports Business Unit by identifying areas of profit enhancement opportunities within existing and new business that are aligned with the mission, strategies and goals of the Company. 

Accountabilities: Independent organization, coordination and execution of value analyses & value engineering internally and at suppliers’ sites to achieve operational excellence

 • Identify and support execution of regional value analysis, value engineering, and cost reduction initiatives to deliver cost reduction and margin improvement. Includes target setting, idea generation, project leadership of initiatives, analysis, and reporting and escalation / management of off-track initiatives. 

• Engage cross-functional teams and foster a culture of value analysis, value engineering, design to cost and continuous improvement using industry standard tools and methods including benchmarking, lean methodology, VAVE, VSM and other relevant continuous improvement tools. 

• Perform gap analysis to identify deficiencies in business processes and programs, and recommend adjustments that directly impact company financials 

• Recommend methods for improving worker efficiency and reducing waste of materials and utilities such as restructuring job duties, reorganizing workflow 

• Analyze and evaluation of purchased parts, assemblies or tools / estimate potentials and perform in conjunction with the responsible commodity department value analyzes among others at supplier sites locally and globally 

• Analyze cost structures of suppliers, find potentials and check plausibility of implementation measure and timing with supplier 

• Best Practice transfer in one or more fields of expertise (Manufacturing, Planning, Technology, Procurement, Tooling, etc.) 

• Creation of surcharge rates and allocation keys (if required) to evaluate the suppliers 

• Perform on-site supplier plant and equipment evaluation and assesses the vendor manufacturing process flow 

• Analysis and rating of new manufacturing processes and techniques in terms of profitability and assessment of their influence on the company's own product development 

• Conduct time studies and be able to provide alternative solutions (i.e. work-load balance, machine balance, layout re-arrangement). 

• Lead / Moderate cross functional workshops across all levels of the organization Job description Internal 

Independent execution of complex calculations to determine costs (preparation for value analysis)

• Planning, conduction and moderation of optimization workshops for current, developing and future programs 

• Consolidation and ramp up of workshop results 

• Identification of conflicting goals, implementation hurdles and derivation of measures 

• Control and Implementation of action tracking 

• Check documents and design specifications for optimal feasibility, plausibility and optimization potential 

• Creation of preliminary and post calculations to determine and check plausibility of the cost per unit / tooling costs of exhaust systems and components 

• Cost calculation for prototyping, pre-series and series production tools 

• Creation of calculations through estimation and comparison 

• Check plausibility of material cost and optimize through supplier quotes, material price lists 

• Check plausibility and optimize process steps and workflow for single part production and assembly taking into account new or modified processes in accordance with ergonomic and economical knowledge 

• Check plausibility and optimize routings and changeover times 

• Calculate hourly rates for new equipment (if required) 

• Suggest design changes, calculate savings and amortization, perform process comparisons 

• Performs Make-or-Buy analyses 

• Coordinate, moderate and perform concept reviews

Benchmarks

• Perform Benchmark studies of comparable suppliers with reference to „Best Practice“ and “Best in Class“ views, create comparisons and show identified potentials 

• Perform Benchmark studies of single components or complete exhaust systems of the competition: Analysis, preparation and deduction of conclusions for manufacturing technologies and design concepts 

Knowledge Management

• Coordinate and ensure implementation of the preparation of workshops and analysis results and feeding them into the database 

• Identification of cross-program/ -component or -plant synergy effects and deduction of recommendations for optimization 

• Release newsletters, roadshows and reports 

• Conductions and moderation of coaching and training sessions 

• Creation of top management presentations 

Conceptual project work

• Conception/optimization of new/of methods, standards, templates, tools of value analysis 

• Conception/optimization of new/of reports and action tracking formats Job description Internal Page 

 Secondary Accountabilities: The position incumbent ensures that: 

• Conduct all business related activities for, and on the behalf of, Eberspaecher within the limits of applicable local, state, and federal legal requirements. 

• Provide support to, and compliance with, all local and corporate Eberspaecher Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE) policies, procedures and other HSE related requirements. 

• Quality - Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness and follows all EETAM polices related to TS16949 and ISO 14001; looks for way to improve and promote quality. 

• Other duties as assigned. 

Requirement Profile Professional Background / Basic Qualification / Work Experience: 

• Bachelor's degree (B. S.) in Industrial Engineering, or equivalent 

• Minimum ten years’ experience in one or more fields of experience (VA/VE, Continuous Improvement, Manufacturing, Program/Project Management, Supply Chain, Technology, Procurement, Tooling…etc.) in regards to cost reductions and program profitability 

• Ability to moderate large groups/workshops and present in front of an audience 

• Strong analytical skills and business acumen required 

• Capable of budget planning 

• Must be able to read blue prints (drawings) and math models (CAD) and understand material selections and designs for exhaust systems. 

• Must be able to understand BOM structure (bill of material) 

• Ability to travel domestically & internationally by car or plane 

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be proficient in Microsoft Office (esp. Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) 

• Cost Estimating (Metals, Stamping, Welding…etc.) & Program/Project Management experience preferred

 Technical Expertise:

• Provide relevant reports for cost decisions (status reports of current activities, progress towards implementation of ideas/savings, and workshop planning) 

• Ability to apply mathematical concepts and operations, including calculations, percentages, … 

• Ability to read and comprehend instructions, correspondence, and memos, and write correspondence. 

• Analytical- Synthesize complex or diverse information; Collects and researches data; Uses intuition and experience to complement data; Designs work flows and procedures. 

• Business Acumen- Understands business implications of decisions. 

• Knowledge of continuous improvement of products for manufacturability. 

• Knowledge of engineering fundaments, mechanical systems, automotive systems, and exhaust systems. 

• Project Management- Develops project plans; Coordinates projects; Communicates changes and progress; Completes projects on time and budget; Manages cross functional project team activities.