Manufacturing Process Optimization Engineer (Automation & Machining)

Company: GKN Automotive
Location: Bowling Green
Posted on: February 14, 2026

Job Description:

Job Description Job Description A day in this role You start with a walk through the machining and assembly cells, scanning dashboards for bottlenecks. A CNC line is protecting the schedule—cycle time is creeping up—so you dive into method changes and fixture tweaks to cut setup and changeover minutes. By mid-morning, you’re on the floor with maintenance, tracing an intermittent fault in a Siemens PLC and reviewing an Allen?Bradley routine to stabilize a motion profile. After lunch, you meet with the Quality Engineer to refine PFMEAs and update control plans, then revise process flow diagrams to reflect a recent design change. You open the plant layout to reconfigure a workcell and plan utilities for a new piece of capital equipment. Before the shift ends, you facilitate a quick Kaizen, document outcomes, and schedule targeted training to raise operator capability on the revised standard work. Your impact Reduce setup time, changeovers, and operator effort through improved methods, tooling, and standardized work. Drive cycle-time reduction in bottleneck cells to increase throughput. Troubleshoot machining processes and PLC logic (Siemens & Allen?Bradley) to eliminate chronic faults. Modify processes to elevate safety, quality, and cost efficiency, and to incorporate engineering design updates. Support financial goals: build budgets, schedule expenditures, and manage project costs. Lead capital projects from specification and runoff to installation and contractor coordination. Maintain current equipment drawings and production layout documentation. Engineer robust solutions for recurring equipment and process failures. Identify skills gaps and deliver targeted departmental training. Coordinate TPM/PM along with proactive and predictive maintenance to maximize uptime. Own PFMEA, control plans, and process flows in partnership with the Quality Engineer. Coach shop-floor teams on problem solving and develop clear standard work instructions. Manage external contractors to execute process and equipment improvements. Collaborate across all levels to optimize machinery and manufacturing processes. Lead Kaizen events and capture/document the results. Operate with awareness of key environmental aspects and related operational controls. What you bringEssential 2 years’ experience in high-volume machining, assembly, and automation. Hands-on application of Lean Enterprise tools and thinking. Preferred Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills. B.S. in Mechanical, Industrial, or related Engineering field. Proficiency with MS Word and Excel; familiarity with MfgPro and Kronos. Why join us Build within a market leader poised for growth. Shape innovative, ground-up projects and see them through to launch. Competitive pay and benefits backed by financial stability. Long-term career path in a culture that values commitment and development. Key proficiencies PLC troubleshooting (Siemens & Allen?Bradley) Engineering fundamentals and degree-level knowledge Manufacturing environment experience Process development and optimization Basic computer literacy

Keywords: GKN Automotive, Southfield , Manufacturing Process Optimization Engineer (Automation & Machining), Engineering , Bowling Green, Michigan