Senior Manufacturing Engineer - Fabrication
Posted May 18, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
Behavioral
Walk me through a sheet metal fabrication process you improved from the ground up. What was the starting OEE and what did you get it to?
whether the candidate has real hands-on experience driving measurable OEE improvement, not just talking about it in theory
Tell me about a time design engineering handed you a part that was hard to manufacture. How did you push back and what changed in the design?
experience actually influencing DFM decisions with design engineers, not just flagging issues after the fact
Describe a time you introduced a new process or piece of tooling on the shop floor and ran into resistance from operators. What did you do?
ability to get buy-in from hourly staff, since implementation depends on frontline cooperation
Tell me about a New Product Introduction you supported that had sheet metal components. What DFM issues came up and how early were you brought in?
whether they get pulled into NPI early enough to actually shape manufacturability, or just inherit problems
Tell me about a project where your timeline or priorities shifted midstream. How did you keep the team and stakeholders aligned?
resilience and communication skill when managing shifting deadlines, which the posting flags as a requirement
Technical
What's your experience with Amada or Salvagnini equipment specifically, and how did that differ from other machines you've worked with?
hands-on familiarity with the exact equipment brands this plant runs, versus generic fabrication knowledge
How would you determine the true capacity of a press brake or laser cutting cell that's currently running below its rated output?
ability to do real capacity analysis rather than relying on nameplate specs or guesswork
What CAD or CAM software have you used to program sheet metal equipment, and how comfortable are you generating nest programs or brake sequences yourself versus relying on programmers?
depth of hands-on CAD/CAM skill versus supervisory-only exposure
What lean tools have you actually applied on a fabrication floor, and can you give an example where one didn't work as expected?
honest, specific lean experience versus buzzword familiarity
Situational
Say you're bringing in a new turret punch or laser cutting machine to replace aging equipment. Walk me through how you'd plan the acquisition through to hitting production throughput targets.
whether they can run a capital equipment project end to end, including the messy ramp-up period
Tell me about a time you had to balance a high mix, low volume order alongside a high volume, low mix run in the same fabrication area. How did you sequence it?
comfort operating in mixed production environments, which is called out directly in the posting
If you found that material and information weren't flowing well between two work centers in the fabrication value stream, causing bottlenecks, how would you diagnose the root cause?
systems thinking about flow and synchronization, not just fixing one machine at a time
How do you typically divide your time between office-based process design work and time actually standing on the shop floor with operators and welders?
whether the candidate will actually be present on the floor or default to a desk-bound engineering style
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As published by Generac.
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