Production Engineer, Packaging & Handling Materials

KEA Components is a part of IKEA Group that specializes in the development, production, and supply of furniture components worldwide.

• We are responsible for designing and providing various hardware and functional components used in IKEA furniture, such as hinges, screws, handles, and other fittings.
• We are based in Sweden, with additional locations and facilities around the world to support its global operations.
• We focus on supplier development, innovations and sustainability, ensuring that the components are high-quality, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly, constantly seeking new methods and materials to enhance product functionality and reduce negative environmental impact.
• We manage a complex supply chain, collaborating closely with suppliers and manufacturers to ensure that components are delivered efficiently and meet IKEA's standards.
• We provides essential support to the production process, ensuring that every piece can be assembled easily by customers and retains the brand's commitment to quality and durability.

IKEA Components is a crucial part of IKEA's operations, ensuring seamless integration between design, manufacturing, and assembly, contributing significantly to IKEA's success.

YOUR OPPORTUNITY

At IKEA, we see things a little differently. We onboard our suppliers as partners with whom we create long-term relationships. We want them to grow with us, become more efficient and achieve lower prices.

• You can have the confidence and freedom to do things your own way, including organizing your time. Your well-being is our priority.  A variety of rewarding work awaits you, which you will be able to combine alongside your hobbies or family.
• Use opportunities for learning and growth working with suppliers! You will be able to travel to look at various manufacturing companies, understand new and different technologies, people and cultures.
• Everybody is seen as a talent. In regular informal talks with your manager you can explore your development and carrier opportunities. We will support you on the way by internal and external trainings. We embrace making mistakes and learning from them.

ABOUT THE JOB

You will work in a small, 3-member micro-team in IKEA Components - Packaging and Handling Materials category, with a Business Developer who negotiates prices and take care of the overall commercial relation with the supplier and a Supply Planner who handles logistics. As part of the annual action plan, you will be responsible for the constant improvement of the quality of IKEA packaging as well as the production process and workflow through tools such as 5S, Lean, and machine capacity utilization. All with the aim of reducing production inefficiencies, in terms of sustainability and business ethics.

You will also perform:

• Developing relationships with suppliers – the micro-team regularly travels (or virtually organize meetings) to the field in order to understand and solve issues first hand, we see production from the ground up, help with the implementation of action plans, and cooperate in audit processes. Supplier base is divers and you will have opportunity both to see production excellence and develop it at new suppliers. 
• Data analytics – this will be a primary function and most of your office-hours when you are not performing exciting development at suppliers production floor and laboratory.
• Operation – helping suppliers with entering up-to-date product documents into the system to secure compliance, resolving claims from A to Z, regular communication with suppliers (emails, calls), meetings with management and the team.

• Proven experience from Quality & Compliance / Production environment, good knowledge of materials properties, production processes and technologies,
• The ability to think out-of-the-box and critically in the constant search for ways to improve our products,
• Analytical thinking, which you will use in analyzing processes from the beginning of product implementation, to data evaluation and finding improvements, cost savings, better design or quality,
• Patience and good communication to help you find common ground with suppliers of different nationalities and to meet IKEA’s business demands, 
• The ability to manage time well, to balance between the factory floor and office work,
• You are fluent in English, both written and spoken.

People within IKEA value a culture of humbleness and open-mindedness. We don't have a rigid hierarchy system and encourage everyone to talk to anyone, and we don't have a dress code. We are characterized by enjoying long discussions and a relaxed, natural order with a great deal of personal responsibility. We want people proactive, engaged, internally motivated for results and eager to learn.

Thanks for reading this far. We believe that your value is greater and more important than how much your CV can withstand. So if you like the idea of ​​working at IKEA Components - Packaging and Handling Materials category, submit your application as soon as possible.

Please note that we will be interviewing continuously, which means that we may close the application process earlier than stated if we find the right candidate.

Please submit your CV in English till 25th April.