The Danaher Engineering Leadership Development Program (ELDP) provides an accelerated training program for college graduates who are at the top of their class and have proven the ability to excel in today’s fast-paced manufacturing environment. The program will provide graduates, who wish to pursue a career in Manufacturing Engineering, Quality Engineering, or Operations Management, the opportunity to get exposed to the various facets of Danaher’s lean manufacturing environment. The ELDP is designed to provide us with future Manufacturing leaders for significant management positions. The ELDP will build on the technical skills of the participants by providing them exposure to experienced Danaher professionals through three assignments at various manufacturing locations. Assignments will typically last 12 months but will vary based on several factors. Participation in the program will require geographic flexibility. Each rotation will include detailed exposure and involvement in the Danaher Business System (DBS). To be successful in Manufacturing within Danaher, professionals must be able to take a lead role in promoting, supporting, and participating in the DBS approach at each facility.
The following are descriptions of the four (4) structured assignments. Participants will be placed in three (3) of these assignments during their rotation. Selection of the assignment will involve the participant’s preference, availability of the assignment, and the needs of the organization. The specific responsibilities within each assignment may vary based upon the immediate needs of the business. Some assignments share some of the same objectives. These objectives overlap from various assignments, as they are the foundation of sound Manufacturing practices.
Manufacturing Engineering: Having the best Manufacturing Engineers in each Danaher location is critical to establishing and maintaining a successful, productive, cost efficient manufacturing process all based on the DBS principles. Our Manufacturing Engineers are the focal point of the manufacturing process as they interact with all of the internal support functions and external resources to ensure that the production process is streamlined and maintained without interruption. Typical assignments in the area of Manufacturing Engineering include:
- Ownership of plant/cell layout and designs
- Implementation of Lean conversion initiatives
- Design of fixturing and tooling
- Vendor sourcing and qualifying for new products and LCR initiatives
- Capacity planning
- Coordination with Design Engineering for “Design for Manufacturability”
- Leading Danaher’s QDSC (Quality, Delivery, Safety, Cost) initiative
Danaher Business System Leader (DBSL): The Danaher Business System (DBS) provides tools that create sustainable competitive advantage by continuously improving quality, delivery, cost and innovation. Our goal is to provide these tools to all Danaher associates by managing with Policy Deployment and Daily Management and eliminating waste using the DBS Tools. This way each Danaher Company can develop the expertise to reach their world-class objectives. The best way to learn DBS is through hands-on experience. The DBSL leads the DBS initiatives at each location and is instrumental in ensuring continuous improvement and sustainability of all of our DBS activity. Typical assignments in the area of DBS include:
- Facilitating Kaizen activity in all departments and functions within the facility
- Educating new associates on the DBS principles and ensuring compliance with our DBS Immersion program
- Working with Plant Manager and Operations leaders on improving the manufacturing process using the DBS tool kit
- Establishing and maintaining regular training courses to ensure that associates at each location remain apprised of the DBS tools that are available to assist them in their day-to-day activity
- Creating and maintaining the appropriate visuals to ensure that all associates have immediate feedback on the performance of their manufacturing cell
- Partnering with Operations on all QDSC initiatives
Quality Assurance: QDSC is the fundamental drivers in the success of our operations – starting with Quality. Robust quality programs drive our manufacturing process and ensure that we manufacture the products to specifications the first time, every time. The Quality Department is a close partner to the Materials and Operations groups. These functions work in concert with each other to guarantee Danaher manufactures the highest quality part, at the lowest possible cost, on time, without shop floor accidents. Typical assignments in the area of Quality include:
- Coordinating vendor certifications with the Materials department
- Participation in ISO or AS quality audits
- Creation of Quality SOPs to assist the production process
- Working with Operations on scrap reduction initiatives
- Preparing Corrective Action measures for non-compliance products
Area Management: Danaher prides itself on the quality of our leaders and leadership starts on the production floor. Our Area Managers are responsible for managing both the production process and the skilled, dedicated workforce that puts the product out the door everyday. The Area Manager is responsible for building the best team, training the associates on benchmark manufacturing processes and ensuring that all QDCS and DBS initiatives are met and sustained.
- Coordination of daily production requirements
- Managing and training a diverse workforce of dedicated associates
- Implementing lean conversion initiatives in accordance with the DBS tool kit
- Facilitating the communication and coordination of activities between the manufacturing process and the support functions
We are confident that participation in this rotational program will prepare the participants for a fast pace, successful career within Danaher’s Manufacturing team.
Relocation: Exposure to the different manufacturing environments and processes within Danaher is key to the growth and development of the ELDP participants. In order to facilitate this, the participants may be asked to relocate at the completion of each rotation. The selection of the assignment location will involve the participant’s preference, availability of the assignment, and the needs of the organization. Relocation is handled in accordance with Danaher’s Smart Sum Value relocation policy. Associates are discouraged from purchasing a primary residence while in the rotational program as relocation costs for the sale and purchase of a home are not covered by the Smart Sum relocation policy.
