Supervisor Quality Lab in Lafayette, Indiana at REA MAGNET WIRE CORP

Position Summary:

Leads the day-to-day operation of the plant quality laboratory supporting magnet wire manufacturing. Responsible for ensuring timely, accurate, and consistent testing of raw materials, in-process wire, and finished magnet wire to verify compliance with customer specifications, internal standards, applicable ASTM/NEMA/IEC requirements, and the plant Quality Management System. Provides technical and operational leadership to laboratory technicians, maintains laboratory testing capability and equipment, ensures proper test methods and documentation, investigates nonconforming test results, and partners closely with Operations, Process/Technology, Engineering, Maintenance, and Customer Quality to resolve product and process issues.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Laboratory Operations

• Supervise daily activities of Quality Lab Technicians and other assigned laboratory personnel.
• Establish daily testing priorities based on production schedules, customer requirements, product holds, trials, and shipment needs.
• Ensure required in-process and finished-product testing is completed accurately and on time.
• Maintain appropriate laboratory coverage to support manufacturing operations.
• Monitor laboratory workload, turnaround time, and testing backlog.
• Ensure samples are properly identified, handled, tested, retained, and disposed of according to established procedures.
• Ensure test results are entered accurately into applicable quality and manufacturing systems.
• Maintain effective shift-to-shift communication regarding testing issues, product holds, and priority samples.

2. Magnet Wire Testing - Provide oversight and technical support for magnet wire testing, which may include:

• Conductor diameter and dimensional measurements, overall wire diameter, enamel/build thickness, electrical resistance, elongation, tensile strength, springback, flexibility and adherence, mandrel/wrap testing, scrape abrasion, cut-through, heat shock, thermal endurance-related testing, dielectric breakdown, continuity testing, pinholes, solvent resistance, bond strength for bondable products, surface condition and visual inspection, conductor exposure/bleed-through evaluation, other customer-, product-, or specification-specific testing.

3. Quality Control & Product Disposition

• Review test results for compliance with product specifications and control limits.
• Respond immediately to out-of-specification or abnormal test results.
• Ensure suspect material is appropriately identified, contained, and placed on quality hold when required.
• Coordinate retesting and verification of questionable results.
• Support disposition decisions for nonconforming material.
• Partner with Production and Quality leadership to determine appropriate corrective actions.
• Identify trends in laboratory results that may indicate deterioration in manufacturing process performance.
• Escalate significant product-quality risks promptly.

4. Problem Solving & Root Cause Analysis

• Lead or participate in investigations involving product failures, laboratory abnormalities, customer complaints, and process-related quality issues.
• Utilize structured problem-solving methods such as:
  • 5 Why
  • Fishbone/Ishikawa analysis
  • 8D
  • Pareto analysis
  • Statistical analysis
• Work with Operations, Engineering, Technology, and Maintenance to identify root causes and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Verify effectiveness of corrective actions through testing and data analysis.

5. Laboratory Equipment & Calibration

• Ensure laboratory equipment is properly maintained, calibrated, verified, and available for use.
• Maintain calibration schedules and records in accordance with the Quality Management System.
• Ensure equipment found outside calibration requirements is properly controlled and evaluated for potential impact on previous test results.
• Coordinate preventive maintenance and repair of laboratory equipment.
• Support evaluation and purchase of new laboratory equipment.
• Develop and maintain appropriate measurement system controls.
• Participate in Measurement System Analysis (MSA) and Gauge R&R studies where appropriate.

6. Standards & Quality Systems - Ensure testing activities comply with applicable requirements, which may include:

• ISO 9001, IATF 16949, where applicable, NEMA magnet wire standards, ASTM test methods, IEC standards, customer-specific requirements, internal product and process specifications

7. Data Analysis & Continuous Improvement

• Analyze laboratory data to identify product and process trends.
• Develop and monitor key laboratory performance indicators.
• Use statistical methods to identify variation and emerging quality risks.
• Recommend improvements to testing methods, equipment, workflow, and laboratory productivity.
• Partner with manufacturing teams to reduce defects, scrap, rework, customer complaints, and quality-related production interruptions.
• Participate in continuous improvement and cost-reduction initiatives.

8. Leadership Responsibilities

• Supervise, coach, train, and develop laboratory employees.
• Establish clear expectations for accuracy, responsiveness, productivity, and safety.
• Develop laboratory technician competency and cross-training matrices.
• Ensure technicians are qualified before independently performing required tests.
• Conduct performance discussions and provide ongoing coaching and feedback.
• Coordinate staffing, scheduling, overtime, and laboratory coverage.
• Promote accountability and a strong quality culture.
• Encourage technicians to escalate unusual results rather than simply repeat testing until acceptable results are obtained.
• Build strong working relationships between the Quality Lab and manufacturing teams.

Education and Experience

Required:

• Associate degree in Quality, Engineering Technology, Materials Science, Chemistry, Manufacturing Technology, or related technical discipline; equivalent manufacturing quality experience may be considered.
• Typically 5+ years of manufacturing quality or laboratory experience, preferably in wire, cable, metals, electrical products, coatings, polymers, or another process-manufacturing environment.
• Previous leadership, supervisory, or team-lead experience.
• Experience with measurement and laboratory testing equipment.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing quality systems and nonconforming-material controls.

Preferred:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Materials Science, Chemistry, or related discipline.
• Magnet wire or wire-and-cable manufacturing experience.
• Experience with enamel/coating systems and copper or aluminum conductors.
• ISO 9001 and/or IATF 16949 experience.
• Experience with NEMA, ASTM, IEC, or customer-specific magnet wire testing standards.
• ASQ certification or related quality certification.