rPlanet Earth was co-founded by environmentally passionate entrepreneurs. Their collective concern over
the state of the single-server plastics industry in North America and their desire to see more of this
valuable material used in everyday production became the genesis for the idea of Planet Earth.
Through their backgrounds in packaging and finance, they were able to fund and launch a business that
addresses the needs of both the environment and the packaging industry.

Job Purpose

Lead the company’s operations in all aspects of manufacturing, including preventive maintenance. Lead the manufacturing team to achieve optimal performance and meet or exceed company goals.  Support the company strategy and marketing programs for both the short-term plan focused on the West Coast and the longer-term national growth and multi-plant expansion plan for the company’s recycling and plastic manufacturing business.  

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee all aspects of production including recycling, wash-line, decontamination and the three value streams of pre-form injection molding, extruded sheet rolls, and thermoformed containers.
• Lead and manage the individual team leaders for each area of production. Provide expert knowledge of equipment performance and manufacturing processes.
• Own operational performance matrix/KPIs across all manufacturing platforms and ensure accountability is clearly established.
• Manage, analyze and propose operational changes based on data analysis using the ERP system driving improvement in efficiencies.
• Drive efficient review procedures to ensure the implementation of corrective actions to rectify issues and maintain optimal performance.
• Lead and coach the team to establish new and standard procedures to meet customer specifications.
• Work with the executive team to create the company business plan and associated objectives to deliver investor success. Track and monitor performance and take corrective action as necessary.
• Directly responsible to report progress against strategic and manufacturing business targets to the CEO’s and the Board of Directors on a regular basis.
• Highlight the need for additional capital and resources in order to complete equipment upgrades, changes, and repairs to ensure we achieve our objectives.
• Personally, support, drive and implement effective programs to ensure company product quality and food safety as defined by the FDA, processing conditions, good manufacturing practices, and environmental health and safety.
• Ensure the production teams adopt and follow LEAN manufacturing processes.
• With the Director of supply chain, review and approve the new warehouse management system and the appropriate levels of resources necessary to deliver this performance.
• Partner with the Director of supply chain to set and manage cost-saving initiatives in the areas of vendor selection, procurement, inventory control, and warehousing, in line with our business growth plans.
• Partner with the Director of Quality to move from a quality control culture to a quality assurance culture with new systems and processes. Ensure we achieve the required standard of food safety and packaging.
• Review and approve cost models for the value streams enabled by a strong financial/business acumen to establish pricing strategy for product lines.
• Partner with Sales executives to ensure all sales activities with a focus on building strong business partnerships by ensuring the value proposition commitments are met by the organization.
• Participate with new product development and sales team for launching new products and discussing/understanding manufacturing requirements.
• Partner with the VP of Engineering in setting the capital equipment budget to support new product launches and business expansion.
• Direct the Manager of Maintenance to review and approve the direction and strategy of the Maintenance function, including CMMS system launch, preventative maintenance procedures for all value streams, and creating an efficient spare parts system and budget.
• Maintaining cooperative and productive inter-departmental relationships and procedures to deliver exceptional customer services.
• Factory planning, system design, and configuration to implement optimal production conditions.