Director Manufacturing-India

About Kennametal
With over 80 years as an industrial technology leader, Kennametal Inc. delivers productivity to customers through materials science, tooling and wear-resistant solutions. Customers across aerospace and defense, earthworks, energy, general engineering and transportation turn to Kennametal to help them manufacture with precision and efficiency. Every day approximately 8,700 employees are helping customers in nearly 100 countries stay competitive. Kennametal generated $2.1 billion in revenues in fiscal 2023. Learn more at

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Job Summary
Plans and manages the overall production activities of a plant ensuring compliance to global standards. Responsible for production schedules and performance indicators for measuring progresses. Monitors daily operations to identify and resolve problem areas

relating to staffing, scheduling, tooling, safety, quality and production line arrangement. May direct maintenance of facility and equipment. In charge of people development (leadership & competences) and people satisfaction. Responsible for ensuring a harmonious working in the shop floor by regular interaction with the union and to participate in the collective bargaining with the union. Responsible for liaising with external stake holders from statutory authorities like Factories Dept, / Pollution Control Board etc.,

Key Job Responsibilities

• Responsible for plant financial performance and all compliances related to manufacturing activities.
• Responsible to assure customer satisfaction needs are met - including lead time, on-time delivery, quality of product.
• Responsible to assure proper manpower levels are in place to support demand. Directs projects, processes, functional and business objectives with a broad scope and impact
• Provide strategic input to facilitate achievement of business results in the manufacturing facility.
• Manage a functional or operational area that directly supports the execution of tactical & strategic objectives
• Assess external developments and develop risk mitigation strategies in his / her area of responsibility.
• Responsible for reducing costs through lean and 6 Sigma programs.
• Responsible for maintaining harmonious industrial relations. Liaising with trade union leaders for wage contract / disputes / productivity improvement / Discipline etc.,
• S/he should Lead the Safety Leadership Committee and develop the site Safety Flight Plan and monitor progress and clear any organizational barriers that may prevent achieving goal of 100% Safe.
• Establish and enforce safety environment with clear roles and responsibilities, and regularly monitor performance using Safety Reviews.
• Enable and Support safety procedures to ensure all employees work safely, protect health, and safeguard the environment and leverage on processes like SWA etc. Create a culture where employees adopt a "100% Safe" mindset without compromising on ethics and integrity
• Lead and Support Modernization Initiatives and Projects for KIL. Define strategy and review plans and make key decisions to guide and support the process. Ensure KIL Leadership Alignment and workforce engagement in all key modernization initiatives. Ensure Organization preparedness in the implementation of automation, organizational changes, and employees' transition from the current roles into their future roles as a result of the Modernization effort.
• Responsible for leading, empowering and developing people to help Organization execute the overall entity strategy.
• Responsible for overall site related compliances and administration activities.

Preferred Areas Of Education, Certifications, And Skills

• An Engineer (Mechanical / Automotive / Industrial Engineering) with degree in management (desirable).
• S/he should have a minimum of 15 years in core manufacturing / production in comparable MNC / professionally managed organizations serving products and services to B2B industries, with at least 3-5 in Leadership / Management role. A proven track record of superior performances as a Manufacturing Head (minimum 4 years) is desirable.
• S/he should have experience in working and managing with Unions. Familiarity with India Employment Acts and Labor Laws will be an added advantage.
• S/he should have demonstrated ability to Build and Manage Diverse Employee groups with visionary leadership skills, Strong Communication, Collaborative and Negotiation skills.
• Good Commercial & Business Acumen. Understanding of Manufacturing related variances / expenses. Exposure to Six Sigma and related processes would be preferable.

Equal Opportunity Employer