Your responsibilities
Define and drive the global strategy for manufacturing automation with focus on welding & brazing automation incl. analyzing existing solutions as well as standardisation
Work with site manufacturing engineering teams and automation vendors/integrators to:
specify and procure robotic welding/brazing systems
propose implementation strategy per site with focus on implementation
commission, qualify and validate those systems (including weld procedure qualification, brazing parameter qualification, robot path programming, cycle time analysis, changeover optimisation).
develop and maintain standardised welding/brazing process documentation across sites
Ensure welding/brazing automation solutions meet required quality standards, internal specifications and external codes as well as safety/ergonomic requirements for cobot/robot interactions.
Act as subject expert for automation technology: train and mentor site engineers/technicians, support root-cause analysis of welding/brazing/automation issues, lead site audits of welding-automation readiness.
Collaborate with supply chain and maintenance functions to ensure spare part strategy, downtime minimisation and preventive maintenance programmes
Lead business-case development and CAPEX justification for automation investments in welding/brazing; partner with finance and global manufacturing engineering leadership.
Drive global standardisation and benchmarking: collect best practices from all sites, benchmark automation progress, recommend and deploy global CAPEX projects to elevate welding/brazing automation maturity.
Your profile
Master’s degree in Automation Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering,, Welding Engineering or equivalent.
Certification in welding engineering (e.g., Certified Welding Engineer or CWB-WE) is a plus.
Extensive (typically 8-15 years) hands-on experience in industrial automation or research institutes concentrating on automation.
Deep technical knowledge of welding (MIG, TIG, MAG, Sub-Arc, etc) and brazing (e.g., vacuum brazing, flux brazing, induction brazing) processes, including material‐joint types, metallurgy, fixtures, weld/braze parameter development, weld codes/standards.
Familiarity with factory automation frameworks such as Industry 4.0, digital twin, smart robotics, machine vision.
Strong project management and change-management skills: capable of leading cross-functional teams across multiple manufacturing sites and geographies.
Excellent data-driven mindset: use metrics and analytics to drive decisions, benchmark performance and report on ROI, OEE, quality, cost savings.
Excellent communication skills (English written and oral), able to present to senior leadership, influence and convince stakeholders globally and build consensus
Travel readiness to visit manufacturing plants worldwide (minimum 50%).