Associate Planner Jobs in Milwaukee, WI (NOW HIRING)

Kapco Metal Stamping is the Midwest’s premier contract manufacturer of metal components, trusted by some of the world’s biggest brands to make precision metal parts. Kapco’s constant investment in modern, state-of-the-art equipment and cutting-edge technology sets us apart from other manufacturers in the industry and helps us deliver the highest quality products to their partners.

Alongside our metal stamping, fabrication, welding, and machining capabilities, Kapco has built a lasting reputation for our family culture based upon six core values: Innovation, Attitude, Integrity, Impact, Accountability, and Safety.

Today, Kapco employs over 600 employees across our family of companies, and we are looking to add to our fast-growing team!

Come Together at Kapco Video

Job Summary

The Toolroom Buyer/Planner is responsible for planning, prioritizing, and coordinating toolroom work to support production schedules, repairs, preventative maintenance, and die changeovers. This role serves as the central communication point between the toolroom, stamping operations, and production planning to ensure tooling resources are aligned with business priorities.

Key Responsibilities

Scheduling & Planning

• Develop and maintain daily and weekly toolroom schedules for:
• Die Changeovers
• Die repairs and troubleshooting
• Preventative maintenance (PM)
• Production support tooling requests
• Prioritize work based on production needs, press downtime risk, and delivery commitments.
• Balance workload across available toolroom personnel and machine capacity.
• Adjust schedules quickly in response to breakdowns, hot jobs, or changing production priorities.

Coordination & Communication

• Act as the primary liaison between the toolroom, stamping operations, and production scheduling.
• Communicate job status, completion timelines, and delays to stakeholders.
• Participate in daily production or scheduling meetings as required.

Systems & Documentation

• Enter, track, and update tooling work orders in the ERP/MRP or maintenance management system.
• Maintain accurate records of:
• Tooling job status
• Labor hours
• Planned vs. actual completion times
• Support continuous improvement by identifying recurring tooling issues or bottlenecks.

Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor on-time completion of toolroom work.
• Assist in identifying opportunities to improve scheduling accuracy, responsiveness, and workflow efficiency.
• Support standardization of scheduling processes and best practices.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• At least 2 years of experience in a manufacturing environment, preferably supporting a toolroom, maintenance, or stamping operation.
• Strong understanding of tooling, dies, or manufacturing workflows.
• Experience with ERP, MRP, or maintenance management systems.
• Strong organizational, time management, and multitasking skills.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage frequent priority changes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate degree or technical training in manufacturing, engineering technology, or related field.
• Experience in a stamping, metal fabrication, or diebuilding environment.
• Familiarity with press operations, die construction, and repair processes.
• Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement experience.

Physical & Work Environment Requirements

• Office and shopfloor environment.
• Ability to walk the toolroom and production floor as needed.
• Occasional lifting of light materials (<25 lbs).

Key Success Measures

• Ontime completion of tooling jobs supporting production.
• Reduced press downtime due to tooling issues.
• Accurate and reliable toolroom schedules.
• Clear communication and coordination across departments.

About Kapco Metal Stamping

Kapco is known for investing in its people and creating a culture of engagement and is equally as committed to giving back to the community.  As an employee, you can expect a goal-oriented compensation structure, excellent benefits including Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance, 401K, Profit Sharing, Vacation, Paid Holidays, an Onsite Wellness Center and Gym Membership. Building on employees’ skill sets and growing them as individuals is a top priority at Kapco. The Kacmarcik Center for Human Performance is focused specifically on delivering an exclusive and proprietary in-house training curriculum designed to develop employees along their career path.

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