Senior Toolmaker – Thin Wall Plastic Injection Moulding (All Rounder) Lenasia

SUMMARY:
Senior Toolmaker – Thin Wall Plastic Injection Moulding (All Rounder)
Lenasia

Hours of Work

• As per shift roster
• Monday – Friday: 07:00 – 17:00
• Alternate Saturday: 08:00 – 13:00 + standby for remainder of weekend
• Sunday: as and when required
• Must be on call for any breakdowns

Remuneration
Salary range: R40,000 – R45,000 per month (CTC), depending on experience and qualifications

POSITION INFO:
Job Summary / Purpose
The Senior Toolmaker is responsible for ensuring all planned maintenance, breakdown repairs, servicing and quality checks of injection mould tools and associated equipment are completed on time, to specification and with effective root cause resolution. This role requires an experienced all rounder who can diagnose faults, repair tooling, fabricate or modify precision components and support production with minimal downtime.

Key Responsibilities

Toolroom & Mould Maintenance

• Perform planned and breakdown maintenance on all injection mould tools, ensuring tools are ready for production and performing checks on first shot quality.
• Attend machine startups after tool maintenance to verify run off quality and confirm acceptance by Quality Control.
• Carry out regular tool inspections and maintenance between production runs.

Production Support

• Attend promptly to machine stoppages or breakdowns in production.
• Maintain quality standards for injection moulded products, with emphasis on thin wall plastic components.
• Diagnose root cause of poor product quality or tool performance issues and implement corrective actions.

Machine Operation & Fabrication

• Organize and select appropriate raw materials, tooling and cutters.
• Set up and operate CNC milling machines and conventional machines including:
• Lathes
• Milling machines
• Surface grinders
• Spark eroders
• Drill presses
• Bench grinders
• Manufacture new or replacement parts to precise tolerances.
• Perform fitting, welding and finishing as required.

Toolroom Management

• Maintain cleanliness and housekeeping of toolroom, machinery and workplace (routine cleaning schedule).
• Ensure all machine tools are serviced and maintained in optimum working condition.
• Implement and maintain the Toolroom Mandate and ensure products remain within specification after repairs or refurbishment

Communication & Reporting

• Liaise with production, sales and quality teams regarding customer complaints and tooling issues.
• Complete job cards, registers and reports accurately and on time.
• Provide training and guidance to junior staff and apprentices

Safety

• Identify safety concerns and take corrective/preventive action.
• Maintain compliance with health and safety standards and procedures.

Key Performance Areas

• Complete all toolroom work within scheduled deadlines.
• Ensure all job cards are logged, documented and filed correctly.
• Develop and maintain a stock list of cutting tools and ensure minimum levels are kept.
• Ensure machine tools are cleaned monthly and serviced annually.
• Ensure moulds are available and ready when required by production.
• Minimise repetitive tool breakdowns (target: ≤ 1 recurring failure per month).

Competencies & Skills

• Strong mechanical aptitude and problem-solving ability
• Effective prioritisation and time management
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written)
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong planning and organising discipline
• Accountable and reliable with a strong work ethic
• Ability to perform root cause analysis and corrective action
• Knowledge of Health & Safety standards and practices

Education & Experience

• Minimum 3 years’ experience in a similar Senior Toolmaker role
• Proven experience in thin wall plastic injection moulding tool repair, maintenance and troubleshooting
• Skilled in both CNC milling and conventional machine tools and able to manufacture or modify precision parts
• Experience in identifying tooling issues, performing root cause analysis and implementing solutions

Ideal Candidate Profile (Summary)
The ideal Senior Toolmaker is an experienced technician with broad mechanical knowledge, capable of diagnosing complex tooling faults, performing repairs, manufacturing precision components and ensuring high quality mould performance. They should be a self-starter, good communicator and reliable team player who understands production priorities and quality standards in injection moulding environments — especially thin wall components.

 

---