Automation Integration Engineer

Our Next Energy Inc; Novi (MI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Our Next Energy Inc. is seeking an Automation Integration Engineer to bridge manufacturing engineering, controls, equipment suppliers, and IT/OT for seamless automated equipment integration on the production floor.

The role emphasizes hands-on leadership during installation, commissioning, and ramp, combining controls expertise with practical manufacturing experience to ensure safety, quality, throughput, and reliability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Controls/Automation/Mechatronics or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in automation, controls, equipment integration in highly automated manufacturing.
• Hands-on PLC programming and troubleshooting experience.
• Experience with industrial HMI systems.
• Experience integrating automated manufacturing equipment.
• Ability to read electrical schematics, P&IDs, and equipment documentation.
• Experience installing, commissioning, and production launch.

Responsibilities

• Integrate automated equipment, controls, robotics, sensors, vision systems, and supporting technologies into manufacturing operations.
• Develop and troubleshoot PLC and HMI applications.
• Support FAT/SAT, installation, commissioning, and production ramp.
• Collaborate with machine builders and system integrators to resolve controls and performance issues.
• Lead or support equipment debugging and ensure targets for cycle time, uptime, and quality.

Skills

PLC programming

HMI systems

Industrial networks

Robotics integration

Equipment troubleshooting

Data acquisition

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Controls/Automation/Mechatronics

Tools

Rockwell/Studio 5000

Siemens PLC

FANUC/ABB/KUKA robots

Cognex/Keyence vision systems

Job description

This role serves as a critical link between manufacturing engineering, controls, equipment suppliers, operations, maintenance, quality, and IT/OT teams to ensure automated equipment is successfully integrated into ONE's manufacturing environment and achieves required safety, quality, throughput, reliability, and operational performance.

The Automation Integration Engineer will provide hands‑on technical leadership during equipment installation, commissioning, launch, and production ramp. The ideal candidate combines strong controls and automation expertise with practical manufacturing experience and is comfortable troubleshooting complex equipment directly on the production floor.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Automation & Controls Integration

• Integrate automated manufacturing equipment, controls, robotics, sensors, vision systems, and supporting technologies into ONE manufacturing operations
• Develop, modify, troubleshoot, and optimize PLC and HMI applications
• Support integration of PLCs, industrial networks, robots, drives, safety systems, vision systems, and manufacturing equipment
• Establish and validate communication between machines, production systems, manufacturing execution systems (MES), databases, and other plant‑level systems as applicable
• Develop and maintain equipment communication standards and interface requirements
• Review electrical controls architecture, schematics, control panels, I/O configurations, network architecture, and equipment documentation
• Ensure automation solutions comply with ONE engineering standards and applicable industry requirements

Equipment Launch & Commissioning

• Participate in equipment design reviews and provide automation and controls input throughout the equipment development lifecycle
• Support Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), installation, commissioning, and production validation
• Work directly with machine builders and system integrators to resolve controls, programming, communication, and equipment performance issues
• Lead or support equipment debug during installation and production ramp
• Verify equipment meets defined cycle time, uptime, quality, safety, and process capability requirements before final acceptance
• Identify integration risks early and develop mitigation plans before equipment reaches the production floor
• Support equipment handoff from Advanced Manufacturing Engineering to Operations and Maintenance

Robotics & Advanced Automation

• Integrate and troubleshoot industrial robotic systems used for material handling, assembly, dispensing, inspection, welding, and other automated processes
• Support programming and optimization of robotic applications
• Integrate machine vision, barcode/RFID, traceability, sensors, servo systems, drives, and automated material handling equipment
• Support implementation of collaborative robotics and other advanced manufacturing technologies where appropriate
• Evaluate new automation technologies that can improve safety, quality, productivity, flexibility, or manufacturing cost

Troubleshooting & Production Support

• Provide advanced technical support for automation and controls issues affecting production
• Troubleshoot PLC logic, industrial networks, robotics, sensors, servo systems, drives, safety circuits, machine vision, and electrical controls
• Lead structured root cause analysis for recurring automation‑related downtime
• Implement permanent corrective actions rather than relying on temporary equipment fixes
• Analyze equipment downtime and performance data to identify opportunities for improvement
• Partner with Maintenance and Operations to improve Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) and Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)

Manufacturing Systems Integration

• Support integration between production equipment and MES, SCADA, historian, traceability, and manufacturing data systems
• Ensure equipment generates accurate and reliable production, quality, process, and traceability data
• Partner with IT/OT and cybersecurity resources to ensure industrial networks and connected equipment meet ONE requirements
• Support standardized communication protocols and data structures across manufacturing equipment
• Participate in Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing initiatives

Equipment Standards & Documentation

• Develop and maintain ONE automation and controls standards
• Review supplier equipment designs for compliance with ONE specifications
• Maintain PLC programs, HMI applications, robot programs, electrical drawings, network documentation, backups, and revision history
• Develop troubleshooting guides and technical documentation for Maintenance and Operations
• Support creation of spare‑parts strategies for critical automation components
• Ensure equipment changes follow appropriate change‑control processes
• Identify opportunities to improve equipment cycle time, uptime, quality, ergonomics, and reliability
• Use manufacturing and equipment data to identify chronic losses and improvement opportunities
• Support automation upgrades and equipment modifications
• Participate in Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, and structured problem‑solving activities
• Develop standardized solutions that can be replicated across equipment lines and ONE facilities

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Controls Engineering, Maintenance, Operations, Quality, IT/OT, EHS, and Supply Chain
• Coordinate with external equipment manufacturers, automation integrators, and technology suppliers
• Provide technical guidance and training to Maintenance technicians and production personnel
• Communicate equipment risks, commissioning status, technical issues, and recovery plans to project and manufacturing leadership

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Automation Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• 3+ years of experience supporting automation, controls, equipment integration, or manufacturing engineering in a highly automated manufacturing environment
• Hands‑on experience with PLC programming and troubleshooting
• Experience with industrial HMI systems
• Experience integrating automated manufacturing equipment
• Working knowledge of industrial communication networks and protocols
• Experience troubleshooting electrical controls, sensors, drives, servo systems, and automated equipment
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, control drawings, P&IDs, and equipment documentation
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex equipment issues systematically
• Experience supporting equipment installation, commissioning, and production launch.
• Ability to work effectively with machine builders and automation integrators

Preferred

• Experience with Rockwell/Allen‑Bradley ControlLogix and Studio 5000
• Experience with Siemens PLC platforms
• Experience with FANUC, ABB, KUKA, Yaskawa, or similar industrial robotics
• Experience with Cognex, Keyence, or similar machine‑vision systems
• Experience with servo motion control and variable‑frequency drives
• Experience with EtherNet/IP, Profinet, OPC UA, Modbus TCP, or similar industrial communication protocols
• Experience integrating manufacturing equipment with MES, SCADA, historians, or production databases
• Experience with battery, automotive, EV, electronics, semiconductor, or other high‑volume automated manufacturing
• Experience with automated assembly, material handling, dispensing, welding, inspection, or end‑of‑line testing
• Knowledge of industrial cybersecurity and OT network architecture
• Familiarity with machine safety standards, risk assessments, and safety PLC systems
• Experience working through new‑product or manufacturing‑equipment launches

Equal Opportunity Employer
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