Focused Improvement Technician (Conversion)

Total Marketing Support Limited; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 57,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sick pay

Pension scheme

Life insurance

Share Save scheme

Cycle to Work

Discounts

25 days holiday + Bank Holidays

Job summary

DS Smith are seeking a Focus Improvement Technician (Conversion) to enhance reliability and efficiency of high‑speed finishing equipment in the Burscough site. You will diagnose faults, optimise maintenance routines and work with Production to minimise downtime.

You will have a recognised engineering qualification or apprenticeship, experience with rotary die cutters/FFGs, and strong PLC/automation skills to deliver sustainable improvements while keeping safety and quality at the forefront.

Qualifications

• Recognised engineering qualification or apprenticeship.
• Experience maintaining high-speed converting/printing/packaging machinery.
• Strong mechanical and electrical engineering skills with servo motors and sensors.

Responsibilities

• Deliver planned, preventive and corrective maintenance across the Conversion area.
• Act as technical SME for assigned assets.
• Diagnose and resolve mechanical, electrical, pneumatic and automation faults quickly and effectively.
• Calibrate and maintain print cylinders, registration systems and related components.
• Troubleshoot multi-axis servo drives, PLCs and automated control systems.

Skills

Engineering qualification

Mechanical skills

Electrical skills

PLC knowledge

CMMS experience

Troubleshooting

Education

NVQ Level 3/4 or equivalent

Tools

Siemens PLC

Rockwell/Allen-Bradley

HMI systems

EtherNet/IP/Profibus

Job description

Focus Improvement Technician – Conversion Burscough Monday - Friday (40 hours per week) £57,500

As a Focus Improvement Technician, (Conversion), you will play a key role in improving the reliability, performance and efficiency of our production assets. Working within the Conversion area, you will use your technical expertise and problem‑solving skills to identify recurring issues, reduce downtime and deliver sustainable improvements. You will be responsible for the maintenance and optimisation of high‑speed finishing equipment downstream from the corrugator, including Flexo Folder Gluers (FFGs), Rotary Die Cutters and Flatbed Die Cutters. Your focus will be on keeping equipment running safely and efficiently while ensuring the accuracy, quality and consistency of finished products. Working closely with Production and Maintenance teams, you will help identify chronic losses, resolve recurring equipment issues and deliver improvements that increase uptime and reduce waste. The salary package includes compensation for undertaking up to 20 night and weekend holiday cover shifts annually. Any holiday cover hours worked in excess of the employee's standard weekly contracted hours will be paid at the applicable overtime rate.

Responsibilities

• Delivering planned, preventative and corrective maintenance across the Conversion area.
• Acting as the technical subject‑matter expert for your assigned assets and equipment.
• Diagnosing and resolving mechanical, electrical, pneumatic and automation faults quickly and effectively.
• Maintaining and troubleshooting high‑speed converting equipment from manufacturers such as Bobst, Martin/FFG, Tanabe, Gopfert and Sun Automation.
• Calibrating and maintaining print cylinders, registration systems, anilox rolls, doctor blade assemblies and rotary die‑cutting cylinders to ensure precise product quality.
• Maintaining high‑speed feed systems, vacuum transfer tables, folder‑gluer belts and associated equipment to minimise jams and production stoppages.
• Maintaining, flushing and calibrating automated hot‑melt and cold‑glue systems and associated inspection sensors.
• Troubleshooting multi‑axis servo drives, encoders, PLCs and automated control systems responsible for machine timing and synchronisation.
• Supporting quick changeovers by improving machine set‑up, recipes and adjustment processes to minimise downtime between product changes.
• Identifying and eliminating chronic equipment losses and recurring failures.
• Supporting root‑cause analysis and implementing sustainable corrective actions.
• Reviewing and optimising maintenance routines to improve equipment reliability and performance.
• Working closely with Production colleagues to build strong relationships and minimise disruption to manufacturing.
• Accurately recording maintenance activity, findings, spare parts and corrective actions within the CMMS.
• Supporting continuous improvement, Maintenance Excellence and reliability‑focused projects.
• Ensuring all maintenance activities are carried out safely and in line with site procedures and engineering standards.

Person Specification

• A recognised engineering qualification such as an apprenticeship, NVQ Level 3/4 or equivalent in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics or Maintenance Engineering.
• Experience maintaining high‑speed converting, printing, packaging or similar multi‑station production machinery.
• Strong mechanical and electrical engineering skills, with experience of servo motors, precision gearboxes, pneumatic actuators and electronic sensors.
• Experience troubleshooting automated machinery involving multiple axes, drives, PLCs and machine‑control systems.
• The ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, pneumatic diagrams and mechanical drawings.
• Experience with precision mechanical adjustment and alignment, using tools such as dial indicators, calipers and gauges.
• An understanding of machine timing, synchronisation and registration within high‑speed production equipment.
• Experience working with industrial networks such as EtherNet/IP or Profibus would be advantageous.
• Experience with PLCs and HMI systems, with Siemens, Rockwell/Allen‑Bradley or similar platforms desirable.
• Experience maintaining or troubleshooting automated strapping, bundling or palletising equipment would be beneficial.
• Experience using a CMMS to manage preventative maintenance, work orders and spare parts.
• A strong focus on safety, quality and continuous improvement.
• A proactive approach to problem‑solving, with the ability to identify the root cause of issues rather than simply fixing the immediate problem.
• The ability to work effectively with both Maintenance and Production teams.

What we can offer you

• Competitive salary
• Qualifying Sick Pay scheme
• Pension scheme & Life insurance
• Share Save scheme
• Income Protection
• 25 days holiday plus Bank Holidays
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Virtual GP, Occupational Health & free Flu vaccine
• Cycle to Work and shopping discounts

DS Smith, together with International Paper, we are a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions and other fibre‑based products. We believe a better, more sustainable tomorrow is possible with the right people, who challenge and support one another to enact positive change. We employ more than 65,000 colleagues in North America and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), who are experts in innovation, manufacturing, design, sales, sustainability, supply chain, and much more. Together with our customers, we make the world safer and more productive, one sustainable packaging solution at a time. Become part of a world‑leading organisation and do your best work with us! Our people come from diverse backgrounds, bring different perspectives, ideas and experiences to generate unique solutions focused on present and future sustainability challenges. We welcome all candidates to apply, even those not meeting all criteria.” #LI-SP #DSENG

We are DS Smith, together with International Paper, we are a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions and other fibre‑based products. We believe a better, more sustainable tomorrow is possible with the right people, who challenge and support one another to enact positive change. We employ more than 60,000 colleagues in North America and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), who are experts in innovation, manufacturing, design, sales, sustainability, supply chain, and much more. Together with our customers, we make the world safer and more productive, one sustainable packaging solution at a time. Become part of a world‑leading organisation and do your best work with us! As the journey continues of bringing together the strengths of both organisations, during your candidate experience you may engage with our colleagues from International Paper! You could visit an International Paper or DS Smith site or office.