Automation Engineer

Teknor Apex Company; Singapore; On-site; SGD 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Teknor Apex Company is seeking an experienced Automation Engineer to own PLC, Ignition SCADA, HMI, drives and networked plant control systems. The role emphasizes maintenance of architecture, standards, documentation and backups to ensure stable, reliable operation.

The position requires strong troubleshooting, root-cause analysis and hands-on capability to develop, test and optimize PLC programs, SCADA screens, alarms and historical data.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or Diploma in Automation, Electrical, Electronics, Mechatronics, Control Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of industrial automation experience preferred.
• Experience with PLC programming, troubleshooting and system modifications.
• Familiarity with Ignition SCADA, HMI and industrial communication networks.

Responsibilities

• Own PLC, Ignition SCADA, HMI, drives, communication networks and plant control system performance.
• Maintain control-system standards, documentation and backups.
• Ensure automation systems are stable, reliable and maintainable.
• Lead automation-related upgrade projects and risk assessments.
• Provide on-call or on-site support for critical automation incidents.

Skills

Troubleshooting

Root cause analysis

Documentation

Training & knowledge transfer

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Diploma in Automation

Tools

Ignition SCADA

PLC programming

HMI

VFD/inverter

Industrial communication networks

Job description

• Own PLC, Ignition SCADA, HMI, drives, communication networks, and plant control system performance.
• Maintain control system architecture, standards, documentation, and backups.
• Ensure automation systems are stable, reliable, and maintainable.
• Maintain proper program backup, version control, and change records.
• Identify obsolete or high-risk automation components and recommend upgrade plans.

Role And Responsibilities

Automation & Control System Ownership

• Own PLC, Ignition SCADA, HMI, drives, communication networks, and plant control system performance.
• Maintain control system architecture, standards, documentation, and backups.
• Ensure automation systems are stable, reliable, and maintainable.
• Maintain proper program backup, version control, and change records.
• Identify obsolete or high-risk automation components and recommend upgrade plans.

PLC Programming & Troubleshooting

• Perform independent troubleshooting on PLC and control system faults.
• Develop, modify, test, and optimize PLC programs.
• Diagnose automation-related equipment trips and recurring faults.
• Review and improve control logic to increase equipment reliability and production stability.
• Ensure all PLC changes are tested, backed up, documented and approved before implementation.

Ignition SCADA Development & Support

• Develop, modify, troubleshoot, and maintain Ignition SCADA applications.
• Troubleshoot communication between PLC, Ignition SCADA, field devices, and related systems.
• Develop and maintain:
• SCADA screens and navigation
• Tags
• Alarms
• Trends and historical data
• Recipes
• User access and permissions
• Equipment status and production monitoring
• Support integration of new equipment into Ignition SCADA.
• Diagnose and resolve SCADA communication, tag, alarm, scripting, and system-performance issues.
• Maintain Ignition Gateway configuration, backups, and system documentation.
• Support future migration of legacy control/SCADA systems to Ignition where required.

Automation Breakdown Support & RCA

• Provide technical support for automation-related breakdowns.
• Troubleshoot PLC, SCADA, HMI, VFD/inverter, communication, instrumentation, and control-system failures.
• Work with Maintenance Supervisor and technicians during equipment breakdowns.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) of automation and control system failures, implement sustainable corrective actions, and drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance system reliability and prevent recurring breakdowns.
• Provide remote or onsite support for critical automation breakdowns when required.
• Provide end-to-end technical support by resolving issues internally while ensuring timely engagement of external technical support for issues beyond organization's expertise.

Industrial Communication & System Integration

• Troubleshoot industrial communication networks and device integration.
• Support systems using protocols/networks such as:
• PROFINET / PROFIBUS
• Ethernet/IP
• Support integration between PLC, SCADA, HMI, VFD, weighing/feeding systems, and other production equipment.
• Diagnose communication loss, network faults, and device connection issues.

Automation Projects & Management of Change

• Lead automation-related improvement and upgrade projects.
• Develop control-system concepts and logic requirements.
• Prepare automation project scope and technical requirements.
• Support equipment installation, commissioning, FAT and SAT.
• Prepare and maintain MOC documentation for control-system changes.
• Conduct or support risk assessment for automation modifications.
• Ensure automation changes are tested, validated, backed up, documented, and approved before implementation.
• Coordinate with Maintenance Engineer, Production, vendors, and Corporate Engineering.

Automation Safety & Compliance

• Ensure automation modifications comply with company and regulatory safety requirements.
• Validate alarms, interlocks, permissive, and control sequences.
• Ensure control-system changes do not bypass or compromise machine safety.
• Support risk assessment for automation-related modifications.
• Ensure contractors follow applicable company safety requirements.

Documentation & System Backup

• Maintain current PLC, HMI, SCADA and drive program backups.
• Maintain control-system drawings and relevant technical documentation.
• Maintain change history and version control.
• Document troubleshooting solutions for recurring faults.
• Maintain equipment communication and control-system information for future troubleshooting.

Training & Knowledge Transfer

• Provide basic PLC, SCADA and automation troubleshooting training to maintenance technicians.
• Develop troubleshooting guides for common automation problems.
• Provide technical guidance and transfer knowledge to Maintenance Engineers, Supervisors, and Technicians to support skills development and continuous improvement.
• Build internal automation troubleshooting capability.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve automation reliability, productivity, quality and efficiency.
• Support Kaizen and plant improvement activities.
• Recommend automation upgrades where existing systems are obsolete or unreliable.
• Drive initiatives to reduce automation-related equipment downtime and optimize maintenance costs.

On-Call & Emergency Support

• Provide timely on-call support for critical automation incidents to minimize production downtime and ensure operational continuity.
• Provide remote or onsite troubleshooting support.
• May be required to work beyond normal working hours or weekends based on operational needs.

Education Qualification

• Bachelor's Degree or Diploma in Automation, Electrical, Electronics, Mechatronics, Control Engineering, or related field.
• Relevant automation or Ignition certification would be an advantage.
• Candidates with equivalent technical qualifications and/or relevant hands-on experience will also be considered.

Work Experience

• Preferably 5+ years of industrial automation experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrate strong hands-on and practical experience in PLC programming, troubleshooting, and system modifications, including fault diagnosis of PLC I/O, HMI, control logic, alarms, interlocks, industrial communication networks, and PLC/SCADA system integration.
• Ability to read, interpret, and troubleshoot electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and control circuits to support effective equipment maintenance and reliability.