Tool & Die Maker
On-site · East Lansing, Michigan, United States
Job Summary
Tool & Die Maker for a high-volume metal forming environment. Responsible for maintaining, troubleshooting, repairing, and improving tooling to ensure production quality, equipment reliability, and operational efficiency. Requires strong progressive die experience, ability to collaborate with production, engineering, and maintenance, and proactive problem-solving to minimize downtime. Must perform tooling inspections, validations, and quality verifications, support tooling changeovers, and participate in continuous improvement initiatives and engineering changes to tooling and processes. Emphasis on documentation, tool room operations, and cross-functional teamwork.
Required Qualifications
- Journeyman Tool & Die certification preferred, or equivalent combination of education and substantial hands-on experience.
- Minimum of 10 years of experience in tooling, die maintenance, toolmaking, or a related manufacturing environment preferred.
- Experience supporting high-volume stamping operations required.
- Strong background with progressive dies required.
- Experience with transfer dies, tandem dies, or other metal forming tooling systems preferred.
- Experience supporting new tool launches, tooling validation, and engineering change implementation is a plus.
- Familiarity with ERP systems and standard business software is beneficial.
- Exposure to Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, or continuous improvement methodologies is preferred.
- Understanding of automotive or manufacturing quality systems, including IATF 16949, is a plus.
- Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis capabilities.
- Ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
- Excellent organizational, planning, and follow-up skills.
- Proficiency with precision measuring equipment, hand tools, and tool room equipment.
- Experience operating manual machine tools including mills, lathes, saws, and grinders.
- Working knowledge of welding techniques and tooling repair methods.
- Understanding of CNC machining processes and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).
- Ability to interpret inspection reports, scan data, and dimensional analysis results.
- Experience with die construction, die repair, die setup, and rebuilding standard tooling components.
- Knowledge of metal forming and hot stamping processes is a plus.
- Ability to safely operate material handling equipment, including cranes, die carts, and industrial lift equipment.
- Willingness to work overtime, alternative schedules, or shift assignments as business needs require.
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