Controls Engineer - Evening Shift

Yanfeng US Automotive Interior Systems I LLC; Chattanooga (TN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Yanfeng US Automotive Interior Systems I LLC in Chattanooga seeks an experienced maintenance automation engineer to troubleshoot and improve automated production. You will work with PLCs, HMIs, robotics, sensors, and vision systems to minimize downtime and improve process stability.

The role requires hands-on diagnosis of Allen-Bradley ControlLogix/CompactLogix, PanelView/FactoryTalk View, FANUC robots, and Keyence vision, plus safe electrical troubleshooting and documentation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 3–5 years hands-on troubleshooting in electronics/automation.
• Willingness to travel to customer sites and work at client plants.

Responsibilities

• Troubleshoot automated equipment and production interruptions across PLCs, HMIs, robots, and sensors.
• Connect to Allen-Bradley PLCs and diagnose faults; perform controlled program changes.
• Support PanelView/HMI alarms, displays, and tag mapping.
• Diagnose FANUC robot cells and adjust positions; review I/O and interlocks.
• Configure Keyence sensors and vision systems; set inspection criteria.
• Maintain safety, electrical circuits, and document changes.

Skills

PLC troubleshooting

HMI systems

Allen-Bradley Studio 5000

FANUC robot programming

Keyence sensors

Industrial automation

Electrical schematics

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering / Engineering Technology

3-5 years experience in electronics/automation

Automotive industry experience

Willingness to travel

Tools

Studio 5000 / RSLogix 5000

PanelView

FactoryTalk View

FANUC robots

Keyence vision systems

Job description

Job Responsibilities

• Troubleshoot automated equipment and production interruptions involving PLC logic, HMI applications, robot programs, safety systems, industrial networks, drives, sensors, vision systems, and electrical controls.
• Connect to Allen-Bradley ControlLogix and CompactLogix PLCs using Studio 5000 / RSLogix 5000; trace logic, cross-reference tags, diagnose I/O and communications faults, and make controlled program changes.
• Support Allen-Bradley PanelView and FactoryTalk View HMI applications, including alarms, status displays, communications, tag mapping, and minor application changes.
• Diagnose and recover FANUC robot cells; interpret faults, verify UOP and PLC handshakes, teach or adjust positions, review I/O and interlocks, and make appropriate program changes.
• Configure and troubleshoot Keyence sensors and vision systems, including inspection setup, triggering, lighting, focus, pass/fail criteria, PLC communications, and false-reject conditions.
• Troubleshoot 24 VDC control circuits and 120/240/480 VAC industrial electrical systems using electrical drawings and safe work practices.
• Diagnose safety circuits, relays, contactors, motors, VFDs, servos, encoders, solenoids, analog devices, proximity sensors, photoeyes, and distributed I/O.
• Troubleshoot Ethernet/IP and related industrial communications, including device addressing, managed switches, remote I/O, intermittent connections, and network fault isolation.
• Perform root-cause analysis and implement durable corrective actions instead of repeated temporary resets or parts replacement.
• Maintain accurate backups, document changes, update drawings and technical records, and follow site change control procedures.
• Provide clear shift handoff notes and communicate unresolved risks, temporary countermeasures, and required follow-up.
• Support equipment launches, continuous-improvement projects, preventive maintenance, spare-parts strategy, and training of maintenance technicians.
• Follow all safety policies, including lockout/tagout, arc-flash boundaries, machine guarding, and controls-related safety validation.

Additional Responsibilities

• Provide technical support to other facilities if needed.
• Maintain current corporate programming standards.
• Improve human machine interfaces.
• Implement quality improvements.

Essential Common Requirements for all Employees

• International Operating System (IOS): Understand, apply, and meet all function related IOS requirements.
• Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS): Understand, apply, and meet all function related EHS requirements.
• Product Safety: Understand, apply, and meet all function-related Product Safety requirements.
• Compliance: Understand, apply, and meet all function-related Compliance requirements
• Information Security: Understand, apply, and meet all function-related IT / Information Security and confidentiality of YFAI information requirements.
• Must comply with all company policies and procedures.
• Employee must have the ability to work additional hours and / or overtime as needed or assigned to complete job duties on time.
• Ability to multitask, interact politely and professionally with customers, suppliers and vendors, and work cooperatively with employees at all levels.
• Ability to maintain predictable and regular attendance, arrive to designated location on time, or be at assigned location ready to work for assignment.

Required Education Level/Qualifications

• Bachelor's Level Degree
• Area of Study: Electrical Engineering / Engineering Technology or similar.
• *Equivalent work experience may also be considered for certain positions. Demonstrated capability and practical troubleshooting skill are valued alongside formal education.
• 3-5 Minimum Years of Experience as an electronic engineer, electrician or similar.
• 1-3 Minimum Years of Experience within the automotive industry
• Must be able and willing to travel and work at customer sites, including industrial manufacturing plants which might require climbing, lifting, or working in confined spaces.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience troubleshooting industrial automation in a manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of Allen-Bradley ControlLogix or CompactLogix PLCs and Studio 5000 / RSLogix 5000.
• Working knowledge of industrial HMI systems, preferably FactoryTalk View and PanelView.
• Ability to troubleshoot FANUC robots, including alarms, I/O, interlocks, position recovery, and basic program editing.
• Experience with Keyence sensors and/or machine-vision systems, or comparable vision technology.
• Strong industrial electrical knowledge and the ability to read electrical schematics and safely use a digital multimeter.
• Ability to methodically trace a machine sequence and distinguish the root cause from a downstream symptom.
• Ability to work independently on night shift and respond calmly to high-priority production issues.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.
• Availability for occasional overtime, weekends, shutdowns, and call-in support as business needs require.

Preferred Qualifications

• Automotive, Tier 1 supplier, or other high-volume automated manufacturing experience.
• Experience with POINT I/O, remote I/O, VFDs, servo systems, safety PLCs, barcode systems, and traceability systems.
• FANUC robot programming, backup/restore, mastering, or vision experience.
• Keyence CV-X, IV, IV2, LR, or similar product-family experience.
• Experience with controls standards, machine launches, cycle-time improvement, and equipment acceptance.
• Ability to coach maintenance technicians and share technical knowledge.

Physical Ability Requirements

• Stationary Position (Sitting or Standing): Frequently
• Movement (Walking): Frequently
• Carry Weight (Lifting up to 50 lbs): Occasionally
• Communication (Seeing/Talking/Hearing): Constantly
• Use Hands/Fingers (Operate computer, printer, phone): Constantly