Manufacturing, Innovation and Technology Analyst

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Position Overview

Innovation Analyst is a role within Kimball Electronics Shared Services that better aligns with future initiatives for Kimball’s Digital Factory Experience.  This position allows for the ability to work remotely and will initially report to the Industry 4.0 Leader. It is a global position responsible for the global deployment and administration of our digital factory platform. The Manufacturing, Innovation and Technology Analyst also helps research other emerging technology to assess the technical feasibility, customer desirability, and economic viability of its deployment in a manufacturing environment. This role will work closely with a broad range of people, spanning numerous departments, and ranging from shop floor to executive level employees. 

Quick Summary

The person in this role will first be launched directly into our Global Manufacturing Platform deployment project.  This is a multi-year journey and will likely require some travel to several, if not all, of the business units to properly configure software for implementation.  They’ll also be asked to step into some ongoing “innovation” Proof of Concept projects that are currently being supported through internships that might touch on mixed reality, AI, and other emerging technology.  To be successful, the candidate must be savvy with technology and have a solid understanding of databases and electronic manufacturing processes.  They need to be motivated to learn new technology platforms and capable of sustaining these solutions in a centralized (global) model.  They must possess the ability to think creatively with an enterprise mindset to do what is best for Kimball.  The ability to work and communicate with a variety of cultures, languages, situations, departments, and people is a critical skill for this role.  The goal is to support, grow, and continuously improve our digital factory experience for the organization.  This requires a willingness to support and promote change, as well as a great deal of patience.  This position will be an advocate to streamline processes through automation and artificial intelligence to eliminate manual processing and enhance product quality and organizational productivity.

Key Performance Objectives

Short Term: (0 to 6 months)

• Learn/Embrace Kimball Electronics, Inc. (KEI) Guiding Principles and cultural attributes
• Gain a detailed understanding of KEI’s current state and future plans for Industry 4.0 initiatives and building out a digital factory experience.
• Document current state systems, processes, and capabilities and build deployment templates
• Begin developing a training plan on Industry 4.0 tools for several of the roles interacting with and aiding in the Global Manufacturing Platform deployment .
• Help establish standards and best practices to sustain a centralized I4.0 model as these tools scale and grow in demand.

Midterm: (6 to 24 months)

• Execute the training required to support a successful platform launch.
• Aid in the configuration of systems for several site deployments.  This may require travel to the various manufacturing facilities.
• Evolve the centralized governance model to support scalability and availability while maintaining costs in coordination with our contractual terms.
• Gain an understanding for the deployment plans around the Kimball Sequence Controller and how this role can help support and escalate global adoption. 
• Assume the ownership of various solutions currently being evaluated, such as an AI data analytics for manufacturing solution and integration of this AI solution to our Global Manufacturing Platform.

Longer Term:

• Proactively identify the next process(es) to standardize w/ PI and the parameters/tags to deploy
• Aid in the creation of a Digital Factory & Innovation department.
• Mentor and train new employees as this department continues to grow. 
• Support Phase 2 of the Digital Factory Platform that includes advanced analytics.
• Continuously improve and evolve current processes and systems.
• Software renewal support for various tools.
• Identify tools and technologies that could aid KEI in its adoption of next generation manufacturing.
• Gain an understanding of business processes and operations to identify how we can support business process needs
• Continue training, educating, and driving awareness on all ongoing digital factory rollouts. 
• Provide insights and experiences to the Integration team to aid in the flexibility of our Data Strategy.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Kimball Electronics we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive work environment. If you think you might be a good fit for a role but don't necessarily meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply. You may be the right candidate for this role or other roles!

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status, veteran status, medical condition or disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

We will consider for employment qualified candidates with arrest and conviction records, consistent with applicable law (including, for example, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance for roles based in San Francisco).

The typical pay range for this role is:  $70000-$90000

the actual wages offered will vary based on multiple factors, including experience, education, geography, and other relevant factors.