Job Title: Sr. Quoting/Costing Engineer
Location: Lincolnshire, IL
Job Overview: Quoting/Estimating Engineer is responsible for assessing customer RFQ's for product/process feasibility, costing and overall capability for the Flexan, Lincolnshire and Chicago business units and other business units, as necessary. This role will also work closely with the Sales and Business Development team and customers to understand validation, NRE's, and other project costs requirements. This role will also work closely with the process and project engineering teams to assist with process development, guidance, and overall adherence to project scopes and costs.
Responsibilities: Quotation Development:
- Manage Flexan quote opportunities and meet Quotation deadlines.
- Develop detailed cost estimates for silicone and rubber molded components, including LSR, HCR, compression, transfer and injection molding processes.
- Calculate material usage, cycle times, cavitation, press sizing optimization, labor content, scrap factors, secondary operations, post-cure requirements and packaging costs.
- Reviews and interpret blueprints and/or customer statement of requirements to prepare full BOM and routing structures aligned with manufacturing methods.
- Develop multiple pricing scenarios (e.g., annual volume tiers, multi-cavity/modular tooling strategies, COI variations).
- Generate formal customer quotations with clear assumptions/exceptions, lead times and commercial terms.
- Develops the quotations of the modifications/adjustments occurring after the initial order.
Technical Analysis & Design for Manufacture:
- Conducts the feasibility of RFQ's and analyzes data on all factors that affect the cost and manufacturability of the product, including engineering drawings, raw materials, labor, equipment, tools, and capital costs.
- Provide DFM feedback related to gate/vent strategy, parting lines, wall thickness, draft, flash control and cure behavior.
- Review customer models, prints, and specifications for manufacturability and identify risks, required tolerances, durometer considerations, and tooling impacts.
- Collaborate with Tooling Engineer to determine optimal tooling approach (single cavity, multi-cavity, family mold, cold runner, steel type, mold class).
Cross-Functional Collaboration:
- Work with Process Engineering to validate cycle times, scrap assumptions and other processing details.
- Support Sales and Business Development during customer interactions, RFQ's, technical calls and quote reviews documenting assumptions for tracking purposes.
- Works with project team to resolve manufacturability issues, as required.
- Partner with Supply Chain to verify raw material cost, MOQ, lead time and other purchasing requirements.
- Coordinate with Quality Engineering on regulatory and inspection requirements/expectations (AQL, PPAP, IQ/OQ/PQ efforts).
- Responsible for presenting technical & economic documentation to project teams during the Contract review phase of Flexan' s NPI process.
Data, Systems & Costing Accuracy:
- Maintain accurate cost models, work center rates, and quoting templates.
- Continuously refine estimating logic using actual performance data (cycle time, scrap, productivity).
- Update ERP system with validated costing inputs as required.
- Track quote-to-actual performance and drive cost transparency across the organization.
Continuous Improvement:
- Recommend process and tool improvements that reduce costs or increase competitiveness.
- Actively support cost-out initiatives through improved mold designs, optimized cycle times. Or new automation opportunities.
- Develop standard work, guidelines and best practices for quote generation.
- Leads the refinement of the quote process to ensure continually serving of needs and coordinate group input with the intent to improve and change best practices.
General Accountability:
- Cooperation and professional conduct with coworkers, staff, and managers.
- Communicate effectively with Flexan' s employees and Management. Demonstrates all the Flexan corporate values.
- Quality
- Accountability
- Respect
- Innovation
- Integrity
- Open & honest communications
- Teamwork
- Customer focus
Requirements: - Bachelor's degree in an Engineering (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Materials, Plastics, Polymer).
- 5+ years' direct experience in silicone and/or rubber molding, with strong understanding of:
- Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) injection.
- High Consistency Rubber (HCR) molding.
- Compression and transfer molding.
- Cure cycles, post-cure and material behavior.
- Tool design elements (cavitation, gating, venting, steel types).
- Experience estimating cost for molded components (silicone, rubber, elastomers).
- Ability to interpret engineering drawings, GD & T, CAD models, customer and regulatory specifications.
- Experience with ERP systems (IQMS preferred), cost modelling tools and quotation workflows.
Core Competencies: - Excellent analytical, mathematical and communication skills.
Preferences: - Experience with SolidWorks or other 3D modeling software.
- Experience with mold flow analysis (or ability to interpret results).
- Background in medical, automotive, aerospace or industrial silicone components.
- Experience supporting APQP, PPAP and customer audits.
- Exposure to automation, vision inspection and deflashing technologies.
- Knowledge of color matching, adhesion/bonding techniques, multi-shot molding, overmolding and silicone chemistry fundamentals.
Travel & Work Arrangements/Requirements: Onsite.
The pay range for this role is $100-$125k. The pay range considers a wide range of factors that include a candidate's skills; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and geographic location.
