Process Technician

Ingrain; Germiston; On-site; ZAR 350,000 - 500,000; Full time

Job summary

Ingrain is seeking an experienced plant operations specialist to monitor and optimise ion exchange, adsorption, activated carbon and demineralisation processes within its Germiston facility. You will analyse performance data, drive corrective actions to prevent downtime and quality deviations, and manage resin and carbon regeneration cycles and change-outs.

Responsibilities include leading troubleshooting, ensuring compliance with safety and quality standards, supporting SOP development and

Qualifications

• Experience monitoring resin-based purification processes and water treatment systems.
• Ability to analyse plant performance data and drive corrective actions to prevent downtime.
• Experience leading troubleshooting and root-cause analysis of process upsets and equipment failures.

Responsibilities

• Monitor and optimise ion exchange, adsorption, activated carbon, and demineralisation processes.
• Analyse plant performance data and drive corrective actions to prevent downtime and quality deviations.
• Manage resin and activated carbon life cycles, regeneration processes, and change-outs.
• Lead troubleshooting and root cause analysis of process upsets and equipment failures.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, environmental, quality, and statutory requirements.
• Support operator training, SOP development, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Drive operational excellence through proactive process monitoring and performance optimisation.

Skills

Process monitoring

Root cause analysis

Troubleshooting

Data analysis

SOP development

Training

Job description

• Monitor and optimise ion exchange, adsorption, activated carbon, and demineralisation processes.
• Analyse plant performance data and drive corrective actions to prevent downtime and quality deviations.
• Manage resin and activated carbon life cycles, regeneration processes, and change-outs.
• Lead troubleshooting and root cause analysis of process upsets and equipment failures.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, environmental, quality, and statutory requirements.
• Support operator training, SOP development, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Drive operational excellence through proactive process monitoring and performance optimisation.

Business Process – Plant Performance

Review IX performance daily – trend throughput, conductivity/ash, pH, colour and pressure drop; identify problems and act.

Analyse and trend sweeten-on, sweeten-off and rinses; maintain a performance database for problem solving.

Optimise regeneration cycles (chemical strength, dosing, flows, contact time, rinse endpoints) and verify regeneration efficacy after every cycle.

Manage resin loss and vessel top-ups.

Resin life management

Maintain a resin life register per vessel: install date, volume treated, capacity trend, top-ups and analysis results.

Coordinate external resin analysis and run lab-scale activity tests; recommend change-out based on data.

Plan and manage resin change-outs (lead times, contractors, shutdown window) and inspect lining and internals at every change-out.

Adsorption columns DE3 & DE4

Monitor outlet colour and cumulative load on each column; track the exhaustion profile against capacity.

Schedule column changeover or regeneration ahead of exhaustion so colour breakthrough never occurs.

Set early-warning trigger limits with a clear operator response, and verify adherence every shift.

Granular activated carbon (GAC) plant

Monitor reactivation conditions (furnace temperature, residence time, steam/atmosphere) and carbon feed rate.

Measure reactivation efficacy – reactivated carbon activity (e.g. iodine number / decolourisation), apparent density and ash – against virgin carbon benchmarks.

Track carbon losses per cycle, manage make-up carbon additions and keep carbon inventory sufficient for uninterrupted operation.

Demineralisation plant

Ensure demin water quality (conductivity, silica, pH) and volume meet demand.

Manage cation/anion regeneration cycles, efficacy and resin condition.

Instrumentation, downtime & troubleshooting

Ensure calibration of conductivity, pH, colour, flow and level instruments across all purification plants.

Record and analyse downtime; lead root cause analysis (5-Why, fishbone) and close out corrective actions.

Lead troubleshooting on plant upsets.