Production Supervisor- First Shift

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Safety & Compliance

• Own safety on the shift. Lead the pre-shift safety talk, enforce lockout/tagout, machine guarding, PPE, and powered industrial truck rules, and stop work when conditions are unsafe.
• Lead incident and near-miss investigations within 24 hours using root cause analysis, and drive corrective actions through to closure.
• Complete scheduled safety walks and audits, correct hazards on the spot where possible, and escalate what can’t be fixed on shift.
• Ensure operations comply with Rohrer policies and applicable OSHA, federal, state, and local regulations.

OEE & Shift Performance Ownership

• Own OEE (availability, performance, and quality) for all first-shift work centers, including presses, die cutters, folder-gluers, and sheeters.
• Ensure production data is captured accurately and in real time: run time, downtime with correct reason codes, make-ready time, counts, and waste. Bad data is treated as a performance issue.
• Track performance hour-by-hour against plan. When a work center falls behind, take action on shift and escalate to the Operations Manager early with a recovery plan.
• Review the shift’s top downtime and waste losses daily and lead countermeasures using structured problem-solving (5 Why, fishbone, A3).
• Drive make-ready and changeover reduction through standard work and SMED practices.

Scheduling & Production Execution

• Execute the production schedule released by Planning and own schedule attainment for the shift.
• Partner with Planning/Scheduling on job sequencing to reduce make-ready and protect the constraint, and give honest input on run rates, crewing, and capacity.
• Verify material and tooling readiness (board, ink, coatings, plates, cutting and stripping dies, glue) before jobs reach the floor so machines are never waiting.
• Keep work flowing between departments (press to die cut to folder-gluer) so the constraint stays fed and WIP stays under control.
• Assign labor based on schedule priorities and the constraint. Manage overtime and temporary labor to plan, and approve time and attendance accurately.
• Communicate schedule changes, delivery risks, and recovery plans to the Operations Manager, Planning, and Customer Service as soon as they are known.

Gemba Walk

• Lead the Tier 1 shift start-up meeting covering safety, quality, delivery, and productivity, and participate in Tier 2 meetings with the Operations Manager.
• Conduct a structured shift handoff with the incoming shift supervisor covering safety, quality issues, schedule status, equipment problems, and material concerns.
• Keep visual management boards current and accurate so anyone can see shift status at a glance.
• Follow leader standard work, including regular floor walks and process confirmations to verify standards are being followed.

Quality

• Ensure make-ready approvals (color, registration, die cut, glue) are completed and documented before running, and that in-process checks are performed at the required frequency.
• Contain nonconforming product immediately. Lead or support root cause and corrective action for internal rejects and customer complaints.
• Maintain compliance with Rohrer’s ISO quality system and any customer-specific requirements.

Equipment Reliability

• Ensure operators complete daily cleaning, inspection, and lubrication checks (autonomous maintenance) on their equipment.
• Submit clear, complete work orders, partner with Maintenance on priorities, and release equipment for scheduled preventive maintenance.
• Participate in root cause analysis for repeat failures and chronic downtime.

People Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop operators, assistants, material handlers, and lead persons on the shift.
• Maintain a current cross-training matrix and ensure backups are trained for critical positions.
• Ensure new hires are onboarded and trained to standard work before running independently.
• Set clear expectations and hold people accountable. Address performance, attendance, and conduct issues consistently and on time, partnering with HR and documenting appropriately.
• Complete performance reviews, give regular feedback, and recognize good work.
• Explain the “why” behind decisions and changes, and actively engage the team in improvement ideas.

Cost & Continuous Improvement

• Manage waste, consumables, and overtime within targets.
• Support inventory accuracy through accurate production and scrap reporting, cycle counts, and month-end physical inventories.
• Maintain 5S and housekeeping standards, and lead or participate in kaizen and improvement events.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

KEY PERFORMANCE MEASURES

The 1st Shift Supervisor is measured on shift results, including:

• Safety: recordable and near-miss reporting, corrective action closure, safety walk completion
• Quality: internal rejects, customer complaints, make-ready approval compliance
• Delivery: schedule attainment and on-time completion of shift work
• Productivity: OEE by work center, make-ready time, labor efficiency
• Cost: waste/spoilage percentage, overtime hours
• People: attendance, cross-training coverage, retention

QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

Required

• High school diploma or GED.
• Minimum of three years of supervisory or lead experience in a manufacturing environment, including direct leadership of hourly teams.
• Working knowledge of OEE, downtime tracking, and Lean tools (5S, standard work, root cause problem-solving).
• Proficient with Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, Teams) and comfortable with ERP and shop floor reporting systems.
• Able to work 1st shift, arrive early and stay late as needed for shift handoff, and support other shifts or weekends based on business needs.
• Must be able to pass a drug and background screen.
• Must pass a mechanical aptitude assessment.
• CPR/First Aid certification (provided by company).

Preferred

• Associate or bachelor’s degree in a technical or business field, or equivalent experience.
• Experience in folding carton, commercial printing, or packaging converting.
• Hands-on experience with offset presses (Heidelberg, KBA) and/or die cutters and folder-gluers (BOBST).
• Lean or Six Sigma training (Green Belt preferred) and OSHA 10 or 30-hour certification.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Work is performed primarily on the production floor in a manufacturing environment with noise, moving equipment, and forklift traffic.
• Must be able to stand and walk for extended periods and climb stairs or platforms as needed.
• Able to lift and carry up to 35 lbs.
• Required PPE must be worn in designated areas.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Exemplify Rohrer’s Core Values:
• Partnership – Actively develop relationships with our internal team and external partners to create shared value
• Integrity – Building trust as we operate under our guiding principles of honesty, decency, and ethics
• Drive – Engaged and passionate about proactively leading and participating in continuous improvement
• Initiative – Develop creative and inventive ideas that shape our markets and achieve our strategic objectives
• Understanding of print and converting processes and how work flows through printing, die cutting, folding/gluing, and sheeting.
• Understands constraint management and how labor, material, and equipment decisions affect throughput.
• Uses data (OEE, downtime Pareto, waste) to make decisions and set priorities, not just to report results.
• Applies structured problem-solving to find root cause instead of treating symptoms.
• Holds self and others accountable to standards in a fair and consistent way.
• Communicates clearly and directly with operators, maintenance, planning, quality, and leadership, and explains the “why” behind decisions.
• Makes sound real-time calls on labor, schedule, and priorities under pressure.
• Mechanical aptitude and the ability to troubleshoot basic equipment issues alongside maintenance.
• Builds a team environment where people are trained, engaged, and want to stay.
• Knows and applies OSHA and plant safety requirements, including lockout/tagout, machine guarding, and powered industrial trucks.
• Knows and applies Rohrer’s ISO quality, Lean, and daily management systems.