Fettling Supervisor - Steel Foundry

Job Purpose

To plan, supervise, and control all fettling and finishing activities of steel castings to ensure castings meet drawing, dimensional, surface quality, safety, and delivery requirements, while optimising manpower, tools, and consumables.

Key Responsibilities

1. Production & Fettling Operations

• Plan and execute daily fettling activities including:
• Knock-off of runners, risers, and feeders
• Chipping, grinding, arc-air gouging
• Allocate work to grinders, chippers, gouging operators, and helpers based on priority and skill level.
• Ensure fettling is carried out as per drawing requirements, weld maps, and repair instructions.
• Monitor cycle time per casting and ensure output meets daily and shift targets.
• Minimise re-work due to over-grinding, incorrect profiling, or dimensional deviations.

2. Quality Control & Compliance

• Ensure fettled castings conform to:
• Drawing requirements
• Surface finish standards
• Weld repair acceptance criteria
• Coordinate with Quality for:
• Visual inspection
• NDT preparation (MPI / DP / UT / RT)
• Re-fettling after NDT observations
• Prevent common defects caused by fettling such as:
• Over-grinding
• Undercuts
• Loss of datum features
• Sharp edges or incorrect blending
• Ensure compliance with customer-specific requirements (Wabtec, IR, OEM standards, etc.).

3. Manpower & Shift Management

• Supervise fettling workforce including permanent and contract labour.
• Assign skilled tasks (gouging, heavy grinding, weld prep) only to qualified operators.
• Monitor attendance, productivity, and discipline on the shop floor.
• Provide on-the-job training for:
• Correct grinding techniques
• Safe tool handling
• Drawing interpretation basics
• Ensure proper handover between shifts.

4. Safety & Housekeeping

• Enforce strict adherence to safety practices:
• PPE usage (face shields, gloves, ear plugs, respirators)
• Safe handling of grinders and arc-air equipment
• Ensure spark containment and fire safety measures are followed.
• Maintain good housekeeping in fettling bays:
• Proper slag and metal scrap disposal
• Tool storage and cable management
• Report near-misses and unsafe conditions to management.

5. Tools, Consumables & Equipment Control

• Monitor usage of:
• Grinding wheels
• Electrodes
• Arc-air carbons
• Gas and power consumption
• Prevent misuse, breakage, and excessive consumption.
• Ensure grinders, compressors, and arc-air units are maintained and serviceable.
• Coordinate with Maintenance for breakdowns and preventive maintenance.

6. Planning, Coordination & Reporting

Coordinate with:

• Knock-out & heat-treatment teams for casting flow
• Welding team for repair sequencing
• Quality for inspection clearance
• Dispatch for delivery commitments

Maintain daily records of:

• Fettling output
• Re-work quantities
• Manpower deployment
• Escalate bottlenecks affecting delivery timelines.

Key Deliverables (Measurable Outputs)

• Fettled castings meeting 100% drawing and surface finish requirements
• Reduction in over-fettling and avoidable weld repairs

On-time clearance of castings for:

• NDT
• Heat treatment
• Dispatch
• Improved grinder productivity (castings per man-shift)
• Zero major safety incidents in fettling area
• Controlled consumption of grinding wheels and consumables
• Clean, organised, and audit-ready fettling shop floor

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Fettling productivity (MT / man-shift)
• Re-fettling percentage after inspection
• Weld repair rejection due to poor prep
• Grinding wheel consumption per MT
• Safety incidents / near misses
• Delivery adherence from fettling stage

Qualifications & ExperienceEducation

• ITI / Diploma (Mechanical / Production / Foundry) preferred
• Practical experience may substitute formal education

Experience

• Minimum 5–8 years in steel foundry fettling operations
• At least 2–3 years in a supervisory role

Required Skills & Competencies

• Strong knowledge of steel casting defects and fettling methods
• Ability to read and understand engineering drawings
• Hands-on experience with grinding and arc-air gouging
• Manpower handling and shop-floor discipline
• Quality and safety-oriented mindset
• Basic reporting and communication skills

Authority & Responsibility

• Authority to allocate manpower and assign tasks within fettling section
• Responsibility for quality, safety, productivity, and cost control in fettling operations
• Accountability for delays or defects arising from fettling activities

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: ₹28,000.00 - ₹32,000.00 per month

Benefits:

• Cell phone reimbursement
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Provident Fund

Education:

• Diploma (Preferred)

Experience:

• Steel foundry fettling supervision total work: 4 years (Preferred)

Work Location: In person