Automation Engineer – PLC/SCADA for Manufacturing

Laminex New Zealand; Hamilton; On-site; NZD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Ongoing professional development

Supportive team culture

Stability of a well-established home

Job summary

Laminex New Zealand in Hamilton is seeking an experienced Automation Engineer to join our Hamilton manufacturing team. The role focuses on maintaining and improving site automation, electrical and control systems to ensure safe, reliable operations and peak performance.

You will work with production, maintenance and engineering colleagues to identify upgrade opportunities, lead RCA investigations, support maintenance activities and contribute to continuous improvement across the plant.

Qualifications

• 5-7+ years' experience in an industrial manufacturing environment with a strong focus on automation, process control, and plant reliability.
• Qualification in Electrical Engineering, Automation Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related discipline, together with current Electrical Registration.
• Proven experience with Allen-Bradley and Siemens PLCs, including programming, troubleshooting, fault finding, and system optimisation.
• Strong knowledge of industrial automation, instrumentation, SCADA, HMI, and process control systems.
• Demonstrated ability to diagnose and resolve complex automation, control system, and equipment performance issues within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong root cause analysis (RCA), problem-solving, and troubleshooting skills, with a focus on reducing downtime and improving operational performance.
• A proactive approach to continuous improvement, preventative maintenance, and operational efficiency.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across production, maintenance, and engineering teams.
• A strong commitment to health, safety, and compliance within a manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Maintain, troubleshoot, and optimise PLC, SCADA, instrumentation, and process control systems to ensure reliable plant performance.
• Diagnose and resolve automation faults, PLC program errors, sequence issues, and equipment breakdowns to minimise downtime and improve reliability.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) investigations and implement sustainable corrective actions to prevent recurring issues.
• Support preventative and predictive maintenance strategies, planned shutdowns, and automation-related maintenance activities to maximise plant availability.
• Contribute to automation upgrades, equipment installations, commissioning, and plant modification activities that enhance operational performance and efficiency.
• Maintain technical documentation, system backups, and compliance records while supporting maintenance planning and reliability improvement initiatives.
• Partner with production, maintenance, and engineering teams to identify improvement opportunities and deliver continuous improvement outcomes.
• Provide technical support to the Taupo site Automation Engineer as required, generally delivered remotely, including troubleshooting assistance, program reviews and backup on automation-related issues.

Skills

Automation engineering

PLC/SCADA

Electrical registration

Root cause analysis

Process optimization

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Electrical Engineering or related

Mechatronics

Tools

Allen-Bradley PLC

Siemens PLC

HMI/SCADA

Job description

Laminex New Zealand in Hamilton is seeking an experienced Automation Engineer to join our Hamilton manufacturing team. The role focuses on maintaining and improving site automation, electrical and control systems to ensure safe, reliable operations and peak performance.

You will work with production, maintenance and engineering colleagues to identify upgrade opportunities, lead RCA investigations, support maintenance activities and contribute to continuous improvement across the plant.