Foundry manager

Foundry managers coordinate and implement short and medium term casting production schedules, and coordinate the development, support and improvement of casting processes, and the reliability efforts of the maintenance and engineering departments. They also partner with ongoing remediation initiatives.

The following job titles also refer to foundry manager:

process manager
foundry production manager
engineering manager
production controller
foundry plant manager
foundry operations manager

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as foundry manager. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Foundry manager is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to foundry manager.

metallurgical manager
product development manager
metal production manager
process metallurgist
metallurgist

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of foundry manager. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of foundry manager with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of foundry manager.

Engineering processes: The systematic approach to the development and maintenance of engineering systems.
Cost management: The process of planning, monitoring and adjusting the expenses and revenues of a business in order to achieve cost efficiency and capability.
Legal requirements of ict products: The international regulations related to the development and use of ICT products.
Types of metal manufacturing processes: Metal processes linked to the different types of metal, such as casting processes, heat treatment processes, repair processes and other metal manufacturing processes.

These skills are necessary for the role of foundry manager.

Ensure compliance with environmental legislation: Monitor activities and perform tasks ensuring compliance with standards involving environmental protection and sustainability, and amend activities in the case of changes in environmental legislation. Ensure that the processes are compliant with environment regulations and best practices.
Forecast organisational risks: Analyse the operations and actions of a company in order to assess their repercussions, possible risks for the company, and to develop suitable strategies to address these.
Optimise financial performance: Direct and coordinate the organisation’s financial operations and budget activities, in order to optimise financial performance.
Improve business processes: Optimise the series of operations of an organisation to achieve efficiency. Analyse and adapt existing business operations in order to set new objectives and meet new goals.
Deal with pressure from unexpected circumstances: Strive to achieve objectives despite the pressures arising from unexpected factors outside of your control.
Manage commercial risks: Analyse and evaluate commercial risks and develop suitable strategies to resolve these risks.
Follow company standards: Lead and manage according to the organisation’s code of conduct.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of foundry manager. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Non-ferrous metal processing: Various processing methods on non-ferrous metals and alloys such as copper, zinc and aluminium.
Precious metals: Types of rare metal that occur naturally and have a high economic value.
Innovation processes: The techniques, models, methods and strategies which contribute to the promotion of steps towards innovation.
Design drawings: Understand design drawings detailing the design of products, tools, and engineering systems.
Ferrous metal processing: Various processing methods on iron and iron-containing alloys such as steel, stainless steel and pig iron.
Physics: The natural science involving the study of matter, motion, energy, force and related notions.
Quality standards: The national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.
Chemistry: The composition, structure, and properties of substances and the processes and transformations that they undergo; the uses of different chemicals and their interactions, production techniques, risk factors, and disposal methods.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of foundry manager. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Design metal components: Design metal components in response to a need. Provide support by writing documents, manuals, metallurgical investigations, and reports in support of customer liaison.
Maintain relationship with customers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.
Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.
Recruit employees: Hire new employees by scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting staff in line with company policy and legislation.
Measure customer feedback: Evaluate customer’s comments in order to find out whether customers feel satisfied or dissatisfied with the product or service.
Identify market niches: Analyse the composition of the markets, segment these into groups, and highlight the opportunities that each one of these niches represent in terms of new products.
Follow manufacturing work schedule: Follow the planning set up by manufacturing companies’ managers exactly to ensure one production process is not delayed due to another and they follow each other smoothly.
Perform market research: Gather, assess and represent data about target market and customers in order to facilitate strategic development and feasibility studies. Identify market trends.

1219 – Business services and administration managers not elsewhere classified

 

 

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References

1. Foundry manager – ESCO