NOW HIRING: MANUFACTURING ENGINEER - FABRICATION

Department: Manufacturing / Engineering

Reports To: Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Location: On-site only | 531 Old Swede Road, Douglassville, PA 19518 (No remote work available)

Schedule: Monday-Friday | Full-time

Compensation: Competitive compensation based on experience, technical depth, fabrication and welding knowledge, industry background, and market data

We are looking for a Manufacturing Engineer with strong fabrication expertise to develop, optimize, and support the manufacturing processes behind our custom crane and material handling equipment.

This role sits at the intersection of engineering and production. You'll work directly with the welders, fitters, and assemblers who build our products - and with the engineers who design them - to make sure we're fabricating efficiently, safely, and on time.

We are looking for someone who understands what it takes to turn steel into a finished crane. Someone who can read a blueprint and think through the full fabrication sequence - from material prep and fit-up through welding, assembly, rigging, and shipping. Someone who knows that design intent and shop floor reality don't always agree, and who can bridge that gap.

The right person will spend significant time in the shop, not just behind a desk. You'll study our fabrication processes, evaluate our rigging and handling methods, engineer shipping solutions for finished cranes, and drive real improvements in cycle time, throughput, quality, and safety.

You won't get lost here. Your perspective will matter, your judgment will be relied upon, and your impact will be visible across the organization.

What This Role Really Is

This is a hands-on manufacturing engineering role focused on steel fabrication, welding, large equipment assembly, rigging, and shipping within a custom, engineer-to-order manufacturing environment.

ACECO builds electric overhead cranes, hoists, and heavy material handling equipment. Every product is engineered to order. That means standard playbooks only get you so far - you need to understand fabrication fundamentals deeply enough to apply them to custom work, every time.

The Manufacturing Engineer owns the development and optimization of fabrication and assembly processes. You'll optimize routing, work cell layout, and material flow. You'll review rigging and handling methods for large weldments. You'll engineer shipping provisions for finished cranes and components. You'll develop fixtures and support structures for factory acceptance tests. And you'll lead lean initiatives tailored to an engineer-to-order environment.

You'll also play a key role in supporting capital equipment projects, the transition to a new ERP system, and collaboration with Quality, Safety, and Supply Chain to keep manufacturing running at its best.

Success requires someone who can move comfortably between a conversation about weld sequencing on the shop floor and a design review with Engineering - and who can translate what they see in both settings into better processes, better decisions, and better outcomes.

Who Thrives Here - and Who Does Not

You'll do well here if you:

• Think like a fabricator - you see a drawing and immediately consider how it gets cut, fit, welded, assembled, rigged, and shipped
• Are comfortable spending real time on the shop floor, not just reviewing data from your desk
• Understand steel fabrication and welding processes deeply enough to optimize them, not just document them
• Can read blueprints and fabrication drawings and spot both design intent and manufacturing risk
• Have a practical understanding of rigging, handling, and moving large weldments and assemblies safely
• Enjoy collaborating across departments - Engineering, Production, Quality, Purchasing, Safety
• See continuous improvement as a mindset, not just a project
• Are comfortable making make-versus-buy recommendations backed by real analysis
• Take ownership of outcomes rather than simply following instructions

This role is likely not a fit if you:

• Prefer working exclusively at a desk or in a lab environment
• Have engineering experience only in high-volume, repetitive manufacturing - our work is custom, every time
• Want to design products but not concern yourself with how they're fabricated, assembled, rigged, and shipped
• Prefer theoretical process improvement without hands-on shop floor involvement
• Avoid difficult conversations about efficiency, quality, cost, or process change
• Are uncomfortable working full-time on-site in an active heavy fabrication environment
• Prefer maintaining legacy processes rather than driving real improvements

What Success Looks Like in the First Year

First 90 Days

• Build strong working relationships with Manufacturing leadership, fabrication and welding teams, assembly, Engineering, Quality, and Purchasing
• Develop a thorough understanding of ACECO's products, manufacturing capabilities, and current fabrication and assembly processes
• Spend meaningful time on the shop floor learning how work flows through material prep, fabrication, welding, assembly, rigging, and shipping
• Begin reviewing in-process rigging and handling methods for large weldments and assemblies - lift points, sling selections, and below-the-hook device selections
• Learn the current ERP system and understand how manufacturing data is structured
• Identify early opportunities for process improvement and quick wins

Second Quarter

• Own the review of rigging and handling methods; coordinate engineered and critical lifts with Production Engineering as required
• Begin engineering shipping provisions for finished cranes and components - shipping fixtures, blocking and bracing, tie-downs, restraints, and preservation and packaging
• Develop and plan fixtures, supports, and test weights for factory acceptance tests (FATs)
• Provide design-for-manufacturability input during design reviews and contribute manufacturing input to estimating and quoting
• Support the ERP transition by ensuring manufacturing data is accurate, structured, and maintainable
• Collaborate with Engineering and Production to redline drawings for design changes
• Begin developing and improving manufacturing processes for steel fabrication, welding, and large equipment assembly

Third Quarter

• Drive measurable improvements in fabrication processes - routing, work cell layout, material flow, throughput, and rework reduction
• Lead lean initiatives tailored to the engineer-to-order environment - reducing cycle time, improving first-pass yield, and eliminating waste
• Support capital equipment projects with drawing reviews, installation planning, and coordination
• Collaborate on the development of manufacturing KPIs and continuous improvement metrics
• Provide routine feedback to Engineering on design improvements that increase quality and efficiency

Fourth Quarter

• Operate as a trusted manufacturing engineering resource across the organization
• Continue driving process optimization and standardization while maintaining flexibility for custom builds
• Support equipment purchase recommendations with data-driven analysis of capabilities and efficiency gains
• Identify new technology opportunities to support and advance manufacturing
• Contribute to building a stronger continuous improvement culture on the shop floor

Hands-On Engineering Impact

You'll work directly with the shop floor - the welders, fitters, riggers, and assemblers who build our cranes. Your improvements will be visible in the products that ship.

