Controls Engineer - Manufacturing Engineering

Company Profile
80 years and countless innovations later, JCB is the world’s largest privately-owned manufacturer of construction and agricultural equipment. At 23 plants spanning four continents—and countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, India and Brazil—JCB manufactures a range of more than 300 products including telescopic handlers, backhoe loaders, excavators, wheel loaders, compact excavators, skid steer loaders, compact track loaders, Access aerial work platforms, rough terrain forklifts, and tractors.

JCB people are at the heart of our business and as a family-owned business we answer to our customers, not a group of shareholders. That freedom allows us to concentrate on developing the latest technologies and incorporating them into our equipment. We focus on what our customer needs on the jobsite – a machine that holds up in the toughest environment and increases their productivity.

At JCB, we stand behind our products – and our name.

Position Purpose
This position is responsible for designing, optimizing, and sustaining efficient material flow systems across the facility. This includes material presentation, lineside delivery, internal logistics, supermarket design, AGV/tugger routes, PFEP ownership, and integration with fabrication, paint and assembly processes in the plant.
This role provides technical leadership across manufacturing engineering, production, logistics, and supply chain teams to ensure material availability, reduce waste, decrease internal logistics costs, and support continuous improvement initiatives.

Major Tasks, Responsibilities & Key Accountabilities

Material Flow System Design & Optimization
• Develop and maintain the Plan for Every Part (PFEP) including container strategy, trolleys design, replenishment methods, route frequency, and storage locations.
• Develop, maintain, and continuously optimize material flow using Material and Information Flow Diagrams (MIFDs) to support efficient manufacturing processes.
• Design material flow solutions including supermarkets, kitting cells, sequencing strategies, lineside presentation, and internal logistics routes.
• Lead optimization of material movement using lean principles to eliminate waste and improve flow.
• Evaluate and implement new technologies (AGVs, AMRs, digital kanban, tugger optimization, point-of-use storage).
Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence
• Lead complex CI initiatives to reduce logistics cost, improve throughput, and stabilize flow to production lines.
• Conduct time studies, data analysis, and simulation modeling to identify capacity constraints and improvement opportunities.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions related to material shortages, bottlenecks, and inventory accuracy issues.
Cross Functional Leadership
• Collaborate with Production, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Industrial Engineering to align material strategies with production plans.
• Partner with Program Management and NPI teams to develop material flow designs for new products or model introductions.
Documentation & Standards
• Ensure accurate and up-to-date documentation including PFEPs, logistics work instructions, replenishment standards, and layout drawings.
• Create future-state maps and maintain material flow standards across the plant.
Data & Systems Integration
• Use ERP/MRP, MES, and logistics systems to maintain accurate material parameters.
• Analyze inventory data, delivery performance, route metrics, and internal logistics KPIs to drive improvements.

Minimum Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
• 5–10 years of experience in manufacturing, industrial engineering, logistics engineering, or material flow optimization, preferably in automotive sector.
• Demonstrated expertise in lean manufacturing, PFEP management, value stream mapping, and material flow design.
• Proficiency with CAD tools, layout design, and manufacturing documentation.
• Strong analytical skills and experience with data analysis or simulation tools (Excel, PowerBI, discrete-event simulation preferred).
• Experience working with ERP/MRP systems.
• Excellent communication skills with proven ability to lead cross functional teams.

Job Conditions
• Work performed in both an office and a manufacturing/factory environment.
• Exposure to noise, forklift/vehicle traffic, and varying temperatures.

Physical Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perfor