Plant head

Position Summary

The Plant Head will provide strategic and operational leadership for Refroid's manufacturing facility, ensuring world-class performance across production, quality, supply chain, engineering support, safety, people development, and continuous improvement.

The role carries end-to-end accountability for a ₹250+ crore manufacturing operation, delivering high-quality immersion cooling systems, Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs), AI infrastructure products, and related technologies. The Plant Head will lead capacity expansion, digital manufacturing initiatives, operational excellence programmes, and workforce capability development while maintaining best-in-class standards for cost, delivery, safety, and customer satisfaction.

As a member of the executive leadership team, the Plant Head will play a critical role in scaling Refroid into a globally competitive advanced manufacturing organization.

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Leadership

Lead end-to-end manufacturing operations across fabrication, assembly, testing, packaging, warehousing, and dispatch. Deliver production plans while meeting Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, and Productivity (SQCDP) objectives. Drive manufacturing scalability to support rapid business growth. Ensure optimal utilization of plant capacity, manpower, equipment, and resources. Establish world-class manufacturing systems and operating disciplines.

Business & Operational Performance

Own plant operating performance and annual operating budget. Deliver annual production targets exceeding ₹500 crore. Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), throughput, and manufacturing productivity. Reduce manufacturing costs through Lean and automation initiatives. Drive inventory optimization and working capital efficiency. Monitor operational KPIs and present performance reviews to executive leadership.

Manufacturing Excellence

Implement Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, TPM, and Industry 4.0 initiatives. Lead automation, robotics, digital manufacturing, and smart factory projects. Improve production planning, workflow, and process capability. Champion continuous improvement across all manufacturing functions.

Quality & Operational Excellence

Partner with the Head Quality to achieve Zero Defect Manufacturing. Ensure compliance with ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and customer quality standards. Lead CAPA implementation and root cause investigations. Drive first-pass yield improvements and reduce Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ).

Supply Chain & Materials Management

Oversee production planning, procurement coordination, warehousing, logistics, and inventory management. Ensure material availability while minimizing inventory carrying costs. Collaborate with strategic suppliers to improve delivery performance and quality. Support localization and supplier development initiatives.

Engineering & New Product Introduction

Support smooth industrialization of new products. Collaborate with R& D and Engineering teams on Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and New Product Introduction (NPI). Lead production readiness reviews and manufacturing validation.

Health, Safety & Environment (HSE)

Promote a Zero Harm safety culture. Ensure compliance with statutory, environmental, and occupational safety regulations. Lead emergency preparedness and business continuity planning. Conduct regular safety audits and risk assessments.

People Leadership

Build and develop a high-performing manufacturing organization. Lead workforce planning, succession planning, and capability development. Foster employee engagement, productivity, and a culture of accountability. Mentor functional leaders and create future manufacturing leadership talent.

Strategic Projects

Lead plant expansion and capacity enhancement initiatives. Establish new production lines for future products. Drive digital transformation and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES). Support global manufacturing readiness for export markets.

Functional Scope

The Plant Head will provide leadership across:

Production Manufacturing Engineering Industrial Engineering Production Planning & Control (PPC) Supply Chain Procurement Coordination Warehouse & Logistics Maintenance & Utilities Quality (Operational Coordination) Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) Plant HR & Administration Continuous Improvement Manufacturing Excellence Automation & Industry 4.0

Financial Accountability

Annual Production Value Annual Operating Budget Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) Inventory Value Workforce Cost Management Manufacturing Cost Optimization EBITDA Improvement

Technical Competencies

Manufacturing Operations

Lean Manufacturing Six Sigma TPM Kaizen Value Stream Mapping Production Planning Capacity Planning Shop Floor Management OEE Improvement Industrial Engineering

Operations Leadership

P& L Management Manufacturing Strategy Operational Excellence Supply Chain Management Cost Optimization Business Planning Risk Management Change Management Digital Manufacturing

Systems & Technology

ERP (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics) Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) Power BI/Tableau SCADA Industrial Io T Automation & Robotics

Educational Qualification Essential

Bachelor's Degree in:

Mechanical Engineering or Production Engineering or Industrial Engineering or Manufacturing Engineering

Preferred

Master's Degree in Engineering or MBA (Operations / Supply Chain) or Executive Management Programme

Professional Certifications

Preferred certifications include:

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt TPM Certification APICS / CPIM PMP ISO 9001 Lead Auditor Industry 4.0 Certification

Experience

18 - 25 years in manufacturing leadership. Minimum 8 - 10 years leading large manufacturing plants. Experience managing ₹300 - 1,000 crore annual production operations. Proven success leading plants with 100 - 500+ employees. Exposure to electronics, industrial equipment, HVAC, precision engineering, data centre infrastructure, or advanced manufacturing is highly desirable.