Product Development Engineer

Ring Container Technologies; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Ring Container Technologies is seeking a packaging engineer with 5+ years in industrial or consumer packaging to lead development, optimize materials, and implement cost-saving initiatives. The role focuses on HDPE and corrugate packaging, supplier evaluation, and cross-functional collaboration across operations, product development, and sales.

You will evaluate manufacturing practices, set standards, and drive process improvements to ensure manufacturability and meeting customer specifications.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or packaging engineering.
• 5+ years in industrial or consumer packaging.
• Strong knowledge of packaging materials such as HDPE and corrugate.
• Strong problem solving and decision making skills.
• Ability to work independently and in a team.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Understanding of process and quality improvement concepts.
• Understanding of plant operations and manufacturing processes.
• Project management skills; certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate product line manufacturing to identify best practices in materials and processes.
• Identify and implement cost-saving initiatives related to packaging materials, labor, efficiency, transport, and storage.
• Analyze specifications to determine optimal container characteristics and materials.
• Establish supplier evaluation standards; conduct vendor reviews and technology updates.
• Oversee new development: designs, prototypes, and testing.
• Specify tools and test methods for new product development.
• Identify competitive products/technologies and assess threats or opportunities.
• Collaborate with operations to optimize developments for manufacturability.
• Develop and implement test plans to ensure containers meet specs.
• Work with suppliers, operations, product development, sales, and purchasing.

Skills

Packaging engineering

Problem solving

Communication skills

Teamwork

Project management

Process improvement

Quality improvement concepts

Manufacturing processes understanding

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or packaging engineering

5+ years of experience in industrial or consumer packaging

Job description

• Evaluate company’s core product line manufacturing to find best practices in materials and processes to provide timely and cost-effective solutions.
• Identify and implement new cost saving initiatives related to packaging materials, labor, efficiency, transportation, and storage of company’s core product line with focus on reduce material usage improved ergonomics, and pallet efficiency.
• Analyze specifications of company’s core product line to determine optimal physical characteristics of container, handling, and types of materials required for use at customers and distribution.
• Establish standards and guidelines for supplier evaluation. Evaluate suppliers/vendors; periodically conduct vendor reviews and technology updates as it pertains to company’s core product line.
• Oversee and manage company’s core product line new development, including the creation of company’s core product line designs, prototype, and performance testing.
• Specify and recommend tools and test methods to develop and validate company’s core product line new product developments.
• Identify and evaluate products and technologies competitive to company’s core product line to determine threats or opportunities
• Work with the operations to insure that company’s core product line developments are optimized for manufacturability.
• Develop and implement test plans to ensure that company’s core product line containers exceeds customer specifications.
• Work closely with suppliers, operations, product development, sales, and purchasing.

Experience and Educational Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or packaging engineering.
• 5+ years of experience in industrial or consumer packaging.
• Strong proficiency and understanding of packaging and materials such as HDPE and corrugate.
• Strong problem solving and decision making skills.
• Must be able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Must have strong communication skills, orally and in writing.
• Understanding of process improvement and quality improvement concepts.
• Understanding of plant operations and manufacturing processes.
• Must be able to demonstrate project management skills and experience; project management certification a plus.