Senior Automation Maintenance Technician

Summary:

The Senior Automation Maintenance Technician is responsible for ensuring that automated production equipment performs to their maximum efficiency, meeting output and quality requirements. This position requires demonstrated skills in troubleshooting and repair of automated equipment, including Allen-Bradley PLC controlled automation, Fanuc robots, pneumatics and similar hardware. General industrial maintenance experience is also required. The work involves medical products, so the Tech is expected to comply with medical product regulations (GMPs).

The business needs to keep our automated assembly and packaging line operating efficiently and safely to meet our customer’s expectations. Specific work includes supporting the needs of production and ensuring safe operation of the plant. The Tech will engage in installing, maintaining, improving, and repairing industrial equipment, including robotic assembly lines, semi-automated packaging equipment, occasionally chemical processing equipment and occasion fabrication work.

The Tech must be able to work effectively with other employees, including engineers, production operators and other techs, and work effectively with contractors and vendors. The Tech may occasionally oversee contractor work.

The Tech will use safe work practices in tasks where workplace hazards must be controlled via LOTO, PPE, equipment guarding and similar practices. Some work requires wearing a respirator.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

General:

• Complete assigned preventative and corrective maintenance work, and document work in the computerized maintenance management system, in a safe and effective manner.
• Assist engineering with the specification, installation, and modification of equipment and systems, especially for automated and robotic systems.
• Identify maintenance needs. Issue work orders for maintenance work.
• Conduct investigations of issues related to automation, equipment and products.
• Recommend changes and upgrades to equipment.
• Upgrade hardware and software for improved processes.
• Plan and prioritize workload to support production and ensure efficient use of working time.
• Understand and operate within basic cost/budget measures.

Safety:

• Escalate issues with potential to harm personnel, damage equipment or cause product failures.
• Assist HSE and Engineering to define machine guarding requirements, LOTO procedures and PPE requirements for automated equipment.
• Appropriately use safety procedures, such as LOTO, safe work permits and PPE.
• Ensure all lost time, minor and trivial accidents are reported.
• Ensure a safe working environment exists for self and colleagues, ensuring all health, safety environmental and quality management procedures are followed.

Trouble-shooting and Repairing:

• Troubleshoot automated, robotic, mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic equipment to determine problems associated with the machines and then resolve those problems.
• Diagnose and correct faults in computer controlled automated and robotic equipment.
• Repair industrial equipment, such as forklifts, conveyors, ovens, and electrical controllers.
• Investigate and report breakdown root causes, equipment faults and concerns to management.
• Estimate time required to complete a job and identify consequences missing timescales.

Preventative:

• Assist in the development of preventative maintenance schedules.
• Identify spare parts requirements, log usage and initiate part procurement.

Investigations:

• Perform root cause analysis and resolve problems related to equipment efficiency, quality, safety and economics.

Communications and Teamwork

• Communicate findings, upgrades, and troubleshooting to colleagues and management through the e-mail, texts, and voice calls.
• Coordinate with other departments in order to achieve departmental and company goals.
• Provide technical monitoring for other maintenance technicians and engineers both on-site and off-site.
• Keep up with current and developing manufacturing and engineering trends regarding maintenance of automated equipment.
• Complete other duties as assigned.

Qualifications, Education and/or Experience Required:

• A 2-year degree related to Industrial Automation is a minimum requirement; a 4-year degree in Engineering Technology or similar is preferred
• Minimum 7-year hands-on experience with industrial robotic and automated machinery or 5 years with a 4-year Engineering Technology degree
• Specific training and experience with Allen Bradley PLCs, including programming
• Specific training and experience with Fanuc robots
• Expert troubleshooting skills for automated systems and robotics
• Specific knowledge of LOTO procedures and machine guarding
• Willingness to use PPE, including a full-face respirator
• Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Work Independently and is reviewed infrequently with minimal supervision
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills
• Practical hands-on approach to problem solving
• Experience in leading and developing (multi-skilled) people
• Commercial understanding of the impact of failure/downtime on production and ultimately customer delivery
• Experience in an FDA / ISO regulated work environment, such as medical device manufacturing preferred

Language Skills:

• English required, bilingual (Spanish) a plus.

Physical Demands:

• This position is very active and requires standing, walking, bending, kneeling, stooping, crouching, crawling, and climbing all day. The employee must frequently lift and/or move items over 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. This position occasionally requires wearing a respirator. Thus the Tech must meet the medical requirements to wear a respirator. This position may occasionally require working inside a confined space.

Work Environment:

• Non-temperature-controlled warehouse and production floor, temperature-controlled production floor, temperature-controlled office.

Other Duties:

• Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

AAP/EEO Statement:

• CHEMENCE® provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.