Continuous Improvement Engineer

First Quality; Defiance (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Bonus opportunities

Paid time off

Medical, dental and vision

401(k) with employer match

Tuition assistance

Wellness program

Job summary

First Quality Tissue Midwest in Defiance, OH is seeking a Continuous Improvement Engineer-Paper to lead product and process improvements across our paper facility. You will guide safety initiatives, collaborate with quality, and drive efficiencies in converting and production, ensuring compliance with quality systems and regulatory requirements.

The ideal candidate will have a mechanical/chemical/electrical engineering background, 5 years in high-volume manufacturing, and experience with lean

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related technical field.
• 5 years’ experience in a high-speed, high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Lean manufacturing experience preferred.
• Experience with technical analysis/feasibility studies and controls systems.
• Strong communication and analytical skills.

Responsibilities

• Promote safety culture and ensure an incident-free workplace.
• Provide technical support to improve efficiencies of paper making equipment.
• Organize and maintain production process flow; develop best practices.
• Evaluate manufacturing data to identify trends and reduce downtime.
• Train and develop operations personnel in processes and procedures.
• Prepare documentation for new manufacturing processes and procedures.
• Lead cross-disciplinary projects with timelines and milestones.
• Plan trials, communicate results, and implement improvements.
• Apply lean methods to enhance quality, reliability, or cost-effectiveness.
• Identify options and select optimal solutions based on cost-benefit.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Project management

Detail orientation

Communication skills

Lean manufacturing

Multi-project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Chemical or Electrical Engineering

Job description

Founded over 35 years ago, First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown from a small business in McElhattan, Pennsylvania into a group of companies, employing over 5,000 team members, while maintaining our family values and entrepreneurial spirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada, the companies within the First Quality group produce high-quality personal care and household products for large retailers and healthcare organizations. Our personal care and household product portfolio includes baby diapers, wipes, feminine pads, paper towels, bath tissue, adult incontinence products, laundry detergents, fabric finishers, and dishwash solutions. In addition, we manufacture certain raw materials and components used in the manufacturing of these products, including flexible print and packaging solutions.

Guided by our values of humility, unity, and integrity, we leverage advanced technology and innovation to drive growth and create new opportunities. At First Quality, you’ll find a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning, professional development, and our mission to Make Things Better®.

We are seeking a Continuous Improvement Engineer-Paper for our First Quality Tissue Midwest facility located in Defiance, OH. This position will be responsible for providing leadership for new product development, material improvements, process improvements, process validations, procedure development, with the goal of improving efficiencies, lowering costs, and expanding the business with new products or product improvements while insuring compliance with quality systems and regulatory requirements.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Promote an action-oriented safety culture embracing safety as a core value, instilling, and exemplifying a safety mindset for all team members resulting in an incident free workplace.
• Work in conjunction with Quality department to ensure finished product satisfies all finished product quality standards.
• Responsible for providing technical support for converting machines to improve efficiencies of all equipment in the paper making process.
• Organize, implement, and maintain production process flow. Develop best practices, routines, and innovative solutions to improve production rates and quality of output.
• Systematically evaluate, analyze, and identify trends in manufacturing processes/equipment issues and data from failures. Create and implement recommendations to prevent recurrence to reduce downtime and waste.
• Complete design and development projects by training, providing technical support and promoting growth of paper operations personnel to improve understanding of processes.
• Prepare documentation for new manufacturing processes and/or engineering procedures, reviews design drawings and customer specifications.
• Utilizes project management skills, prepares timelines, schedules, and coordinates multiple disciplines to meet required schedules.
• Proposes, installs, starts up, and validates new equipment.
• Plans and leads process trials and communicates results to appropriate parties.
• Apply continuous improvement methods such as lean manufacturing to enhance manufacturing quality, reliability, or cost-effectiveness.
• Identify complex problems and review related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Consider the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

The ideal candidate should possess the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Chemical or Electrical Engineering or related technical field.
• 5 years’ experience in a high-speed, high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Previous paper industry experience STRONGLY preferred.
• Experience providing technical analysis, feasibility studies and recommendations for controls systems requirements preferred.
• Experience in a lean manufacturing environment preferred.
• Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Fundamental knowledge of cost accounting principles.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Analytical thought process by identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Ability to manage multiple projects/tasks and adjust priorities as necessary.
• Detail oriented and thorough when completing work tasks.
• First six months, training will take place in Anderson, SC.

What We Offer You

We believe that by continuously improving the quality of our benefits, we can help to raise the quality of life for our team members and their families. At First Quality you will receive:

• Competitive base salary and bonus opportunities
• Paid time off (three-week minimum)
• Medical, dental and vision starting day one
• 401(k) with employer match
• Paid parental leave
• Child and family care assistance (dependent care FSA with employer match up to $2500)
• Bundle of joy benefit (years’ worth of free diapers to all team members with a new baby)
• Tuition assistance
• Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums
• ...and more!

First Quality is committed to protecting information under the care of First Quality Enterprises commensurate with leading industry standards and applicable regulations. As such, First Quality provides at least annual training regarding data privacy and security to employees who, as a result of their role specifications, may come in to contact with sensitive data.

First Quality is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, or protected Veteran status.