Senior Design Engineer

At Kruger Family Industries, parent company of Penda Corporation and TriEnda Holdings, our passion is to bring great products to life through an exceptional area of thermoformed solutions. We are the North America leader in heavy gauge thermoformed plastics. We are committed to delivering highly engineered, high quality material handling products and automotive accessories that reduce the weight and cost of traditional composite, fiberglass, wood and metal products, making this an opportunity to work in an innovative environment during an exciting growth phase.  KFI is adding to their team in preparation to meet strategic growth plans for 2024!

If you are looking for a growth opportunity and the ability to contribute to our New Product Development process... this position might be right for you!

The Senior Design Engineer plans, designs, and develops products or components in projects assigned from concept through production. Prepares or directs preparation of layouts, drawings, and specifications. Defines tests to be conducted, when needed, and evaluates test results. Recommends or develops design changes. Analyzes blueprints, specifications, proposals, and other documentation to prepare time, cost, and labor estimates for products, projects, or services. Assists with training of new associates.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES include the following..

• Evaluate & incorporate best design approach and perform associated calculations in regard to economic, manufacturing, function, & durability considerations.
• Review and assess factors that affect decisions, including the identification and selection of special characteristics, such as manufacturing, economics, ease of assembly (DFMA) serviceability, material selection, fits, tolerances (GDT), product usage and costs.
• Analyze specifications, sketches, engineering drawings, ideas, and related design data to determine critical factors affecting design of components.
• Complete detailed drawings, specifications, CAD models, CAD assemblies, instruction sheets etc. to define products, purchased components and materials.
• Perform preliminary and advanced work in development of working layouts and final master drawings adequate for detailing parts and units of design.
• Confer with customers, suppliers, engineering staff, and other departments to resolve design development, manufacturing, quality, and delivery problems.
• Interact with customers via customer portals to retrieve and deliver product information and specifications.
• Draft drawings of patterns, molds, and other tooling necessary to produce products.
• Approve new tooling for use. Approve samples and production parts. Authority to reject non-conforming product and/or stop production.
• Develop and maintain project files.
• Authority to implement engineering change requests, design FMEAs, and design review documentation. Distribute product specifications using existing systems as necessary.
• Represent Design Engineering on various company project teams, committees, material review boards, and information exchange groups. May lead teams, committees, or information exchange groups.
• Review data to determine material and labor requirements and prepares itemized lists.
• Computes cost factors and prepares estimates used for management purposes such as planning, organizing, and scheduling work; preparing bids; selecting vendors or subcontractors; and determining cost effectiveness.
• Conduct special studies to develop and establish standard hour and related cost data or effect cost reductions.
• Consult with clients, vendors, or other individuals to discuss and formulate estimates and resolve issues.
• Analyze completed projects to compare estimated costs to actual costs and determine the reason for any discrepancies.
• Provide improvement recommendations to cost estimating procedures to reduce future discrepancies between estimated and actual costs.

QUALIFICATIONS include the following..

• Minimum of an Associate in Applied Science degree or equivalent from two-year college or technical school; five+ years' related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Proficiency with SolidWorks CAD
• Experience with EPDM
• Knowledge of NX and MS Project is preferred. Proficient with MS Office Products including but not limited to Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Experience with Syteline ERP software
• Able to create new item masters and Bill of Materials