Assembly Cell Operator

Job Summary

The water spider's role is to support the improvement and efficiency of production operations. In traditional manufacturing, a comparable role would be that of the material handler, except the water spider takes on many more tasks in a diverse range of functional areas, including:

Material management

Production

Administration

Key Tasks & Responsibilities (Essential Functions)

The specific day-to-day duties that a water spider performs ultimately depend on the sorts of projects their organization undertakes. Generally speaking, though, a water spider's primary responsibilities are:

Replenishing materials and supplies: Water spiders travel between departments and teams during manufacturing operations to determine what supplies teams require.

Ordering production tools and resources: When production teams require additional resources or new materials, the water spider is the team member who places the order and delivers the shipment to manufacturing personnel.

Managing manufacturing inventory counts: In lean, the water spider keeps track of the inventory during manufacturing to replenish supplies and remove waste as quickly as possible. This keeps operations running efficiently.

Completing administrative tasks to streamline processes: Some water spiders perform administrative duties like reporting business information or documenting manufacturing processes to maintain effective communication between senior managers and production staff.

Education (minimum education required)

Skills and Minimum Experience Required

Essential water spider skills

To perform tasks in their crucial role in a lean manufacturing organization, a water spider implements the following essential skills:

Technical knowledge

Ideally, the water spider is deeply knowledgeable about the processes associated with your organization's production. That means they understand not only the broader view of what the organization does but also the activities specific to particular workstations. Only with that profound understanding can they generate insight into the needs of individual teams and help to identify challenges to overcome.

Related: Industry Knowledge: Why It's Important and How to Develop It

Communication

The ability to convey information between line workers and upper management is one of the most important functions of the water spider. After gathering the needs of the production teams, they communicate those needs, along with their insights, to the decision-makers of the organization. This conveyance works in the opposite direction, too, from management to line workers. Thus, the water spider helps to narrow the gap between the tiers of the organization.

Time management

Time management is the ability to use your time efficiently and effectively. That involves prioritizing your tasks and approaching them methodically. As the water spider's job requires them to move from place to place and satisfy time-sensitive needs, well-developed time management skills are fundamental to the role.

Physical Requirements

Travel Requirements