Job Description

Company:

Suolificio?Linea?Italia

Location:

Pondicherry, India (onsite)

Reporting to:

CEO

Compensation:

?6?lakh CTC per annum

Languages:

Fluency in Tamil required; English proficiency preferred

Experience Requirement:

7-10?years of experience in injection?moulding or plastic product development, with at least 3?years in a technical or supervisory role

Role Overview

This is a hands?on engineering role responsible for taking new TPR/TPU/EVA sole concepts from design hand?off through tooling, prototyping, physical testing and pilot production. The position focuses on technical development and process optimisation. Market research, product styling, and vendor management remain with Marketing/Design and the Procurement team. The NPD Engineer will coordinate closely with procurement and QC teams to ensure material suitability and validate prototypes.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Specification & CAD Modelling

Convert design briefs into detailed technical specifications, material selections and CAD models. Prepare bills of materials and technical drawings for mould fabrication.

Mould & Process Development

Design and oversee the manufacture of sole moulds; optimise injection?moulding parameters (temperature, pressure, cycle time) and finishing processes to achieve target dimensions and surface finish. Maintain records of patterns, cavities and tooling modifications.

Prototype Build & Validation

Lead prototype builds and plan validation trials; collaborate with the QC team to conduct physical tests (hardness, abrasion, flex, tensile). Analyse test data to refine materials and process settings until prototypes meet specifications. Injection?moulding engineers are typically responsible for conducting trials and validation studiesto ensure process robustness--but testing itself should reside with QC; the NPD engineer will interpret results and implement corrective actions.

Industrialisation & Process Documentation

Organise pilot production runs, document process parameters and quality criteria and hand off robust processes to the Production team. Support Production and Maintenance during scale?up.

Coordination with Procurement & Suppliers

Provide technical input on material selection and mould tooling; review supplier proposals for material properties and tooling capability. Procurement (or a sourcing engineer) remains responsible for supplier liaison and purchase order execution; this division of responsibility mirrors common manufacturing practice where a supplier?development engineer acts as the "key liaison between suppliers and both new product development and production". The NPD engineer will attend supplier meetings as needed to address technical issues but will not manage the overall supply chain.

Continuous Improvement

Investigate root causes of defects and recommend improvements to mould design, material formulation or process parameters. Stay current with injection?moulding technologies and assist in training shop?floor staff.

Qualifications & Skills

Diploma or degree in Mechanical/Production/Polymer Engineering; graduates of

CIPET

or

NTTF

tool?engineering programmes are especially encouraged. Strong expertise in injection?moulding processes, mould design and polymer material behaviour. Proficiency in CAD software (e.g., SolidWorks or AutoCAD) and familiarity with physical testing methods. Hands?on approach to troubleshooting and process optimisation; ability to analyse data and implement improvements. Good communication skills and capability to work with cross?functional teams (Production, QC, Procurement and Marketing/Design).
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: ₹550,000.00 - ₹600,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Cell phone reimbursement Health insurance Provident Fund
Work Location: In person