Plant Chemist

Press-Seal Corporation; Fort Wayne (IN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Press-Seal Corporation in Fort Wayne, IN seeks a Plant Chemist for an on-site, full-time position. The role focuses on designing and developing rubber compounds for gasket products, using advanced presses and coordinating with QA, engineering, and production teams.

The candidate will lead R&D efforts, drive process improvements, and interface with supply chain on material evaluation. A background in rubber formulation and DOE methods is required, with at least five years in rubber processing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, or polymer science.
• Minimum 5 years of rubber processing experience (mixing, calendaring, extrusion); non-degreed acceptable with relevant experience.
• Experience with DOE methods for rubber compounds.
• Familiarity with analytical lab instrumentation and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop rubber compounds for engineered gasket products using modern presses.
• Provide technical solutions through material development.
• Support mixing, calendaring, extrusion, and curing processes.
• Develop compound formulas; interface with quality, engineering, and production.
• Lead R&D efforts for new/improved rubber compounds and processes.
• Drive continuous improvement and cost-reduction projects.
• Interface with supply chain on material evaluation.

Skills

Rubber formulation

DOE methods

Project management

LEAN Manufacturing

Six Sigma

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry/Engineering/Polymer Science

5+ years rubber processing experience

Tools

Mooney Viscometer

Rheometer

Tensiometers

Lab Mixer

Lab Mill

Cure Press

Densometer

Job description

This position is Fort Wayne, IN and will be a full-time on-site position.

Position

The Plant Chemist is a full-time on-site position in Fort Wayne, IN.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Design and develop rubber compounds for use in engineered rubber gasket products utilizing modern injection and compression molding presses.


• Provide technical solutions to customer needs through material development.


• Support process and product teams in mixing, calendaring, extrusion, and curing for industrial products.


• Develop compound formulas and manage the systems which interfaces with quality, engineering, and production to ensure materials' performance meets internal and external customers' requirements.


• Lead R&D efforts for new and improved rubber compounds for products and processes.


• Lead continuous improvement and cost reduction projects focused on productivity and cost reduction.


• Interface with supply chain to evaluate new and alternative materials.


• Interface with Rubber Mixing team in material and compound evaluation as it pertains to daily operations and efficiency projects.


• Interface with product engineering in rubber extrusion and calendaring trails for product development and improvements.


• Support quality assurance in analyzing product returns for rubber compatibility issues.


• Manage raw material specification database for internal and external customers.


• Manager and operate analytical lab equipment.


• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Rubber formulation experience with EPDM, Isoprene, Chloroprene (neoprene) Nitrile.


• Experience with analytical and statistical DOE methods for rubber compound development.


• Analytical experience with Mooney Viscometer, Rheometer, Tensiometers, Lab Mixer, Lab Mill, Cure Press, Densometer.


• Demonstrated project management and organizational skills.


• Familiarity with database systems such as DAISY, SCADA, or PLM.


• MS Office tools.


• Experience with LEAN Manufacturing and 6 Sigma tools a plus.

Education And/Or Experience

• Bachelor's degree in chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or Polymer Science.


• Minimum 5 years of experience in rubber processing such as mixing, calendaring, and extrusion; will accept non-degreed with experience in compound rubber.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Basic sitting, standing, bending & minor lifting up to 20lbs.