Sand & Buff Production Associate

TERREPOWER (formerly BBB Industries); Smyrna (TN); On-site; USD 32,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

TERREPOWER is seeking a finishing technician at our Smyrna, TN site to grind, sand, and polish lens housings to insurance-quality standards. You will handle hand and machine finishing, using the right wheels, grits, and compounds to achieve defect-free surfaces.

You'll perform quality checks, follow safety procedures, and contribute ideas for faster, better finishes. Training is provided, and growth within a global manufacturing team is encouraged.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or practical experience required.
• 1+ year in warehouse, manufacturing or factory setting preferred.
• Experience grinding, sanding, or buffing/polishing is a plus; training provided.
• Keen eye for finish quality and defects before parts leave station.
• Able to stand and perform care for 8-10 hour shifts.
• Able to track multiple parts through the station with accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Inspect each lens or housing and diagnose material and process needs.
• Set up with grinding wheels, sanding grits, and polishing compounds.
• Grind, sand, clean, and polish lenses by hand and machine to a quality finish.
• Run finished pieces through quality control before moving to the next station.
• Follow safety procedures with PPE and guards every shift.
• Offer ideas to improve speed or quality of finishes.

Skills

Grinding, sanding, buffing/polishing

Attention to finish quality

Stand 8-10 hours

Coachable / willingness to learn

Education

High school diploma or equivalent practical experience

1+ year of warehouse/manufacturing experience

Tools

Grinding wheels

Sanding grits

Polishing compounds

Job description

• Inspect each lens or housing and diagnose exactly what material and process it needs — light buffing, deep sanding, or a full re-finish.
• Set up with the right grinding wheels, sanding grits, and polishing compounds for the job in front of you.
• Grind, sand, clean, and polish lenses by hand and machine until the finish hits insurance-quality standard — no shortcuts, no fogging, no scratches left behind.
• Run every finished piece through quality control before it moves to the next station.
• Follow safety procedures on every job — PPE, machine guards, and safe handling, every time.
• Bring your ideas to the team on faster or better ways to get the same clean finish.

Job Description

• Inspect each lens or housing and diagnose exactly what material and process it needs — light buffing, deep sanding, or a full re-finish.
• Set up with the right grinding wheels, sanding grits, and polishing compounds for the job in front of you.
• Grind, sand, clean, and polish lenses by hand and machine until the finish hits insurance-quality standard — no shortcuts, no fogging, no scratches left behind.
• Run every finished piece through quality control before it moves to the next station.
• Follow safety procedures on every job — PPE, machine guards, and safe handling, every time.
• Bring your ideas to the team on faster or better ways to get the same clean finish.

What you'll do

• Inspect each lens or housing and diagnose exactly what material and process it needs — light buffing, deep sanding, or a full re-finish.
• Set up with the right grinding wheels, sanding grits, and polishing compounds for the job in front of you.
• Grind, sand, clean, and polish lenses by hand and machine until the finish hits insurance-quality standard — no shortcuts, no fogging, no scratches left behind.
• Run every finished piece through quality control before it moves to the next station.
• Follow safety procedures on every job — PPE, machine guards, and safe handling, every time.
• Bring your ideas to the team on faster or better ways to get the same clean finish.

What You'll Bring

• High school diploma or equivalent practical experience — required.
• 1+ year of warehouse, manufacturing, or factory experience — preferred, not required.
• Grinding, sanding, or buffing/polishing experience — a plus, not required, we'll train the technique.
• You catch defects and imperfections before a part leaves your station — a sharp eye for finish quality matters here.
• You can stand, stay focused, and keep steady hands through a full 8-10 hour shift.
• You can track multiple parts moving through your station at once without losing accuracy.
• You're coachable — willing to pick up new finishing techniques from teammates and trainers.

Nice-to-haves

• Prior grinding, sanding, or buffing/polishing repair experience.
• Experience working specifically with plastic or polycarbonate lens materials.

Why you'll love working here

• Purpose-driven work — every part you finish helps keep vehicles on the road and cuts down on waste.
• Room to grow — training, mentorship, and real paths to advance into other production roles.
• A team that's got your back — shared values and real teamwork, every shift.
• Part of something bigger — TERREPOWER operates across North America and Europe, but every plant still feels like a community.

Additional Role Details

Physical Demands: Stand or walk up to 8-10 hours; lift and move totes up to 50 pounds; regular bending, lifting, stretching, and reaching both below the waist and above the head; comfortable working in a warehouse environment with variable noise, lighting, and temperature.

About Us

For over 35 years, TERREPOWER (formerly BBB Industries) has been a leader in sustainable manufacturing, driving the circular economy by extending the life of essential products in the automotive and industrial markets.

Founded in 1987 in Daphne, Alabama by the Bigler family, TERREPOWER began as a small regional remanufacturer of starters and alternators. Our commitment to quality and innovation quickly earned us a reputation as a trusted name in the automotive industry.

Recognizing new challenges and opportunities, in 2019 we set our sights on EV battery upcycling-addressing one of the industry’s most pressing issues. Our engineering team pioneered solutions to extend EV battery life, pushing the boundaries of sustainable innovation.

Recognizing that demand for solar panels would exceed availability and 100,000 tons of waste would potentially go into landfills by 2035, our team searched for an innovative way to upcycle solar panels. With an eye on the future, we developed ways to upcycle solar panels.

Rooted in family and community values, we’re proud to have second-generation employees contributing to our legacy. Backed by Clearlake Capital, we’ve expanded our footprint into Europe with facilities in Spain, Italy, Denmark, Germany and Poland. We now sustainably manufacture and supply an assortment of nondiscretionary repair parts across more than 90 countries.

As we move forward under the TERREPOWER name, we remain committed to the same values that have always defined us: entrepreneurship, teamwork, customer-centered, sustainability, safety.

Why Join Us?

When you join our team, you become part of a company that is redefining how essential products are made, reused and repurposed to reduce waste and maximize resources.

Here’s What Sets Us Apart

• Purpose-Driven Work – Every day, your work will contribute to extending the useful life of essential products, keeping vehicles on the road and critical systems running.
• Innovative Mindset – We encourage creative problem-solving and bold ideas to push the boundaries of what is possible.
• Global Reach, Local Impact – With operations in North America and Europe, we have a global presence but remain deeply connected to the communities we serve.
• Growth & Development – Whether you’re on the production floor, in engineering, or part of our corporate team, we invest in your success through training, mentorship, and career advancement opportunities.
• A Culture of Collaboration – Rooted in teamwork and shared values, our employees work together to tackle challenges and drive meaningful change.

TERREPOWER is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, pregnancy, age, veteran status, religion, national origin, genetic information, disability unrelated to the ability to perform a job, sexual orientation, or transgender status to the extent protected by law. We believe that diversity drives innovation and success.