Job title: Production Manager – Compression Molded Rubber Products

Company: Manna Rubber Products (Manna Group of Companies)

Workplace type: On-site

Location: Airapuram Rubber Park, Ernakulam, Kerala, India

Employment type: Full-time

Seniority level: Mid-senior level

Job function: Manufacturing/Production

Description (paste into the “Description” box)About Us

Manna Rubber Products is part of the Manna Group of Companies, a Kerala-based rubber group working in rubber reclaiming, tread rubber and retreading materials, and tires, with operations in India and the UAE. We’re growing our range of compression-molded rubber products, including rubber mats.

About the Role

We're looking for an experienced production manager to lead our compression-molded rubber goods production. You’ll run day-to-day production, including planning, people, machines, quality, and reporting, and you’ll be responsible for improving machine and manpower efficiency in ways we can measure.

Key Responsibilities

- Plan and run daily, weekly, and monthly production schedules against sales orders so orders ship on time at the target quality and cost.
- Manage the full compression molding process: compound issue, preform preparation, press loading, curing (time, temperature, and pressure), deflashing, trimming, inspection, and packing.
- Lead, train, and motivate shift supervisors, operators, and contract workers. This includes manpower allocation, shift planning, discipline, and multi-skilling.
- Measure and report machine efficiency (press utilization, OEE, cycle time, downtime, and changeover losses) and act to improve it.
- Measure and report manpower efficiency (output per man-hour or man-shift, labour cost per piece or kg, overtime and absenteeism).
- Prepare daily production reports and a monthly MIS covering plan vs. actual, OEE, rejection and scrap, material consumption vs. standard, and yield.




- Reduce rejection and rework by finding the root cause of molding defects (under-cure, air traps, short fill, blisters, excess flash) and putting corrective actions in place, working closely with the QC lab.
- Control material consumption, flash and scrap losses, and energy use.
- Make sure production transactions in SAP are accurate: production orders, material issues, receipts and stock.
- Work with maintenance on preventive maintenance of presses, molds and utilities, and with stores, QC and dispatch.
- Enforce safety, 5S and housekeeping standards, including safe operation of hydraulic presses.
- Support new product development, mold trials, SOPs and process sheets.

Requirements

- 10+ years in compression-molded rubber goods manufacturing, as a production manager or in a related role (Production In-charge, Assistant Production Manager or Plant Manager).
- Strong hands-on knowledge of compression molding presses, curing parameters, mold handling and common molding defects.
- A record of leading and managing large shopfloor teams across shifts.
- Solid skills in calculating machine efficiency (OEE) and manpower efficiency, with experience reporting regularly from data.
- Good working knowledge of ERP systems, preferably SAP (SAP Business One is a plus), and MS Excel.
- A degree or diploma in polymer/rubber technology, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or a related field.

Preferred

- Experience in rubber mat production (e.g., flooring, anti-fatigue, cow/animal mats, automotive mats).
- Experience working with reclaimed rubber compounds.
- Exposure to Lean, 5S, Kaizen, or ISO 9001 systems.
- Experience setting up or scaling a molding line.
- Ability to speak Malayalam and Hindi with shopfloor teams.

What We Offer

- A competitive salary based on experience.
- A leadership role in a growing business, with room to shape processes from the ground up.
- A hands-on management team that is investing in automation and digital production tools.

📌 Rubber Molded Goods Production Manager (Ernakulam)
🏢 Manna Rubber Products
📍 Ernakulam