01
The Foundation
## Mission
Build precision metal products that make North American manufacturers competitive again.
## Vision
A reshored industrial base that runs on operator pride and engineered quality.
## Core Values
- Safety first, always
- Quality without compromise
- Operator ownership at every shift
- Continuous improvement is a daily habit
- The customer is the production line
02
Alignment brief
Owner is sponsor. VP Ops is the day to day partner. Union steward is the trust check. CFO is the capex partner.
03
Traction seat
Own production output, safety, and labor management for our 240 person Ohio plant. Hit 94% OEE within 9 months. Inherit a 4 shift operation, a strong night supervisor, and a 12 month backlog of capex requests we have not been able to act on.
04
Twelve-month KPIs
- 01OEE: 94% within 9 months (currently 86%)
- 02Safety: TRIR under 1.4 for 12 consecutive months
- 03Voluntary turnover on the floor: under 18%
- 04Quality reject rate: under 0.9% on Line 3
- 05Capex utilization: 90% of approved 2026 capex deployed by Q4
05
Non-negotiables
- 01Has run a unionised plant of 150+ people
- 02Lean or TPM credentials. Not just a certification. Actually deployed it
- 03No safety incident reportable to OSHA in last 5 years
- 04Has fired a long tenured shift supervisor when the situation called for it
06
Failure profile
Two profiles fail here. The greenfield only candidate who underestimates the inertia of a 30 year operation. The long tenured plant manager who treats the union as adversarial. Either one stalls in month 4.
07
Role competencies
- 01Lean or TPM deployment in a brownfield plant
- 02Direct labor cost management across multiple shifts
- 03Capex prioritization and vendor management
- 04Quality systems (ISO 9001, Six Sigma green belt or higher)
- 05Crisis response. Knows what to do when a line goes down
08
Culture competencies
- 01Walks the floor daily, not weekly
- 02Knows the names of the people on Line 3
- 03Gives the union steward a real seat at the table
09
Job description
Plant Manager, Cardinal Manufacturing (Ohio)
Reports to: VP of Operations
Location: On site, Toledo, OH
About Cardinal
We make precision formed components for the heavy truck industry. 240 people. 4 shifts. ISO 9001:2015 certified. 30 years in operation. Unionised (USW). Owned by a private operator who reinvests every dollar.
The role
You own this plant. Production, safety, quality, labor, capex. All of it. We are at 86% OEE. We know we should be at 94%. The how is on you.
You will love it here if you are:
- Comfortable walking the floor at 5am on a Tuesday
- A real Lean practitioner who has done the work, not just the cert
- Direct with people, including the union, and have built trust both ways
Compensation
Base $185k to $215k. 30% bonus tied to OEE, safety, and turnover. No cap. Full benefits. Relocation paid.
If interested
Send a paragraph about a Lean deployment you led at a brownfield plant. References from former hourly direct reports get to the front.
10
Candidate Onboarding Plan
30 days. Floor walks.
Every shift. Every day. No exceptions. Meet every salaried person. Sit in on every line's morning standup.
60 days. First Lean event.
Pick the lowest OEE line (Line 3). Run a focused kaizen with the operators, not just the engineers. Implement what they recommend.
90 days. Capex memo.
Recommend the 3 highest leverage capex items. The CFO will know within an hour whether they go.
6 months. Line 3 hits 92% OEE.
Document the playbook from the kaizen and apply it to Line 1. Open the safety committee co-chair seat to an hourly operator. TRIR trending under 1.8.
1 year. The plant runs on its own playbook.
All four lines at or above 92% OEE. TRIR under 1.4 sustained 12 months. Hourly turnover under 16% rolling. Next year's capex plan written by the supervisors, signed by you.
11
Sourcing strategy
Where this person exists
Tier 1 auto suppliers. Mid cap industrial manufacturers. Anywhere with a unionised plant over 150 people. Specifically:
- Magna, Lear, Adient (former plant managers, not VPs)
- 2nd tier truck and ag: CNH Industrial, AGCO, Westinghouse Air Brake
- Glass, plastics, fabrication shops in the Midwest
Avoid
Greenfield only operators. Anyone who hasn't seen a real grievance. F500 corporate "plant managers" who never actually ran one.
12
Eleven-touch outreach
Our team runs this one direct. Plant managers are not LinkedIn active. The first touch is a phone call to their cell. The reference comes from a former colleague.
13
Interview guide
Round 1. Owner + VP Ops (90 min, on site).
- Walk the floor together. Watch what they notice.
- Ask: "If you took this job, what is the first thing you would change?"
- Lunch in the cafeteria. Watch how they talk to the people in line.
Round 2. The union steward + the night supervisor.
- 1:1 with each. 45 min each.
- Their feedback is binding.
Round 3. Owner + CFO.
- Comp. Equity. Long term commitment.
14
Reference check guide
Two from former hourly direct reports. Non negotiable.
One from a former union steward.
One from a former VP Ops.
15
Offer letter
Base $200k. 30% bonus. Full relocation. Signing bonus to cover any unpaid LTI. 12 month severance protection.
16
Close strategy
Counter offer prevention for plant managers is different. It is rarely cash. It is "do I trust this owner." A direct close call with the team and the owner on the line for 10 min closes most of these.
17
Day-one handover
Day 1: tour with the night shift supervisor at 11pm. Sets the tone.
18
Post-hire review system
30/60/90 review with the owner. Memo, not a meeting.
19
Hiring timeline
8 to 10 weeks end to end. Most plant manager searches we run close in week 9.
Built using the method
Same approach Mike has used across 200 placements.
Build your own kit for your own role. Free. About fifteen minutes. Same shape, same method.