Associate Manufacturing Engineer, Plastics (m/f/d) - Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg

What To Expect

Tesla’s Plastics Manufacturing Engineering team is a diverse, high performing group of engineers that define and execute Tesla’s manufacturing processes for plastic components. As a part of this team, you will be tasked with assessing the current manufacturing capabilities of Tesla plastics processes, developing a manufacturing and capacity strategy for plastic components for current and future product programs, determining the most effective methods to manufacture plastic components, and implementing equipment capacity and capability upgrades. The ideal candidate takes pride in her/his hands‑on work, analytical ability, organizational skills and attention to detail. She/He appreciates an environment where superior work is encouraged, noticed and rewarded and where individuals carry tremendous responsibility. She/He looks forward to learning an incredible amount on the job.

What You’ll Do

• Design of manufacturing equipment for injection molding processes and post processes like robotic cells, injection molding machines, welding machines, conveyance, lift assists, jig, fixtures, trolleys, etc.
• Develop RFQs or provide 3D design solutions and guidance to vendors for plastic injection molding robotic cells, assembly lines including subassemblies, welding technology and conveyance
• Manage equipment suppliers through all phases of projects.
• Participate in on‑field construction and commissioning activities by serving as the point of contact for technical questions and real‑time issue resolution.
• Bring the voice of manufacturing into the design process to guide the design of components for efficient processing through molding and assembly processes.
• Support capital cost, schedule, and labor planning for new facilities and products.
• Seek out, investigate, trial, and evaluate new plastics equipment technologies, focusing on non‑standard solutions and equipment that has not been used in production environments to deliver innovative solutions to enable product programs.
• Understand and review part appearance standards, collaborating with design and vehicle quality as needed to improve appearance standards.
• Use a data‑based approach to optimize molding processes and all post processes to reach quality and production requirements.
• Support all engineering builds and verify scalability of molding processes.
• Develop and execute production process validation criteria using standardized metrics (cycle time, OEE, MTBF, etc.).
• Focus on equipment OEE, MTTR and MTBF.
• Implement machine safety standards.

What You’ll Bring

• MS degree in Mechanical Engineering or similar. Relevant hands‑on experience and a proven record of delivering results will be considered in lieu of specific formal educational criteria.
• Hands‑on experience with plastics molding processes and equipment.
• Detailed understanding of plastics molding related process variables and their impact on throughput, quality, and yield rate.
• Must have working knowledge of equipment design, controls, and set up and validation of robotic cells.
• Must have industrial engineering background for line design, line balancing and process flow optimization.
• Strong foundation of problem‑solving skills, statistical process control, design of experiments and simulation techniques.
• Understanding of Design for Assembly (DFM), facility design principles, and lean manufacturing techniques.
• Ability to apply engineering fundamental principles to identify and drive non‑standard solutions to solve manufacturing constraints.
• Strong interpersonal skills when working with internal groups and outside vendors.
• Comfortable providing clear and focused technical guidance to outside engineering resources whether it be equipment vendors, Tier I, II suppliers, or engineering services.
• Ability to work in a rapidly changing environment with minimal guidance.
• Comfortable in leading diverse multi‑functional team.
• Proficient in basic and field related software (i.e. Office suite, Solidworks, Catia, Autocad, etc.).