Description
Job Title: Extrusion Process Engineer
Functional Area: Department Lead, Research and Development,
Employment Type: Full Time
Years of Experience: 5 to 10 plus Years
Education Level: BA or MA
Career Level: Experienced / Non-manager or Manager Level
Reporting to: Vice President of Operations
About The Company:
A world-class manufacture of innovative recycled products made from U.S. scrap tire rubber. They sell through various channels such as national general contractors, direct large retailers, national distributors, regional resellers and VAR’s throughout North America. With a diverse product line that can be used to address needs in Parking Lot & Road Safety, to helping with a Road Construction, various Industrial applications, or Home Improvement projects or designing something custom to meet your needs.
The company is proud to say that all our green products are made in America by an American workforce. Our environmentally friendly products are GreenSpec listed and count towards LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification points on your next green building project. The company is also a member of the USGBC – US Green Building Council, working to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built, and operated.
Our Products are a cost effective, durable and an attractive alternative to the standard concrete or plastic products, both of which have issues with cracking, breaking down over time and needing to be replaced after only a few years. Products made from our recycled rubber are the solution to these issues resistant to temperature variations, moisture damage, UV light, oils, fuels, and salts. Our products will not rust, chip, crack, or crumble, giving you years of superior service & value.
Key Responsibilities:
They have an opening for a full-time profile extrusion process engineer located in Western New York, Lockport, New York, North of Buffalo. Selected candidate will report to the Vice President of Operations and will be involved heavily in the research and development of new products. In this position you will be responsible for the maintenance and operation of their profile extrusion line and support new product development activities within them. You will work together with colleagues in the development team to scale up products to the main production lines and support the manufacturing team in continuous process optimization and product improvements. Excellent analytical skills are required to problem solve and to provide improved safety solutions to our customers. Your main responsibilities will be:
- Execute process to develop innovative profile solutions for our extruded product line using TPV – Thermoplastic Vulcanizate. Develop and optimize our profile extrusion processes for a variety of Thermoplastics using strong skills in plastic processing and material properties. As a member of the development team, interact with suppliers to aid with formulation, processing, and trouble shooting. Travel to different locations may be required. Support manufacturing teams optimizing and troubleshooting production processes.
- Maintain and operate our profile extrusion line and testing equipment. Provide/coordinate maintenance, modification, die development, troubleshooting and equipment repair to ensure all in working order. Comply with Environment, Health, and Safety regulations.
- Assist in managing process lab and develop new testing capabilities. Support safe practices and promote a safety culture in the lab. Maintain good housekeeping of the production machinery, labs, equipment, and installations. Ensure presence of appropriate, up to date equipment including different cooling equipment, pullers, saws, and extruders as well as test equipment. Ensure availability of all required equipment.
- Optimizing processes from product design to product launch and continual process improvement
- Successfully introducing new extruded products, including heavy involvement in the design, R&D, extrusion, and fabrication of profile die tooling, materials, and material development.
- Document process requirements, setup, and process parameters to assure equipment
and plant team are capable of producing quality products. - Implementation of SOP’s (standard operating procedures) including standard work,
workplace organization, quality, and packaging specifications. - Complete time studies to identify opportunities for efficiency improvements.
- Coordinate continuous improvement and production process refinement efforts.
- Coordinate all applicable product testing verification and ongoing validation to meet
product specifications as well as comply with applicable local and governmental regulations.
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree (5 to 10+ years of related experience) or Master’s degree (5+ years of related hands-on experience) in plastic engineering, chemical engineering, or related engineering degrees.
- Strong plastic processing background with emphasis on profile and/or thick-walled extrusion processes. Knows how to process different types of thermoplastic materials and able to optimize and trouble shoot profile extrusion processes.
- Hands-on, mechanically inclined. Ability to perform simple maintenance tasks and identify when repairs by in-house staff or third parties are required.
- Strong communicator. Ability to provide detailed reports of obtained results with scientific analysis and recommendations for continuing research.
- Analytical thinker and detail oriented. Ability to design own experiments to evaluate different materials.
- Eager to learn, passionate about problem solving, “Can-do” attitude.
- A proven self-starter capable of handling multiple priorities.
- Demonstrated record of success.
Must Haves:
- Experience setting up and using plastic profile extruders with cooling baths, pullers, and saws.
- 5+ years of experience in the plastic industry.
- Some plastic composite knowledge.
Nice to haves:
- Experience with a Davis Standard extruder.
- Experience with thermoplastics.
- Experience in the recycled plastic industry.
- R&D experience and setting up a new department.