Plant Manager( Plant Head)

Ecolab · India

Role Purpose

The Plant Manager is responsible for end-to-end plant operations, ensuring safe, compliant, efficient, and cost-effective manufacturing of chemical products. The role leads production, maintenance, quality, EHS, and logistics teams to deliver production targets, regulatory compliance, continuous improvement, and workforce capability development.

Key Responsibilities

1. Operations & Production

Lead day-to-day plant operations to meet production, quality, cost, and delivery targets.

Ensure optimal utilization of manpower, equipment, utilities, and raw materials.

Develop and track production plans, KPIs, and dashboards (OEE/OPE, yield, downtime, losses, MPSA).

Drive process stability, batch consistency, and throughput improvement.

Manage complex reaction (Latex/Solution Polymers) operation

2. Safety, Health & Environment (SHE)

Ensure strict compliance with statutory, environmental, and safety regulations (Factories Act, PESO, PCB, IMS certification, NSF, etc.).

Promote a zero-incident safety culture through training, audits, and leadership engagement.

Lead HAZOP, risk assessments, incident investigations, and corrective actions.

Ensure proper handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous chemicals and waste.

3. Quality & Compliance

Ensure compliance with IMS standards / customer quality standards.

Oversee process control, batch documentation, deviations, and CAPA.

Coordinate customer audits, internal audits / compliances, regulatory inspections, and certifications.

4. Maintenance & Reliability

Oversee preventive, predictive, and breakdown maintenance programs.

Improve equipment reliability, MTBF, and uptime.

Ensure availability of critical spares and effective shutdown planning.

5. Cost, Budget & Productivity

Prepare and manage plant budgets, operating costs, and capex proposals.

Drive cost reduction initiatives without compromising safety or quality.

Monitor energy, utilities, yield losses, and consumables usage.

6. People Leadership & Capability Building

Lead, mentor, and develop production, maintenance, QA, and SHE teams.

Ensure skill development, succession planning, and performance management.

Foster strong industrial relations and discipline on the shop floor.

Engage Union relations and drive efficiency improvements through strong collaboration and commitments in Long Term Settlements

7. Continuous Improvement & Projects

Drive Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, and Kaizen initiatives.

Lead process improvements, debottlenecking, and scale-up projects.

Support new product trials, technology transfers, and commissioning.

8. Stakeholder & Cross-functional Coordination

Coordinate with Supply Chain, R&D, Procurement, Manufacturing HPNs and Corporate EHS (Internal Stakeholders).

Act as the primary point of contact for regulators, auditors, and local authorities (External Stakeholders).

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Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Safety: TRIR, near misses, compliance score

Sustainability: Water usage, Energy usage, Waste Disposal

Production: Output vs plan, OEE, yield, downtime

Quality: Customer complaints, first-pass failure, audit findings

Cost: Plant Overheads (PLOH), energy cost, material losses

People: Attrition, training hours, engagement

Industrial Relations: Zero disputes (unionized operation)

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Qualifications & Experience

B.E./B.Tech in Chemical Engineering / Polymer Engineering (mandatory) from reputed College / University

15–20 years of experience in chemical manufacturing, with 5 years+ in a leadership role in reaction (polymer manufacturing) plants in West Bengal

Strong exposure to batch/continuous chemical processes, esp Latex Polymer Chemistry manufacturing

Knowledge of statutory and regulatory requirements for chemical plants

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Skills & Competencies

Strong process understanding and problem-solving capability

Proven people leadership and decision-making skills

Deep commitment to SHE and compliance

Strong Industrial relations experience in chemical industry (in West Bengal)

Financial acumen and data-driven mindset

Excellent communication and stakeholder management

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Preferred (Nice to Have)

Experience in specialty chemicals / intermediates / bulk chemicals

Exposure to greenfield or brownfield expansion projects

TPM exposure / Lean Six Sigma certification