Quality Manager

About Kennametal

With over 80 years as an industrial technology leader, Kennametal Inc. delivers productivity to customers through materials science, tooling and wear-resistant solutions. Customers across aerospace and defense, earthworks, energy, general engineering and transportation turn to Kennametal to help them manufacture with precision and efficiency. Every day approximately 8,700 employees are helping customers in nearly 100 countries stay competitive. Kennametal generated $2.1 billion in revenues in fiscal 2023. Learn more at www.kennametal.com. Follow @Kennametal: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Job Title:- Quality Manager

Location:- Bangalore

Job Summary:

This position will cover job functions for the quality department responsible for compliance to the Quality Management System for the campus as well as the day-to-day activities and development of the quality team members. This includes customer satisfaction (complaints, response time, ePPM) and financial performance of Quality (COPQ).

Key Responsibilities

• Customer Satisfaction – Lead an understanding of internal & external customer needs and expectations for continual improvement. Approve on-time 8D’s to customers after quality events which impact customers. Identify projects for continuous improvement and work with cross-functional team to execute. Job may require frequent contact with customer personnel to align responses and drive customer intimacy
• Financial Performance of Quality (COPQ) – Utilize MRB process to drive problem solving to prevent recurrence on major issues. Identify projects for continuous improvement and work with cross-functional team to execute.
• Quality Management System –Maintain policies, procedures, control plans, failure catalogs, audits, metrology, et al, to foster an atmosphere of compliance on campus and continually improves customer satisfaction and quality financial performance. Conduct Process, System, Supplier and Plant audits driving improvements.
• Flawless launch & change – Ensures team is engaged so that risks are identified and mitigated ahead of launch for newly developed product or process or product changes on the campus.

• Ensures an effective organizational structure and sufficient staffing for the quality department in the area. Leads the day-to-day activities of the quality team and promotes a culture of quality ownership among all cross-functions on the campus and support teams such as engineering and application support through strategic development and communication.
• Maintain the Quality Management System (ISO 9001) of the site. Engage with regional and global QMS leadership to ensure conformance to business segment & corporate procedures.
• Ensures capable metrology through calibration of gages and measurement systems analysis (MSA) for the campus (or area).
• Shares in the overall improvement metrics of the site to ensure quality targets are not sacrificed and a joint effort is made toward resource optimization and utilization. Communicates monthly results with corporate team.
• Identifies & supports training initiatives for work force on the campus – in and out of quality department.
• Supports regional and global strategic quality initiatives on the campus.
• Approve and execute (LPA) product & process audits aimed to drive standardization of jobs. The ability to communicate and coach closure of process and inspection non-conformances is required.
• Facilitate on-time response to customer complaints through approving 8D’s generated by a cross-functional team led by a quality engineer. Diagnose top level causes of customer complaints to drive continuous improvement efforts on the campus and manage projects with the cross functional team to ensure execution. Personal leadership of high impact customer complaints may be required.
• Facilitate root cause and corrective action for high impact scrap events coming from the MRB process. This can include events which did not go through the MRB process.
• Approves changes to policies, procedures, control plans, failure catalogs, audits and defined metrology methods to support continuous improvement on the campus.
• Work with cross-functional team to address systemic root causes for top quality costs for the campus. This includes open communication and potential travel to customers and/or other KMT sites to find read across opportunities.
• Analyzes statistical and QCPC data from processes to identify proactive continuous improvement opportunities.
• Approves & performs layered process audits (LPA) and works with cross functional team on root cause / corrective actions activities from findings to improve customer and financial performance proactively.
• Responsible for flawless launch of new product on the campus. This also includes verification of effectiveness of changes to existing product or processes and customer specific or regulatory requirements.
• Investigates trends in inspection technologies and work with mfg eng, operations and quality manage to implement in capital strategy.

• Performs tasks utilizing quality core tools (root cause analysis, FMEA, Control Plan, SPC, LPA, MSA, DOE, APQP/PPAP, etc) getting customer consent, implementation and ensure adherence with audits in Shop floor.
• Must have a base knowledge of SAP or aptitude to be trained in the application (SAP QM).
• Must be able to create process documents and audit processes to requirements, openly communicating findings.
• Must be able to work within cross functional teams through complex tasks exercising strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Must be able to communicate effectively with various levels of the organization (operators, supervision, plant leadership, engineering, quality management, operational excellence management, director levels) and customers.
• Must be able to lead change management to drive common goals across teams and mitigate risk. Use of processes such as PPAP.
• Basic project management skills required to drive actions which are agreed cross-functionally to drive targeted improvement.
• Must show competence utilizing skills to manage multiple plants with different products as well as supplier performance.

Years of Relevant Work Experience Required: 10-15 Years

Preferred Areas of Education, Certifications, and Skills:

• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Expertise in customer complaint management, root cause analysis, 8D methodology and mistake proofing.
• Must be able to use required computer software including but not limited to SAP, Microsoft Office, and statistical analysis tools such as MINITAB.
• 10 years minimum and at least 7 years in Quality from relevant industry.
• Requires bachelor’s degree or equivalent industry experience. Engineering graduate in Mechanical/Metallurgy preferred.
• Knowledge of ISO standards and requirements .Certified internal auditor for ISO9001:2015.
• Must be able to use gauges and measurement devices that determine compliance to drawing and product specifications. (profile and non-contact measurement, heat treat, special processes, coating technologies)
• Must be able to retrieve and interpret drawings & specifications including GD&T.
• Must be able to read and understand insert identification chart, routings and operating procedures. Must be able to determine insert defect criteria with product engineering.
• Applies experience and skills to complete assigned work within own area of expertise (core tools).
• Works within standard operating procedures and/or scientific methods.
• Six Sigma, ASQ Certification, CQE preferred.

Equal Opportunity Employer