Company: SAN Automotive Industries Pvt. Ltd.

Location: Faridabad / Pali Plant

Department: Tool Room / Tool & Die / Engineering

Reports to: Director / Plant Head / Senior Management

Employment Type: Full-time

Industry: Automotive Components / Sheet Metal Stamping / Fabrication / Tool & Die / Manufacturing

About SAN Automotive Industries

SAN Automotive Industries Pvt. Ltd. is a forward-looking automotive component manufacturing company specializing in precision sheet metal stamping, metal fabrication, welded assemblies, tool and die manufacturing, and engineered metal components.

Founded by our Managing Director, Mr. Dinesh Gumber, SAN Automotive has built strong manufacturing capabilities across 2-wheelers, 4-wheelers, construction equipment, agricultural machinery, electric mobility, and industrial applications.

The company supplies to leading OEMs and Tier-1 companies across India and has experience working with reputed customers such as Maruti Suzuki, JCB, Mitsuba, and other established automotive and industrial companies.

As SAN Automotive strengthens its tool room, process engineering, and manufacturing capability, we are looking for a strong Tool Room Head / Tool & Die Engineer who has complete knowledge of sheet metal press tools, die development, tool maintenance, trials, corrections, and production support.

Position Overview

The Tool Room Head / Tool & Die Engineer will be responsible for managing tool room activities, developing and maintaining press tools, supporting new product development, reducing tool-related breakdowns, improving tool life, and ensuring stable production quality.

The candidate should have strong hands-on knowledge of all types of sheet metal tools and dies, including progressive tools, compound tools, blanking tools, piercing tools, bending tools, forming tools, drawing tools, trimming tools, notching tools, coining tools, cam tools, stage tools, and checking fixtures.

This role requires a practical, technically strong, and accountable person who can lead tool makers, coordinate with NPD, production, quality, maintenance, and senior management, and solve tool-related issues quickly and permanently.

Key Responsibilities1. Tool Room Management

• Lead complete tool room activities and manage tool makers, die fitters, machinists, and support staff.
• Plan and execute tool manufacturing, tool maintenance, tool repair, tool modification, and tool correction work.
• Ensure timely availability of tools for production and NPD trials.
• Maintain tool room discipline, work allocation, tool history, and daily progress tracking.
• Ensure proper storage, handling, and upkeep of tools, dies, fixtures, and gauges.
• 2. Tool and Die Development
• Support development of new tools for sheet metal stamping and fabrication components.
• Review tool concepts, strip layouts, tool layouts, operation sequence, forming stages, blank development, and process feasibility.
• Work on progressive tools, compound tools, stage tools, forming tools, bending tools, deep draw tools, trimming tools, and piercing tools.
• Coordinate with design teams, external tool makers, and internal NPD teams for tool development.
• Support trial planning, tool prove-out, correction, and final approval.
• 3. Tool Maintenance and Breakdown Support
• Maintain all running tools and dies to ensure stable production.
• Attend tool breakdowns and ensure quick repair with minimum production loss.
• Analyze repeated tool failures and implement permanent corrective actions.
• Improve tool life through preventive maintenance, proper sharpening, replacement planning, and tool care.
• Maintain tool maintenance schedules, tool history cards, and breakdown records.
• 4. Production and Quality Support
• Support production during die setting, tool loading, trial runs, and regular production issues.
• Resolve issues such as burr, crack, wrinkle, dent, dimensional variation, hole shift, springback, forming defects, and tool marks.
• Work with quality team to analyze tool-related rejection and customer complaints.
• Ensure tools produce parts as per drawing, approved samples, and quality standards.
• Support process stabilization for critical and high-volume parts.
• 5. Tool Trials and Corrections
• Plan and conduct tool trials for new and modified tools.
• Study trial results, part dimensions, forming behavior, and quality issues.
• Identify required corrections in punch, die, stripper, pilots, locators, pads, guides, springs, cams, and forming areas.
• Coordinate correction work and re-trials until parts are approved.
• Maintain trial reports, correction records, and tool approval status.
• 6. Progressive Tooling and Process Improvement
• Identify opportunities to convert general tools into progressive tools, compound tools, or improved stage tooling.
• Suggest tooling improvements to reduce operations, manpower, handling, rejection, and cycle time.
• Support VA/VE and cost-reduction activities through better tooling concepts.
• Improve strip layout, material utilization, tool reliability, and production output.
• Support low-cost automation, poka-yoke, and fixture improvement ideas where required.
• 7. Tool Room Machinery and Vendor Coordination
• Coordinate use of tool room machines such as milling, grinding, drilling, lathe, EDM, wire cut, surface grinder, and related equipment.
• Coordinate with outside vendors for machining, heat treatment, wire cutting, surface treatment, spare parts, and tool manufacturing support.
• Ensure outsourced tool room work is completed on time and as per requirement.
• Support purchase team for tool steels, die spares, springs, punches, bushes, guide pillars, fasteners, and consumables.
• 8. Documentation and Reporting
• Maintain tool history cards, tool maintenance records, trial reports, breakdown records, correction sheets, and spare details.
• Prepare daily and weekly tool room reports for management.
• Track pending tool work, tool issues, NPD tool status, production tool problems, and improvement actions.
• Maintain proper records for audits, customer visits, and internal reviews.
• Qualifications and Requirements
• Diploma / Degree / ITI in Tool & Die Making, Mechanical Engineering, Production Engineering, or related technical field.
• Strong experience in tool room, tool and die development, die maintenance, press tools, or sheet metal tooling.
• Strong knowledge of progressive tools, compound tools, blanking tools, piercing tools, bending tools, forming tools, drawing tools, trimming tools, cam tools, and stage tools.
• Good understanding of sheet metal stamping, press shop operations, forming behavior, springback, burr control, die clearance, tool wear, and tool correction.
• Ability to read engineering drawings, tool layouts, strip layouts, part drawings, and process documents.
• Experience in tool trials, die correction, tool maintenance, and production troubleshooting.
• Ability to lead tool room teams and coordinate with production, quality, NPD, maintenance, purchase, and senior management.
• Strong communication skills in Hindi and basic English.
• Preferred Skills
• Experience in automotive component manufacturing and high-volume press shop tooling.
• Hands-on knowledge of deep draw tools, progressive tools, welding fixtures, checking fixtures, and inspection gauges.
• Knowledge of tool steels, heat treatment, coating, tool sharpening, tool life improvement, and die maintenance.
• Ability to identify root causes of tool-related defects.
• Experience in reducing tool breakdowns and improving tool availability.
• Knowledge of poka-yoke, 5S, Kaizen, tool standardization, and tool room planning.
• Ability to work on VA/VE, cost reduction, and productivity improvement through tooling.
• Personal Attributes
• Strong hands-on technical ability.
• Practical problem-solving approach.
• Strong ownership and accountability.
• Disciplined and structured working style.
• Ability to work under production pressure.
• Strong team-leading ability.
• Detail-oriented and quality-focused.
• Cost-conscious and improvement-oriented.
• Strong follow-up discipline.
• Ability to develop practical tooling solutions.
• What Success Looks Like in This Role

The selected candidate will help ensure that:

• Tool breakdowns are reduced.
• Tool room work is planned and completed on time.
• New tools are developed, trialed, corrected, and approved properly.
• Production receives timely tool support.
• Tool-related rejection and rework are reduced.
• Tool life and tool availability improve.
• Progressive tooling and process improvement opportunities are identified.
• Tool records and maintenance systems are properly maintained.
• SAN Automotive strengthens its tool and die capability.

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