Custom, Complex Work

Every crane is engineered to order. You'll solve real fabrication challenges on large, custom steel structures - not optimize the same weldment a million times.

Full Lifecycle Involvement

From material prep through fabrication, welding, assembly, rigging, FATs, and shipping - you'll touch every stage of how a crane gets built and delivered.

Cross-Functional Visibility

You'll collaborate with Engineering, Production, Quality, Purchasing, Safety, and leadership. You'll understand the full picture.

A Business in Growth Mode

ACECO is continuing to invest in people, technology, equipment, capabilities, and operational scale. The work you do will support that growth directly.

Capital Projects and Technology

You'll support equipment purchases, facility improvements, and the identification of new technology to advance manufacturing capabilities.

What You'll Do

Manufacturing Process Development and Optimization

• Develop and improve manufacturing processes for steel fabrication, welding, and large equipment assembly
• Optimize routing, work cell layout, and material flow to improve throughput and reduce rework
• Lead lean initiatives tailored to engineer-to-order environments - reduce cycle time, improve first-pass yield, and eliminate waste while maintaining flexibility for custom builds
• Maintain a deep understanding of manufacturing capabilities and areas where additional oversight is prudent

Rigging, Handling, and Shipping Engineering

• Review in-process rigging and handling methods for large weldments and assemblies, including lift points, sling selections, and below-the-hook device selections
• Coordinate engineered and critical lifts with Production Engineering as required and in advance of lifting activities
• Engineer shipping provisions for finished cranes and components - shipping fixtures, blocking and bracing, tie-downs and restraints, and preservation and packaging requirements
• Develop and plan required fixtures, supports, and test weights for factory acceptance tests (FATs); coordinate with Production Engineering as required

Outsourcing, Vendor Coordination, and Make-vs-Buy

• Provide manufacturing input to estimating and quoting, including labor hours and make-versus-buy decisions
• Supply and coordinate manufacturing input for design reviews and estimating

Design for Manufacturability and Engineering Collaboration

• Provide design-for-manufacturability input during design reviews
• Collaborate with Engineering and Production to redline drawings for design changes and ensure in-process components and materials are updated
• Provide routine feedback to Production Engineering on design improvements and enhancements to increase quality and efficiency

Capital Projects, Technology, and Equipment

• Support CapEx projects with drawing reviews, installation planning, and coordination with necessary resources
• Collaborate on recommendations for equipment purchases to improve efficiency
• Identify new technology required to support manufacturing

ERP Support, Safety, and Continuous Improvement

• Support the transition of the ERP system by ensuring manufacturing data is accurate, structured, and maintainable
• Collaborate in the development of manufacturing KPIs and implementation of a continuous improvement mindset
• Collaborate with Safety on plant equipment and processes related to EHS

Other duties as assigned.

What We're Looking For

This role requires full-time, on-site availability Monday-Friday.

Candidates should be located within a reasonable daily commuting distance of:

531 Old Swede Road

Douglassville, PA 19518

If relocation is required, the selected candidate must relocate prior to starting. American Crane & Equipment Corporation does not provide relocation assistance.

Ideal Candidates Should Be Able to Demonstrate the Following:

• Strong fabrication and welding knowledge and hands-on manufacturing process experience
• Ability to interpret blueprints, fabrication drawings, and project schedules
• Experience developing and optimizing manufacturing processes in a custom or engineer-to-order environment
• Practical understanding of rigging, handling, and moving large weldments and heavy assemblies
• Practical understanding of lean manufacturing principles applied to low-volume, high-mix production
• Experience with make-versus-buy analysis and outsourcing coordination
• Strong cross-functional collaboration with Engineering, Production, Quality, and Purchasing
• Comfort working on the shop floor alongside production teams
• Effective communication with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Initiative and ownership mindset - identifies problems and drives solutions

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Welding Engineering, or a closely related field strongly preferred
• Associate degree with significant relevant manufacturing engineering experience will be considered
• Equivalent demonstrated experience may be considered when supported by a strong technical manufacturing background

Experience

• Meaningful experience in manufacturing engineering with a focus on steel fabrication and welding processes
• Hands-on fabrication experience - understanding of welding processes (GMAW, FCAW, SAW, SMAW), fit-up, fixturing, weld sequencing, and distortion control
• Experience interpreting blueprints, fabrication drawings, weld symbols, and GD&T
• Experience with rigging engineering, heavy lift planning, or handling of large weldments and assemblies
• Experience in custom manufacturing, engineer-to-order, heavy fabrication, structural steel, or low-volume/high-mix environments strongly preferred<