Technical Production (Manufacturing) Manager

Cleveland Steel Container, a World Class Steel Pail Manufacturing company, is seeking an enthusiastic, responsible, and customer-oriented individual that has a positive attitude and shares the values of our company culture, which is built around teamwork, family, honest communication and producing desirable results for our Detroit, MI manufacturing facility. Job Overview: The Technical Production Manager is responsible for planning, directing, and troubleshooting all production activities in a tin-can manufacturing plant, with hands-on technical responsibility for lines producing F-style gallons, quart rounds, and related metal containers. Ensures safety, quality, uptime, and cost targets are met while maintaining and improving forming, seaming, and coating processes. Key Responsibilities:Plan, schedule, and oversee daily production for multiple can lines (body makers, neckers, flangers, seamers, presses, and decorating/coating equipment) to meet volume and on-time delivery targets. Set up, adjust, and optimize line parameters (feeds, speeds, tooling, changeover settings, seam setup) to achieve specification on F-style and round can dimensions, seams, and coatings. Own process capability and efficiency (OEE) for assigned lines, track scrap, downtime, and rework, and lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions for quality or mechanical issues. Develop, implement, and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), setup sheets, and changeover instructions for all can types, including new size introductions. Work with maintenance and engineering to plan preventive maintenance, coordinate repairs, and recommend equipment upgrades, tooling, and spare-parts strategies. Oversee in-process and final quality checks (seam integrity, leak testing, dimensional checks, coating/lining, print registration) and ensure compliance with customer specs and industry standards. Enforce safety policies, lockout/tagout, machine guarding, and housekeeping standards; lead incident investigations and corrective actions. Supervise, coach, and evaluate line operators, mechanics, and support staff; organize training on machine operation, setups, and quality requirements for metal packaging. Monitor material usage (tinplate, coatings, ends, fittings/handles) and work with planning/purchasing to minimize waste, manage inventories, and avoid stockouts. Lead continuous-improvement projects (SMED/changeover reduction, scrap reduction, throughput improvement) using basic Lean/5S tools and data analysis. Support product development and trial runs for new can designs, coatings, or fittings, translating customer specs into machine settings and production documentation. Technical skills and experience:Strong practical knowledge of metal packaging or sheet-metal manufacturing: can-body forming, flanging, seaming, beading, and coating/decorating processes. Ability to set up and troubleshoot high-speed mechanical production equipment (cams, pneumatics, drives, sensors) and interpret mechanical drawings and specifications. Familiarity with quality tools (SPC charts, capability indices, basic problem-solving methods) and leak/seam testing methods for cans. Experience with production metrics (OEE, scrap rate, downtime codes) and basic use of ERP or MES systems for scheduling and reporting. Qualifications:Associate or bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, or industrial engineering, or equivalent technical experience in metal packaging. 5+ years in manufacturing, with at least 2–3 years in a supervisory or lead-technician role on metal container or similar high-speed lines. Working knowledge of human resource principles and practices: recruitment and selection, employee relations and coaching and counseling Knowledge and experience in organizational effectiveness and operations management Solid financial and business management acumen Cleveland Steel Container was founded in 1963 to provide customers with a dependable steel pail. Currently, we have four pail plants located strategically throughout the United States to support our customers. At our Streetsboro, OH facility, we have a metal stamping plant to provide component parts for our pails. Our Youngstown, OH facility manufactures 1-gallon tin cans and our Detroit, MI facility manufactures various general line cans, such as F-Style, Gallon and Quart round cans. Our goal is to continuously provide our customers with quality pails through excellent service at an outstanding value. Finally, we make good pails and deliver them on time! Cleveland Steel Container offers a competitive salary based on commensurate experience and a comprehensive benefits program that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401k with company contribution, paid holidays and vacations and life insurance. Equal Opportunity Employer This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.

Created: 2026-03-10