Advanced Equipment Specialist - KS

Panasonic Energy Corporation of North America; De Soto (KS); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Panasonic Energy Corporation of North America in De Soto, Kansas is seeking an Advanced Equipment Specialist to enhance equipment reliability, reduce defects, and boost productivity through advanced troubleshooting and continuous improvement. Join a world‑class team expanding a battery manufacturing facility near Kansas City, contributing to sustainable transportation and energy solutions.

The role involves diagnosing complex mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and electrical issues, leading

Responsibilities

• Independently troubleshoot, repair, and maintain manufacturing equipment with minimal supervision
• Demonstrate advanced understanding of assigned production equipment, machine functions, and manufacturing processes
• Recover equipment following failures, repairs, upgrades, and improvement activities and verify operational readiness
• Diagnose and resolve complex mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and basic electrical system issues
• Utilize machine knowledge to identify mechanisms contributing to defects, alarms, downtime, and performance losses
• Install, test, and validate equipment improvements, modifications, and engineering changes
• Interpret mechanical and electrical drawings to support troubleshooting, maintenance, and equipment modifications
• Utilize precision measurement equipment including dial indicators, calipers, micrometers, and other specialized diagnostic tools
• Maintain complete and accurate documentation of troubleshooting activities, repairs, equipment modifications, and project work
• Lead PDCA-based problem‑solving activities and root cause investigations
• Perform root cause analysis and develop both immediate countermeasures and permanent corrective actions
• Analyze equipment, process, and production data to identify trends, correlations, and improvement opportunities
• Utilize tools such as Excel, Tableau, JMP, MES, or equivalent systems to support decision‑making and issue resolution
• Drive initiatives focused on defect reduction, downtime reduction, equipment reliability, and productivity improvement
• Identify and prioritize equipment performance issues and develop action plans to address recurring problems
• Support engineering teams in validating equipment performance, process improvements, and technical solutions
• Escalate systemic or high‑risk issues as appropriate while recommending corrective actions
• Provide technical guidance and support to Equipment Specialist I team members and other operational personnel
• Demonstrate and teach proper troubleshooting methods, equipment recovery procedures, and precision measurement techniques
• Assist with onboarding, technical training, certifications, and skill development activities
• Share best practices, lessons learned, and technical knowledge across shifts and teams
• Provide accurate and comprehensive shift pass‑downs and communicate equipment status effectively
• Collaborate with production, maintenance, engineering, quality, and operational leadership to coordinate equipment‑related activities
• Communicate technical findings, equipment risks, and recommended actions to stakeholders
• Support planning and execution of equipment outages, upgrades, and improvement projects
• Coordinate work activities across multiple groups to ensure timely completion of corrective actions
• Build effective working relationships and serve as a trusted technical resource within the

Job description

Overview

Do you want to join a team that's changing the world? Do you have a strong background as an Advanced Equipment Specialist? Then we're looking for you! Check out the job description and put your skills to meaningful use, gain unique experience, and work with world-class team members with diverse backgrounds and expertise who share the same vision. Join the PECNA team today!

Overview

Do you want to join a team that's changing the world? Do you have a strong background as an Advanced Equipment Specialist? Then we're looking for you! Check out the job description and put your skills to meaningful use, gain unique experience, and work with world‑class team members with diverse backgrounds and expertise who share the same vision. Join the PECNA team today!

Responsibilities

Summary:

Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we’re building the world’s largest lithium‑ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you’ll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation. Our state‑of‑the‑art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation.

Job Summary

The Advanced Equipment Specialist is a fully proficient technical specialist responsible for improving equipment reliability, reducing defects, increasing productivity, and supporting safe manufacturing operations through advanced troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement activities. This role independently diagnoses and resolves complex equipment issues, implements corrective and preventive actions, and provides technical support across multiple manufacturing processes and equipment platforms. Working closely with production, maintenance, quality, and engineering teams, the Equipment Specialist II utilizes mechanical expertise, controls knowledge, and data analysis to drive equipment performance and operational excellence. The position serves as a key technical resource and mentor to developing team members while supporting the execution of engineering and process improvement initiatives.

Essential Duties

Functional Operations

• Independently troubleshoot, repair, and maintain manufacturing equipment with minimal supervision
• Demonstrate advanced understanding of assigned production equipment, machine functions, and manufacturing processes
• Recover equipment following failures, repairs, upgrades, and improvement activities and verify operational readiness
• Diagnose and resolve complex mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and basic electrical system issues
• Utilize machine knowledge to identify mechanisms contributing to defects, alarms, downtime, and performance losses
• Install, test, and validate equipment improvements, modifications, and engineering changes
• Interpret mechanical and electrical drawings to support troubleshooting, maintenance, and equipment modifications
• Utilize precision measurement equipment including dial indicators, calipers, micrometers, and other specialized diagnostic tools
• Maintain complete and accurate documentation of troubleshooting activities, repairs, equipment modifications, and project work

Performance Optimization & Continuous Improvement

• Lead PDCA-based problem‑solving activities and root cause investigations
• Perform root cause analysis and develop both immediate countermeasures and permanent corrective actions
• Analyze equipment, process, and production data to identify trends, correlations, and improvement opportunities
• Utilize tools such as Excel, Tableau, JMP, MES, or equivalent systems to support decision‑making and issue resolution
• Drive initiatives focused on defect reduction, downtime reduction, equipment reliability, and productivity improvement
• Identify and prioritize equipment performance issues and develop action plans to address recurring problems
• Support engineering teams in validating equipment performance, process improvements, and technical solutions
• Escalate systemic or high‑risk issues as appropriate while recommending corrective actions

Training & Team Support

• Provide technical guidance and support to Equipment Specialist I team members and other operational personnel
• Demonstrate and teach proper troubleshooting methods, equipment recovery procedures, and precision measurement techniques
• Assist with onboarding, technical training, certifications, and skill development activities
• Share best practices, lessons learned, and technical knowledge across shifts and teams
• Provide accurate and comprehensive shift pass‑downs and communicate equipment status effectively

Cross‑Functional Collaboration & Communication

• Collaborate with production, maintenance, engineering, quality, and operational leadership to coordinate equipment‑related activities
• Communicate technical findings, equipment risks, and recommended actions to stakeholders
• Support planning and execution of equipment outages, upgrades, and improvement projects
• Coordinate work activities across multiple groups to ensure timely completion of corrective actions
• Build effective working relationships and serve as a trusted technical resource within the