Blending & Grinding Operator

Westlake•Lodi, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Westlake Pipe & Fittings, a Westlake division, is a leading manufacturer of polyvinyl chloride pipes and fittings in North America. The company serves diverse markets including municipal water and sewer, plumbing, water well, pool and spa, and agricultural and turf irrigation. Westlake Pipe & Fittings is recognized for product innovation, such as Certa-Lok® spline-lock technology, and focuses on building 'A Better Foundation'. SUMMARY: The Blending & Grinding Operator is responsible for grinding all scrap PVC pipe to ensure it can be reprocessed into a quality product. This role involves operating equipment, selecting appropriate materials, maintaining blend inventory, and ensuring consistent material supply to extruders.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED
Ability to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
Must be capable of operating, reading and understanding all controls and warning devices on the blend control panel and system, along with making proper adjustments for blending the product within manufacturing standards.
Must operator forklift to move and load pipe into machines.
Have the ability to recognize all ingredients and materials visually.
Weigh all ingredients to the designated specifications.
Make proper machine adjustments and perform minor maintenance to ensure consistent quality blends, safe operation and optimum output of compounding system.
Make routine inspections of mixing operation, mixer system and silos.

Responsibilities

Grind all scrap PVC pipe so it can be run back on the extruder as a good quality product.
Operate all equipment and select materials required to provide consistent material to extruders.
Maintain blend inventory.
Comply with all company policies and procedures.
Ensure all pipe is free of mud and dirt.
Check pipe for gaskets or foreign material before grinding.
Keep scale and pulverize area clean following 5S standards.
Responsible for the blend operation: keeping micro ingredient hoppers filled, setting batch scales, using correct formulas, and keeping accurate written records.
Operate, read, and understand all controls and warning devices on the blend control panel and system, and make proper adjustments for blending within manufacturing standards.
Notify supervision and maintenance immediately of any material leaks.
Keep blend room, silos, railcar siding, and surrounding areas clean of powdered materials, using methods that contain the powder and prevent release into the air.
Pre-break, grind, and pulverize all out-of-spec pipe and QC samples.
Operate a forklift to move and load pipe into machines.
Set the mixer system to properly produce compound needed for production.
Weigh all ingredients to the designated specifications.
Make proper machine adjustments and perform minor maintenance to ensure consistent quality blends, safe operation, and optimum output of the compounding system.
Make routine inspections of the mixing operation, mixer system, and silos.
Perform other duties as assigned.