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Plant Manager – Industrial Lubricants

Location:Wells County, Indiana Fully On-Site

Salary:$90K to $120K + benefits + quarterly bonus

The Opportunity

A growing industrial lubricants manufacturer is seeking a hands-on Plant Manager to lead the daily operations of its Ossian facility. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced manufacturing leader who enjoys solving problems, managing projects, and working alongside their team. The company has approximately 20 employees, and team members are accustomed to wearing multiple hats. The successful candidate will bring a “do what it takes” attitude and understand that, in a smaller operation, no task is beneath the Plant Manager. Reporting directly to the Owner/President, the Plant Manager will lead approximately 16 employees, including a Production Supervisor, production operators, a laboratory technician, and delivery/CDL drivers.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day plant operations, including production, quality, inventory, warehousing, and delivery logistics.
• Manage, coach, and develop the Production Supervisor and plant employees.
• Remain visible and engaged on the plant floor, stepping in wherever needed to support the team.
• Oversee the blending of industrial lubricants according to established formulas, recipes, and quality requirements.
• Coordinate production schedules with material availability, inventory levels, customer requirements, and delivery commitments.
• Schedule drivers and plan efficient delivery loads and routes.
• Maintain appropriate inventory levels for raw materials, packaging supplies, and finished products.
• Lead operational and site projects from planning through implementation and completion.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflow, efficiency, throughput, quality, and accountability.
• Build strong working relationships across production, laboratory, delivery, sales, and company leadership.
• Communicate plant performance, challenges, priorities, and project progress directly to the Owner/President.

What Success Looks Like

During the first 6–12 months, the Plant Manager will be expected to:

• Develop a strong understanding of the company’s products, customers, formulas, equipment, employees, and operating processes.
• Earn the trust of employees through consistent, hands-on leadership.
• Establish clear priorities and strengthen day-to-day communication and accountability.
• Take ownership of key operational projects and drive them to completion.
• Identify practical opportunities to improve plant performance without overcomplicating the operation.
• Become a reliable operational partner to the Owner/President.

Qualifications

• Plant management, operations management, or production leadership experience in a liquid manufacturing environment.
• Experience with industrial lubricants, chemicals, coatings, adhesives, food and beverage, or another batch-processing operation.
• Understanding of chemical formulas, recipes, batch instructions, and blending processes.
• Experience managing production employees and frontline supervisors.
• Working knowledge of inventory management, raw-material planning, and production scheduling.
• Experience coordinating drivers, deliveries, loads, routes, or related logistics activities.
• Proficiency with ERP or manufacturing management systems.
• Demonstrated ability to solve problems and manage multiple projects and priorities.
• Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, or process-improvement experience preferred.

Role is well suited for someone who:

• Leads from the floor and is willing to roll up their sleeves.
• Believes no job is beneath them.
• Derives energy from solving problems and completing projects.
• Is comfortable working in a small, entrepreneurial company.
• Has agility to shift between strategic planning and immediate operational needs.
• Makes sound decisions without requiring layers of corporate structure.
• Holds people accountable while maintaining a practical, team-oriented leadership style.

If you desire an opportunity to make a visible impact on the company’s operations and continued growth apply today!

You should be proficient in:

• Leadership / People Management
• Continuous Improvement
• Supervisory Experience
• Production Optimization
• Lean Manufacturing Principles
• Operational Metrics & KPI Management
• ERP & MRP Systems
• Production Planning & Scheduling
• Inventory Management & Control
• Scheduling Experience
• Budgeting / Forecasting Experience
• Experience in a Manufacturing Environment

Machines & technologies you'll use:

• ERP Software